Miaowan Ancient City

Miaowan Ancient City

Miaowan Ancient City is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural heritage site.

Miaowan Ancient City is located at the mouth of the Sheyang River in Funing, Jiangsu, backed by the sea and nestled beside a lake, with undulating ridges and a majestic landscape. In the late Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates frequently raided the area, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities. Miaowan bore the brunt of these attacks, and the local people suffered greatly. To defend against pirate invasions and ensure regional peace, in the 23rd year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1595), Li Dai, the Grain Transport Commissioner, following the original layout planned by former Governor Tang Shunzhi, mobilized the public to build a city wall spanning the Salt Transport River. The city wall was 725 zhang 5 chi (approximately 2,418 meters) in circumference, 220 zhang (approximately 726 meters) from east to west, 110 zhang (approximately 363 meters) from north to south, 1 zhang 6 chi (approximately 5.3 meters) high, and the base was 1 chi (approximately 0.3 meters) thick. It had five gates: the eastern gate called Guanhai Gate, the main southern gate called Yingxun Gate, the smaller southern gate called Jinghuai Gate, and the northern gate called Gongchen Gate. Each gate had a watchtower, and there were five enemy platforms on the wall with 1,865 crenellations. The entire city was oval-shaped, wider from east to west and narrower from north to south, covering a total area of about 0.465 square kilometers. Inside the city were various institutions and buildings, including the county government office, the criminal investigation office, the garrison headquarters, the military command office, the salt warehouse, the academy, examination halls, the Temple of Heaven, the City God Temple, the Guanyin Pavilion, the Child-Giving Nunnery, the Xiaoguchang (small grain market), and the Zhongshi Tower (central market tower). The Salt Transport River served as the moat. It diverted water from Sheyang Lake and flowed northward, passing through Tongji Bridge (now San’guandian Bridge). One branch passed through the southern water gate into the city, circling the Confucian school and the Huìwén Canal, then exited through the left side of the City God Temple at the northern water gate, with another branch flowing westward from the northern water gate to Daijiawang. One branch from the southern water gate flowed eastward around the city and turned north, merging with the water from the northern water gate outside the western water gate. Structures such as Tongji Bridge, Zhenwu Temple (now Xingguo Temple), Wenchang Palace, Guanyin Temple, Tianqi Temple, and Lüzu Hall were all located outside the city. After the city wall was completed, government troops were stationed for defense, keeping watch and sounding alarms upon detecting threats, thus playing a significant role in safeguarding local stability.

Since then, Miaowan’s city defenses have gone through many trials. Due to warfare, floods, earthquakes, and other factors, the walls and towers often collapsed or were severely damaged, although they were repaired multiple times. According to the *Funing County Annals* (1932 edition), after the city wall was completed, “within 50 years the walls collapsed, and the watchtowers were burned down. In the 13th year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1656), the Coastal Defense Administrator Xian Dayou renovated the walls. In the 18th year (1661), Coastal Defense Administrator Zhang Xingsheng and Magistrate Lu Yingxiang donated funds to repair the eastern gate watchtower. In the 7th year of the Kangxi era (1668), an earthquake occurred, followed by repeated major floods, causing more collapses. In the 10th year of the Yongzheng era (1732), the county was officially established, using the town city as the administrative seat. In the 4th year of the Qianlong era (1739), County Magistrate Wang Lianbi requested 14,843 taels, 8 qian, 6 fen, 7 li, 2 hao, and 2 si (a traditional unit of Chinese currency) for extensive repairs, which were completed the following year. The estimated cost for the watchtowers alone was 2,354 taels, 8 qian, 9 fen, 5 li, 7 hao. In June of the 12th year of Qianlong (1747), County Magistrate Fang Liqian oversaw further repairs, completed the following year. In the 29th year of the Daoguang era (1849), County Magistrate Gu Siyao used redemption fines to repair the smaller southern gate watchtower, though many parts still remained damaged. In the 1st year of the Tongzhi era (1862), the Nian Army entered the city but quickly withdrew, yet the city walls deteriorated further, and the eastern, western, and northern gates were nearly completely ruined. County Magistrate Cui Shengzu encouraged donations for reconstruction, giving the walls a completely renewed look. He also rebuilt the northern gate watchtower and constructed enemy towers on the eastern and western gates, surrounded by crenellations. A drawbridge was installed outside the northern gate, which could be quickly removed in case of emergency to aid in defense. These projects were completed the following year. In the 13th year of Tongzhi (1874), County Magistrates Shen Guohan and Guan Shu successively encouraged donations to rebuild the larger southern gate watchtower. In the 6th year of the Guangxu era (1880), County Magistrate Lan Caijin oversaw repairs to the northern gate watchtower. In the northeastern corner of the inner city, there was once a Haiguan Tower built during the Ming Dynasty for spotting pirates. After the pirate threat subsided, the tower fell into disuse, as did the central market tower of the Yingxun Gate, which remained as a remnant of its former glory.

In the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), due to severe damage to the city walls, County Magistrate Wu Benjun and local gentry decided to demolish the walls and build a circular ring road on the original site. The bricks were sold, and the proceeds were used to construct enemy towers at the eastern and western enclosure gates and three barracks at the western enclosure gate. As a result, most of the city walls were demolished, leaving only the northern and southern gate towers. Six years later, there was another proposal to tear down the southern gate tower, but strong public opposition led to the plan being abandoned.

Although the Miaowan city walls have long passed into history—327 years after their construction—their traces remain. The Zhenwu Temple outside the southern gate, with its daily evening drums and morning bells, continues to attract many visitors. Tongji Bridge once spanned the Salt Transport River and was demolished in 2000. The loss of this cultural relic drew widespread lamentation and discussion, yet the architectural essence of ancient times remains vivid in people's memories. The streets south and north of the city are still called Nanmen Street and Beimen Street. The moat to the north was filled in several years ago to create an urban park. These ancient relics stand as testaments to history, sketching out the grand outline of the old city and reflecting the deep historical and cultural heritage of Miaowan ancient town, as well as the unyielding spirit of its people in resisting foreign invasion.

The reconstruction of Miaowan Ancient City was one of the key government projects in Funing County, Jiangsu in 2010. Covering an area of 21 mu (approximately 1.4 hectares) with a construction area of 6,908 square meters, the site was built in the style of classical Chinese garden architecture, combining antique charm with sightseeing, leisure, and tourism functions. It has now become an important tourist attraction in Funing.