Meili Ancient Town

Meili Ancient Town

Meicun is located in the southeast of Wuxi City, 12 kilometers from the city center. The ancient name of Meicun was Meili. It was the capital where Taibo, the eldest son of King Tai of Zhou in the late Shang Dynasty, fled from Qishan in Shaanxi to this area to avoid the throne, established the State of Gouwu, and founded the Wu Kingdom. Over 3,200 years ago, King Tai of Zhou had three sons: the eldest, Taibo; the second, Zhongyong; and the third, Jili. King Tai loved Jili’s son, Ji Chang, and wanted him to inherit the throne. To fulfill his father’s wish, Taibo yielded the throne three times and, together with his younger brother Zhongyong, traveled from the Central Plains to what is now Meicun (also called Meili), on the outskirts of Wuxi. They developed the vast Jiangnan region, founded the Wu Kingdom, and thus Meicun is honored as the First Ancient Town of Jiangnan. Later, Ji Chang inherited the throne and became the renowned King Wen of Zhou, ushering in China’s 800-year-long Zhou Dynasty.

When Taibo arrived in Meicun, it was still a remote and undeveloped land. He introduced advanced Central Plains culture and farming techniques to the locals, and led them to dig China’s first human-made river — Taibo Port. Over generations, it was widened. As late as the 1960s and 1970s, this canal remained a major transportation channel in the area. After developing the Jiangnan region, Taibo founded the Wu Kingdom, and the local people began adopting the name of their kingdom as their surname, which has continued for 120 generations to this day. There are now 24 million residents with the Wu surname across China, and over 4 million overseas, all tracing their ancestry back to Meicun. Many visit to seek their roots, honor their ancestors, and commemorate and learn from Taibo’s noble virtue of yielding the throne “three times.” They also organize efforts to compile genealogies of the Wu clan in the Temple of Taibo, and many come here to update their family trees.

In ancient times, the town was called “Man Village.” Because Taibo loved plum blossoms, he led the people to plant many plum trees to lift their spirits. To commemorate Taibo’s achievements in developing “Man Village,” it was renamed Meicun (Plum Village). A branch of the Baidao River that flows southward in the town was named “Meihua Port” (Plum Blossom Port), the bridge over it was called “Meihua Bridge” (Plum Blossom Bridge), and a street along the port was named “Meihua Street” (Plum Blossom Street).

After arriving in the remote land of Jingman in Wuxi, to demonstrate his resolve not to return and claim the Zhou throne, and to live in eternal harmony with the indigenous people, Taibo learned and respected the locals’ production methods, lifestyle, customs, and traditions, joining in their ways — “cutting his hair and tattooing his body, wearing the attire of the Yi and Di tribes, to show he would not rule.” On the other hand, Taibo imparted the advanced science, culture, and experience from the Yellow River basin to the Jingman tribes. He also summarized local knowledge, changing agricultural practices from a single harvest per year to two, planting both rice and wheat, which greatly increased food yields. At the same time, he led the locals in water conservancy projects, shifting from “blocking” to “diverting” floodwaters. He dug China’s first human-made river — the Baidao Port — and nine tributaries and creeks, greatly facilitating irrigation and transportation. Thanks to the excavation of Baidao Port and the nine streams, the Meili area was free from droughts and floods, enjoying bumper harvests year after year. By the eighth year of the Yuanhe era in the Tang Dynasty (813 AD), Governor Meng Jian dredged Baidao and renamed it Mengdao. However, centuries later, people only knew of Baidao, not Mengdao — a testament to the lasting impact of Taibo’s legacy among the people. Taibo also taught the locals sericulture and silkworm breeding, as well as raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep, gradually boosting production in the Jiangnan region. “Mulberry leaves in Wu are green, silkworms have moulted thrice” is a vivid depiction by the famous Tang poet Li Bai of the local silk farming. Even today, Meicun remains well known for its thriving silk industry. Legend also says that the Duck City Bridge and Pig-Sheep Lane in the northwest of Meicun Town, Wuxi County, are sites where Taibo once taught animal husbandry.

In terms of lifestyle, Taibo taught the villagers to shift from eating half-cooked food to fully cooked meals, improving their physical health. Living conditions were also improved: instead of “sheltering in makeshift huts,” they built organized villages and lanes, gathering scattered indigenous people into settlements. He established the famed First Village of Jiangnan — Jing Village, and the First Lane of Jiangnan — Man Lane, which greatly facilitated education and organized production. To this day, these two villages and lanes still bear the names “Jing Village” and “Man Lane.”

In spreading and developing culture and entertainment, Taibo and the local people adopted the approach of “using stone as paper, charcoal as pen, and song as teaching.” The Zhou people, who lived near Mount Qi and the Wei River, were a singing tribe. Their famous poems such as “Gong Liu” and “July” became important parts of the Book of Songs. After settling in Wuxi for life, these poems first had a direct influence on the area. Taibo combined the Zhou songs with the local tribal and folk songs, which later generations called Wu Songs. The Book of Chen from the Six Dynasties states: “Songs and chants... originated from Taibo.” Legend has it that the “Ge Wu Dun” (Song Performance Mound) on Lishan Slope, nine li north of Meili, was a place where Taibo often sang Wu Songs.

To commemorate Taibo’s development of Jiangnan, promote his “supreme virtue” in yielding the throne three times, and celebrate his great achievements in economy, culture, and more, from the Han Dynasty onward, people built ancestral temples and shrines in Meicun Town — where Taibo founded the Wu Kingdom and pioneered the region — using his residence as a temple. On Mount Tie, they constructed Taibo’s tomb — the Imperial Tomb, and in Huishan, they built the Temple of Taibo.

The current Meicun Ancient Town spans about three li, representing the inner city of the ancient Taibo City — the earliest ancient city in Jiangnan. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, the ruins and relics of the ancient city have long been buried and lost, leaving only the name “Old Wu Ruins.”

Address: Intersection of Meili Middle Road and Xinhua Road, Binhu District, Wuxi City

Type: Ancient Town / Ancient Village

Recommended Visiting Time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0510-88158268

Opening Hours:

Open all day