Rain-Praying Altar

Rain-Praying Altar

The Rain-Praying Altar is a cultural relic protection unit of Yixing City.

The Rain-Praying Altar is located to the south of the Back Cave at Shanjuan Cave in Zhangzhu Town, Yixing City. It is said that the altar was used for rain prayers during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. In May 2009, the Yixing Municipal People's Government designated it as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.

The site faces south (south by west 30°), is 18.10 meters wide, and extends 18 meters in depth. It is divided into three levels: the first level extends 6.50 meters, the second 8 meters, and the third 3.20 meters. The ground is paved with bluestone slabs measuring 0.60×0.36 meters, and the walls are built with irregularly shaped bluestone blocks. The total width is 18.10 meters, oriented south by west 30°. The site is divided into three levels: the first extends 6.50 meters, the second 8 meters, and the third 3.20 meters. It has a floor paved with 0.60×0.36-meter bluestone slabs and walls constructed from irregular bluestone blocks.

Zhangzhu Town: Zhangzhu Town in Yixing City, historically known as Taohexi, was established in the fourth year of the Yongjia era during the Western Jin Dynasty (310 AD) and boasts a history of nearly 1,700 years. It is situated in a hilly area approximately 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Yixing. Surrounded by verdant mountains, bamboo forests, and fragrant tea fields, the famous Shanjuan Scenic Area (Site 4) lies within Zhangzhu. For a long time, it has been a renowned hub for agricultural and sideline product distribution and commercial trade in the border region of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, earning the nickname “Golden Zhangzhu.” It has been successively recognized by the provincial government as a Key Industrial Satellite Town, one of Jiangsu’s Hundred Famous Towns, a New Model Demonstration Town of Jiangsu, and a Provincial Sanitary Town in Jiangsu. Currently... More detailed information about Zhangzhu Town++