Yizheng Dongmen Shuimen Site

Yizheng Dongmen Shuimen Site

The Yizheng Dongmen Shuimen Site is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yizheng Dongmen Shuimen Site

The Dongmen Shuimen Site is situated about 50 meters southeast of Dongyue Temple on Qianjin East Road in downtown Yizheng, on the riverbed of the Qingzhen Mosque drainage ditch. What remains of the water gate are submerged stonework structures, with the upper part—originally a brick-vaulted roof—having been lost. The water gate has an overall ?〕〔? shape and runs east-west. Its main components include the stone walls on the north and south sides, the inlet and outlet water channels flanked by four wing walls on each side, the gate passage, and remnants of the tamped-earth city wall. The water gate stretches 17.5 meters in total length, with the western inlet measuring 12 meters wide and the eastern outlet 11.5 meters wide. The north and south stone walls are each 13.4 meters long, 2.2 meters wide, and 3.8 meters high. The wing walls extend 3.16 meters and are set at a 45-degree angle relative to the main walls. The gate passage is 7.7 meters wide, with its floor paved with bluestone slabs and supported underneath by densely packed wooden piles. The arched roof and surrounding walls of the water gate are integrated with the main city wall. The Dongmen Shuimen was first built in the first year of the Baoding era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1225), and underwent repairs and reinforcements during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, remaining in use all the way through the Republican period. As the only surviving water gate from the Southern Song Dynasty in Yizheng, it features exquisite craftsmanship, fine construction, and a long period of use, reflecting characteristics of different eras. It is a rare example of hydraulic architecture. Moreover, it provides valuable evidence of the urban and canal development of Yizheng from the Song Dynasty through the Ming and Qing periods, making it of significant historical research value.

On December 19, 2011, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province designated it as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit under the seventh provincial batch.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units