Dushan Stone Memorial Archway

Dushan Stone Memorial Archway

The Dushan Stone Memorial Archway is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dushan Stone Memorial Archway (Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Announcement date: August 29, 1997

Located in Dushan Village, Jiaotan Township. Built by Ye Hongyuan, father of Ye Yifan, a Ming Dynasty imperial scholar and Assistant Minister of Works. It features four pillars, three bays, and five stories, with a hip-and-gable roof. Front and rear drum stones; base width 11.72 meters, depth 4.13 meters, total height 8.40 meters. The main ridge beam carries a plaque 1.12 meters high and 0.50 meters wide, inscribed with two large characters “敕立” (Imperial Decree). The upper crossbeam is 0.40 meters high and 3.60 meters long, with a dragon-and-pearl design on the front and a phoenix-and-peony scene on the back. The middle crossbeam, 0.70 meters high, bears the inscription “??膺天宠” (Bestowed with Imperial Favor) in four large characters, with three rows of 16 small characters inscribed vertically on the left and a single line reading “Erected on an auspicious day in March, the third year of Longqing (1569)” on the right. The lower crossbeam, 0.60 meters high, is intricately carved with a pair of lions playing with a ball, while the side bays feature carvings of auspicious beasts.

On October 7, 2019, the Dushan Stone Memorial Archway was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Network

Dushan Village: In front of the village stands a mountain shaped like a horse, while behind it rises another mountain with nine peaks resembling nine dragons — locals call it “a heavenly steed soaring, nine dragons vying for a pearl.” These two grand mountains frame Dushan Village, home to clusters of well-preserved Ming Dynasty architecture, making it known as the “star” nestled between the mountains.

This “star” is not just any star. The exemplary Ming Dynasty architecture in Dushan Village, Jiaotan Township, has been well preserved, maintaining the village’s classic traditional charm. It is renowned as the “Ming Dynasty Street.” The village boasts preserved historic structures such as the Ye Family Ancestral Hall, Baoshou Shrine, a traditional well from the Zhengtong era, a Longqing-era well, the Longqing Stone Memorial Archway, and Ming Dynasty fortress walls... More details about Dushan Village ++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units