Puzhi Fortified Town Gate

The gate of Puzhi Fortified Town

The gate of Puzhi Fortified Town is a cultural relic protection unit of Yueqing City.

The gate of Puzhi Fortified Town is located in Puzhi Town, Yueqing City. A stockaded town was built here during the Chunxi era (1174–1189) of the Song Dynasty, and it underwent several renovations over time. By the early Ming Dynasty, Xu Da, Duke of Xinguo, assessed the strategic importance of the location and ordered the construction of a fortified wall, along with the establishment of a garrison known as the Puzhi Thousand-Household Garrison, which was under the jurisdiction of the Panshi Guard. The Wanli-era Annals of Wenzhou Prefecture recorded: “The Puzhi Thousand-Household Garrison Town is located in Ruiying Township. It was built in the 20th year of the Hongwu reign (1387), with a perimeter of 600 zhang (approximately 2,000 meters), walls 2.2 zhang (approximately 7.3 meters) high and 2 zhang (approximately 6.7 meters) thick, four gates, twelve watchtowers, and twenty-four battlements.” In the 18th year of the Shunzhi reign (1661) during the Qing Dynasty, the policy of coastal evacuation led to the town’s decline. In the 9th year of the Kangxi reign (1670), the boundaries were reopened and the walls were restored to their original state. In the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign (1861), local gentry pooled funds to renovate the structure again. Today, four gates remain. Although the city walls have been destroyed, the moat remains unchanged, and the original layout of the walls can still be discerned. This site served as a military defense installation against Japanese pirates during the Ming Dynasty in Yueqing.

Source: Wenzhou Museum