Lishui Ancient Street

Lishui Ancient Street

Lishui Ancient Street was built on an embankment at the eastern edge of Yantou Village. The embankment was constructed during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, when local clans decreed that only flowers, trees, and pavilions could be built on it—no houses or businesses. By the Qing Dynasty, the long embankment in Yantou Village had become a necessary route for salt carriers. By the late Qing Dynasty, the embankment had evolved into a modest commercial street.

Today's Lishui Street is one of the more sizable commercial streets in Yantou Village. Stretching over 300 meters, it features more than 90 storefronts, each about 3 meters wide and 10 meters deep, built as two-story structures. In front of the aligned shops, a 2–2.5 meter-wide pathway is left open. The shops are covered with eaves to provide pedestrians shade and shelter from rain.

The southern end of Lishui Street is marked by the southern gate of the village fortification wall, beside which stands the Climbing Wind Pavilion on a high terrace. Less than 50 meters away is the Official Reception Pavilion, a double-eaved and domed structure, simple yet dignified. Together with the ancient Lishui Bridge, these two pavilions add a picturesque charm to the commercial area.

Official Reception Pavilion: The term “receiving officials” implies an aspiration for scholarly and official success. A couplet inside the pavilion reads, “Master artisans leave behind wonders, eccentric builders amuse passersby.” It is also known as the Flower Pavilion because it is located by the lotus pond at the southern end of Lishui Street in Yantou.

The Official Reception Pavilion was first built in the 35th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1556). The pavilion has four inner and four outer pillars. Its top is square-shaped with a double-eave domed roof, featuring five tiers of bracket sets forming an octagonal caisson ceiling, symbolizing the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. The double-eave roof has eight ridges, each topped with a statue of “Zhang Guolao Riding a White Donkey,” while the ridge ends are adorned with carvings of “Liu Hai Offering Coins.” The structure is intricately built yet appears plain and sturdy.

Lishui Ancient Bridge: Also known as the Yongqing Bridge, it is located in front of the Climbing Wind Pavilion and spans Lishui Lake, hence called the Lishui Bridge. Built in the 37th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1558), this bridge has withstood centuries of wind and rain and remains as solid as ever.

The Lishui Bridge is a three-arch stone slab bridge made up of 48 stone beams, subtly indicating that the area belongs to the “Forty-Eighth District.” The bridge is 12.3 meters long and 3.8 meters wide. The bridge deck is divided into three sections, each consisting of nine stone slabs, supported by 14 stone piers underneath. On the stone slabs on both sides of the bridge are inscriptions such as “Lishui Bridge” and “Built on the Mid-Autumn Day of the Wuxu Year, Jiajing Reign of the Ming Dynasty,” which are quaint and elegant, blending harmoniously with the natural surroundings.