Cangpo Stream Gate

Cangpo Stream Gate

Cangpo Stream Gate is the main entrance to the ancient Cangpo village complex, built during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The main gate of Cangpo Village has traditionally also been called the “Carriage Gate.” It is a formal ceremonial structure with a wooden, archway-style design, featuring sturdy bracket sets. Both tiers of the roof have two downward-projecting cantilevers, and the wooden pillars lean slightly inward from bottom to top, a construction method known as “side footing.” In the center, there are five horizontal beams extending upward.

The “Carriage Gate” employs architectural techniques predating the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a style that can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. In front of the gate lies a stone-paved “Scholars’ Terrace,” which is approached by three steps from the road, known as the “Three Trials Steps.” There are seven steps leading up from the Scholars’ Terrace to the Carriage Gate, and beneath the gate there is a pattern made from four granite slabs forming a “Grand Tutor’s Hat” design.

Inside the gate, there is a “Five Dragons” Bridge — also called the “Tripod Incense” Bridge — formed by five stone slabs joined together. Each of these design elements carries specific symbolic meanings closely linked to the imperial examination system of the time.