Zhangjiabao Double Memorial Arches

Zhangjiabao Double Memorial Arches

The Zhangjiabao Double Memorial Arches are a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zhangjiabao Double Memorial Arches (Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Announcement Date: August 29, 1997

The Zhangjiabao Double Memorial Arches are located in Zhangjiabao Village, Pingjun Township, Cangnan County, Zhejiang Province. Together with an ancient stone bridge and banyan trees, they form a unique cultural landscape rich in historical significance.

The two memorial arches are built of stone. The northern one is the Chastity and Filial Piety Arch, and the southern one is the Filial Daughter Arch. They stand 20 meters apart in a straight line facing east. Their structures, dimensions, and carved patterns are largely identical. Each consists of four pillars and three bays, spanning 7.1 meters in width and standing 5.3 meters tall. Each pillar is tilted slightly outward and flanked by a matching drum-shaped stone at the front and back. The tops of the four pillars feature crouching lions. The central beam of the main bay is adorned with intricately carved double-dragon motifs, and at the center is a plaque inscribed with the imperial characters “Qin Jing” (Imperially Honored). Above the central beam, the name plaques of the arches—either “Chastity” or “Filial Daughter”—are engraved in intaglio. The side plaques depict relief carvings of historical scenes. Below the central beam, horizontal inscriptions in regular script are carved: the Chastity Arch reads “Erected for Madam Zhang, wife of the late scholar Yang ZhiCun,” a total of eleven characters, while the Filial Daughter Arch reads “Erected for Madam Yang, the betrothed daughter-in-law of the late scholar Yang Huan, son of Yang Changwen, and Fang Chengsongyuan, and the daughter of local scholar Yang Xinquan,” a total of twenty-two characters. The central beam of the main bay also bears the inscription “In the fifth year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty, in the cyclical year of Ji Mao, on this auspicious day of the Great Cold month,” in regular script. The lower section of the main bay features relief carvings of flowers and birds. Each of the two side bays has three beams with inscribed plaques on both sides. The upper plaques above the beams are carved with flying phoenix motifs, while the lower ones feature reliefs of figures and mythical beasts. The crouching lions atop the pillars of both arches are vividly sculpted.

The double arches are exceptionally well-preserved, with tight structures, lively designs, and exquisitely fine carvings, making them masterpieces among similar architecture in southern Zhejiang.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units