Taizhou Ancient Town

Taizhou Ancient Town

Taizhou Ancient Town, located in Chengli Village, Taizhou Town, about 41 kilometers southeast of Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, on the shores of the East China Sea, is just over 10 kilometers from the sea to the southeast.

Originally built in the 20th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1387), Taizhou Ancient Town was established to defend against Wokou invasions. It is the best-preserved weisuo town in Zhejiang Province and an important physical relic for studying the military garrison system and coastal defense system of the Ming Dynasty.

Constructed in the 8th year of the Zhengtong reign (1443), Taizhou Ancient Town is a dedicated kiliweisi (military post) town from the Ming Dynasty built to combat Wokou. It has a perimeter of 1,366 meters, walls 4.5 meters high, and today, apart from the crenellations, the main body of the walls and the three city gates (including the barbican) remain largely intact. In particular, the streets inside the town still retain their Ming and Qing dynastic appearance, with most residential buildings dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Notable examples include the Lang Family Home, Lang Defeng Residence, Wu Residence, Liu Residence, ancestral halls, and the Guan Yu Temple.

The layout of Taizhou Ancient Town is essentially square-shaped, with a moat in front of the town and open fields to the southwest. According to the “Annals of Taizhou Prefecture” and the “Linhai County Annals,” the town had “walls two zhang and one chi (approximately 6.9 meters) high, encircling an area of two li and seventy paces.” Measurements today show the wall’s circumference to be 1,366 meters, with the east wall at 431 meters, the south wall at 350 meters, the west wall at 285 meters, and the north wall at 300 meters. The average height of the walls is about 4.6 meters, with an average width of around 5 meters and a base width of 10 meters.

The town originally had fourteen watchtowers, each with an outer wall shaped as a “horse face” (protruding battlement). Twelve remain today, distributed as follows: three along the east wall, two along the south, two along the west, one along the north, and one at each of the four corners. There are three main gates in Taizhou Ancient Town—one each on the east, south, and west sides. The east gate is positioned slightly south, 98 meters from the south wall and 331 meters from the north wall.

Additionally, Taizhou Ancient Town preserves the complete street and path layout from the Ming Dynasty. The main street, 3 meters wide and running east-west, connects the east and west gates and intersects with the north-south main alley leading to the south gate, former Left Camp Office, and drill ground. North of the main street lies a secondary parallel street that runs alongside Hualong Canal, which flows east-west through the town. Branching off the main street are over ten ancient alleys, perpendicular to it—seven to the north of the main street and four to the south.

Another ancient path encircles the inner sides of the southeast and west walls and connects with the stepped paths built along the northern hillside, forming a circular route within the town. These roads create a well-structured network of streets and alleys with clear centers and boundaries.

Chengli Village: Chengli Village is located in Taizhou Ancient Town, around 60 kilometers southeast of Linhai City, and falls under the administration of Taizhou Town. The village area was originally a bay surrounded by mountains on three sides, which became a land parcel through reclamation and was named after peach trees planted there. A road from Linhai to Dongyang Town on the coast passes at the foot of the town walls. In 1992, the village had 655 households and 2,290 residents living both inside and outside the ancient town. It comprises 1,022 mu of arable land and 1,739 mu of mountainous terrain. The village population mainly consists of families with the surnames Lang, Liu, and Wu.

A Famous Anti-Wokou Fortress and Tourist Destination

Located between the Sanmen Bay and Taizhou Bay, and bordering the flatlands to the east, Taizhou Ancient Town was an ancient... Chengli Village Detailed Information ++