Potan Ancient Town

Potan Ancient Town

Potan Ancient Town is a historic trade town that originated during the Tang and Song dynasties and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its core attraction is a five-li-long winding dragon-shaped ancient street that showcases exquisite feng shui design. The street is lined with numerous shops, featuring shop signs and plaques everywhere, including pawnshops, money houses, gambling dens, brothels, teahouses, and taverns. Nearby lies Tongjiang Academy, the orthodox cradle of Neo-Confucianism in southeastern China.

Introduction

Potan Ancient Street: Located 25 kilometers west of Xianju County within Potan Ancient Town, as early as 998 AD, Potan became a bustling market town along the Yong'an River due to its convenient water transport. After a thousand years of historical accumulation, the town still preserves an ancient "dragon"-shaped cobblestone-paved street. Beside the street are well-preserved residential houses from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republican era, all exquisitely laid out—these are precious legacies left by ancestors and valuable historical testimonies.

The ancient street resembles a dragon, with the head in the west, the tail in the east, and the middle curving as the dragon’s body. The dragon's head faces the convergence point of five streams, while at the tail stands a rare brick-carved memorial archway in China. It is 3.5 meters high and spans 8 meters, with bricks intricately engraved with vivid patterns of dragons, phoenixes, qilins, deer, flowers, and human figures.

A notable feature of the dragon-shaped ancient street is that just when you think you've reached the end, a turn leads you into another section of the old street, giving the sensation of “seeming to be at a mountain dead-end, only to find a village beyond the willows.” Stretching 2 kilometers from east to west, the Potan “dragon” street features nine 90-degree right-angle turns, with an average width of 3.5 meters, paved with cobblestones forming various patterns.

The district covers over 80,000 square meters, with the most exquisite 832-meter section. The ancient street still retains more than 100 stone counters and over 260 shops. Well-preserved items include: a linen ash plaque inscribed with Emperor Taizong of Tang’s praise “Glorious Clouds and Brilliant Mist”; a “Yihou Hall” plaque from the Qing Yongzheng era by Zhang Ruoxia; a “Luo She’s Renown Soars” plaque handwritten by Qi Zhaonan, a minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the Qing dynasty; plaques such as “Grand Secretary” and densely posted official and victory bulletins from the He Family Residence built during the Southern Song Shaoxing era, along with a memorial hall for Hu Ze, a famous Northern Song official (popularly known as Hu Gong)—all reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the ancient town.

The ancient block also preserves many pieces of “Ming and Qing furniture” and retains the ambiance of those dynasties, including traditional folk music, lantern displays, folk opera, Ming–Qing tea ceremonies, and the “Eight Great Bowls” cuisine.

Tongjiang Academy: Founded during the Song Qiandao era (1165–1172) by Fang Zhuo, it was named after his ancestor Fang Ying, a native of Tonglu, hence the name Tongjiang. Located in the millennium-old town of Potan, it sits one kilometer from Potan Ancient Street.

The academy was established in the Qiandao era (1165–1173) of the Song dynasty by Fang Zhuo, the eighth-generation descendant of the late Tang poet Fang Gan, who funded its construction. The Southern Song philosopher and educator Zhu Xi visited the academy several times, inscribed its name, and even sent his son to study there, making it renowned throughout the Jiangnan region and earning the title “Foremost Academy in Jiangnan.”

Wang Shipeng from Yueqing admired the place and came here to study, later becoming the top imperial scholar and dedicating the inscription “Pillar of Confucian Learning in the Southeast.” Despite enduring centuries of trials, multiple destructions, and enduring resilience, the academy remains a bastion of culture, with its ancient spirit very much alive. Historical plaques inscribed by celebrities such as Zhu Xi and Wang Shipeng, including “Dingshan Hall” and “Tongjiang Academy,” still hang today. Surrounded by verdant Dingshan Mountain, glistening Jian River waters, ancient trees, and fertile fields, the area emanates a strong scholarly atmosphere. It has become a prime destination for tourists seeking both scenic beauty and immersion in traditional culture.