Shentongmen Chastity Archway

Shentongmen Chastity Archway

The Shentongmen Chastity Archway is located on Shentongmen Street in Shentongmen Village, Chengxi Subdistrict, Wenling City, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. Based on the tenure of the officials inscribed on the archway, it was built in the 28th year of the Daoguang reign (1848). The archway features four pillars and three bays, standing approximately 4.5 meters tall and stretching about 7.3 meters in length, covering an area of around 3.3 square meters. The pillars are square, each measuring approximately 0.45 meters in both length and width, with the middle pillar bearing the couplet: “As pure as ice, as clean as jade. As ancient as a pine, as fragrant as an orchid.” The central bay has two layers of crossbeams, while the side bays have three layers each. The upper crossbeam of the central bay is carved with celestial figures, and its reverse side features a chrysanthemum design; the lower crossbeam depicts a pair of lions, with lotus flowers on the back. On the right side bay, the upper crossbeam shows celestial figures, with a chrysanthemum-and-rock design on the back; the middle crossbeam bears the names of officials, and its reverse displays the four large characters “Righteous Teaching for the Child”; the lower crossbeam is carved with a qilin, and its reverse shows an orchid-and-rock design. On the left side bay, the upper crossbeam features celestial figures, with a bamboo-and-rock design on the back; the middle crossbeam displays the names of officials, and its reverse shows the four large characters “Frugality and Virtue in Conduct”; the lower crossbeam is carved with a qilin, and its reverse shows a plum-and-rock design. The Shentongmen Chastity Archway is the only well-preserved example of its kind in Wenling. With its exquisite carvings, it holds certain historical value.

Shentongmen Village: Shentongmen Village is situated in the northwest of Chengxi Subdistrict, bordered by Jianyang Village to the east, He’ao Village to the south, Wantuanshan Village across a mountain to the west, and Zhishengzhuang Village to the north. Covering an area of just over 1 square kilometer, the village is traversed from north to south by Chengxi Avenue, a major urban road, and from east to west by Yangguang Avenue. Beixing Road lies adjacent to the east side of the village, and the Shuangqiao River runs along its northern edge. With convenient transportation and a pleasant environment, the area west of Chengxi Avenue has been preliminarily designated by the city planning bureau as a high-end residential zone, capable of accommodating over 10,000 residents. The registered population currently stands at over 1,280 people, and when including those who have relocated due to reasons such as education or home purchases, the total population exceeds 1,400... More detailed information about Shentongmen Village++