Longguan Archway Cluster

Longguan Archway Cluster

The Longguan Archway Cluster is a cultural relic protection unit of Haishu District.

The Jie Xiao Pavilion is located to the east of the office building of Dalu Village in Longguan Township, Haishu District. Constructed during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, it faces north-south and is a stone structure with a hip-and-gable roof, covered with overlapping plain tiles. The roof ridges are adorned with ornamental animal figures at both ends. It is 2.1 meters wide, 1.26 meters deep, and 4.5 meters high, with a floor area of approximately 5.8 square meters. Below the eaves, a centrally placed carved dragon "Imperial Edict" plaque is erected, and on the lower horizontal beam, inscriptions read from right to left: "In the 4th year of Daoguang, November — County School □; in the 4th month of Daoguang, December — all officials jointly petitioned; in the 5th year of Daoguang, December — Ministry of Rites reviewed and submitted to the throne for recognition and commendation." The names of supervisory officials are engraved on the side beams. The square-shaped pavilion pillars are surrounded by bluestone railings, with couplets carved on the pillars reading: "A heart as pure as ice vows by the ancient well; imperial edicts of ninefold majesty are inscribed on the towering stele." A stone tablet stands in the center of the pavilion.

Since its construction, the pavilion has not sustained any major damage and remains well-preserved overall, holding certain historical and cultural archival value.

The Shuang Jie Arch (Double Chastity Archway) is located in Huancun Natural Village, Huancun, Longguan Township, Haishu District. According to inscriptions on the archway, it was built in the 10th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1865). It is a wooden-style imitation structure with four pillars, three bays, three stories, and a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. It stands 6.4 meters tall and is 5.1 meters wide. The rooftop ridge is decorated with dragon-fish patterned ornamental animal figures at both ends. The bracket sets under the eaves and beams feature wood-like ornamentation, and the roof corners are upturned. On the front side, a dragon-decorated "Imperial Edict" plaque is erected and carved in intaglio. The horizontal beam bears the three characters "Shuang Jie Fang" (Double Chastity Archway) in intaglio script, flanked by the names and official titles of the relevant officials. Additionally, the beam is inscribed with: "Erected jointly by the late scholar Wang Zhengyi’s wife, Madam Cui, and his son Zhi Shu’s wife, Madam Liu." The components feature detailed relief and high-relief carvings of dragons, lions, and qilins, all exquisitely crafted and vividly depicted.

This archway is well-preserved, beautifully shaped, and finely carved, possessing significant historical, artistic, and cultural value.

The Siming Mountain Archway is located on the southern slope at the far end of Waipailou Reservoir in Panxi Village, Longguan Township, Haishu District. Research indicates that this archway was constructed in the 3rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. The archway faces east and is a two-pillar, single-bay structure, 3.8 meters wide and currently standing 3.8 meters tall. Each pillar base is supported by a pair of drum stones, which are 1.8 meters tall, 0.94 meters wide at the bottom, and 0.2 meters thick along the edges. The front beam bears the characters "Siming Mountain" engraved in double-lined script. The back features a bas-relief of two dragons playing with a pearl. Below the lintel are brackets, and below the horizontal beam are lotus-supporting carvings. The lintel is 0.3 meters high and 3.08 meters long; the flat beam is 0.44 meters high and 4 meters long. Each pillar is square with sides 0.36 meters long, each corner slightly trimmed by 0.6 centimeters. Approximately 1 kilometer in front of the archway lies the former Zhangsheng Temple. This archway was a necessary passage to Zhangsheng Temple and Zhàngxī Mountain in ancient times. The archway’s inscription includes the words "Resident Monk," indicating it was also an ancillary structure of the former Zhangsheng Temple, guiding pilgrims on their way.

The Siming Mountain Archway was originally built with a hip-and-gable roof, but due to the long passage of time, that part has been destroyed. However, the structure below the flat beam remains relatively intact. Ming Dynasty archways are rare in our district and thus are of great value for historical research. In 2002, it was designated as the sixth batch of district-level cultural relic protection units in Yinzhou District, and in 2016, following the administrative division adjustment of Ningbo City, it was incorporated into Haishu District.