Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles

Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles

The Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles are Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The distribution of the Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles spans across three districts: Haishu, Jiangdong, and Zhenhai. In 2011, they were designated as part of the sixth batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

The “Fengxian Leishi” Stele among the Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles was engraved in the seventh month of the thirty-fourth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. This stele was discovered during the district’s third national cultural relics survey and is the only existing shipping and water conservancy stele in Zhenhai to date. It documents the navigational routes of cargo ships along Zhenhai’s inland waterways, the placement of checkpoints, toll-exempt zones, and regulations regarding inspections and penalties — all key components of the inland waterway management system at the time. It provides important evidence for the study of inland waterway administration during that period and holds significant historical value. On January 7, 2011, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.

The “Yongdong Tianhou Palace” Stele among the Ningbo Water Conservancy and Shipping Historical Site Steles is located within the Qing’an Guild Hall, situated at No. 156 Jiangdong North Road, Jiangdong District, Ningbo. The Tianfei Palace, built during the Song Dynasty (1911), was the earliest Tianhou Palace in Ningbo and was originally located on today’s Jiangxia Street (now demolished). The existing Tianhou Palace is situated on the eastern bank of the Three Rivers Junction in downtown Ningbo, hence the name “Yongdong Tianhou Palace” (“Yongdong” meaning eastern part of Yong, an old name for Ningbo). The stele inscription was composed in 1884. The text was authored by Guo Dongpei, who held the title of Jinshi (presented scholar) and the official rank of Prefect, serving as Magistrate of Jianlv County, Jiangxi; the calligraphy was done by Yang Hongyu, also a Jinshi and a second-rank official (Erpin Dingdai), former Shujishi (imperial academy graduate) of the Hanlin Academy, serving as an acting provincial road official in Jiangsu; the title engraving was done by Zheng Xianfang, another Jinshi, former Hanlin Academy reviser, serving as an official in Zhenhai, with the title of Xuanhua Prefecture; and the stone engraving was supervised by Zhu Qingqing, who held the scholarly title of Tongsheng and the official rank of Zhizhi (assistant magistrate), serving in Taizhou, Guo County, Zhejiang. In 2011, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units by the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units