Ancient County Yamen of Cicheng

Ancient County Yamen of Cicheng

The Ancient County Yamen of Cicheng was established in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (738 AD), built by the first county magistrate Fang Guan. It continued in use until 1954, boasting a history of over 1,200 years. Initially constructed on Fubi Mountain, it was repeatedly built and destroyed due to invasions and natural disasters. The existing yamen was reconstructed according to detailed diagrams from the Cixi County Annals dating back to the Guangxu era, covering an area of over 40,000 square meters.

The reconstructed yamen retains the layout of a Qing Dynasty county government office. Visitors first enter the ceremonial gate used for welcoming and seeing off guests. On the east and west sides of the gate are the Temples of the God of Wealth and the God of Earth, respectively. Then you proceed to the main hall, and along the pathway between the ceremonial gate and the main hall stands a stone stele inscribed with “Impartiality Produces Clarity” at the front and “Integrity Breeds Authority” at the back.

The most precious relic in the Cixi County Yamen is a brick-paved pathway from the Tang Dynasty. These bricks, over a thousand years old, are dark gray, square-shaped, and neatly arranged in layers to form a sloped, one-meter-wide corridor — a remnant of the grand hall of the county yamen during the height of the Tang Dynasty.

On both sides of the courtyard of the main hall are rooms that once housed various administrative offices, where life-sized wax figures display the procedures of ancient court sessions conducted by departments such as personnel, rites, military, justice, and public works. In the rear room of the second hall, a variety of torture instruments, weapons, and military uniforms are displayed. To the east of the main hall of the ancient yamen lies an exhibition hall dedicated to integrity education, presenting both honest officials and corrupt ones side by side, aiming to promote virtue and condemn vice, thereby serving as a moral lesson for future generations.