Hot Spring Memorial Archway

Hot Spring Memorial Archway

The Hot Spring Memorial Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Hot Spring Memorial Archway is located in Yuexi County, Anqing City, dating back to the fifth year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty.

Archway Village in Wenquan Town, Yuexi County, earned its name from a tall chastity archway situated there. This ancient archway has a sorrowful yet moving tale behind it. Legend has it that during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, this picturesque mountain village was home to the family of Chu Zhirui. After her husband passed away, his wife, Lady Nie, remained chaste, lived frugally, reclaimed land to grow crops, spun thread and wove cloth, and single-handedly raised their son and daughter. She managed to have her son, Chu Xian, educated as an imperial scholar at the imperial college, and her daughter married into an official’s family. To honor Lady Nie, local officials jointly petitioned the emperor, who issued an imperial decree granting permission to build a chastity archway in her name. It took three years to complete and remains standing to this day.

In 2012, the Hot Spring Memorial Archway was designated as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People’s Government of Anhui Province.

Protected area: 21 meters east to the maple tree, 30 meters south to the outer embankment of the pond, 16 meters west to the roadside ditch, and 20 meters north to the back hill.

Construction control zone: 20 meters beyond the protected area in all four directions—east, south, west, and north.

Archway Village: Located in the southwest of Wenquan Town, Archway Village gets its name from an ancient memorial archway built during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty. It lies 4 kilometers from the town government, 1.5 kilometers south of National Highway 318, adjacent to Liuyun Industrial Zone, 5 kilometers east of National Highway 105, bordering Siqiao Village, and situated in Pailou Chong (Archway Valley) among the Tian Tang Jiu Chong Shi San Fan (Nine Valleys and Thirteen Plains of Paradise). This valley is relatively isolated, running from east to west, slightly higher in the west, long and narrow in shape, with hills on both sides and a long, flat valley plain in the middle. The terrain is gentle, and the main peak of Wang’an Fort in the west rises to an elevation of 560 meters. The village comprises sixteen villager groups, with 440 households and a population of 1,702 (including 26 recipients of the “Five Guarantees” program... More detailed information about Archway Village++)

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Anqing City