Shuidong Old Street

Shuidong Old Street

Shuidong Old Street is a cultural relic protection unit of Xuancheng City.

Shuidong Town was first built during the Sui and Tang dynasties. With its beautiful mountains and clear waters, the town boasts numerous historical sites. It is recognized as a National Civilized Village and Town, a Provincial Historical and Cultural Town, a Provincial Top Tourism Town, and a Provincial Key Central Town, and is currently applying to be named a National Historical and Cultural Town. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancient town of Shuidong flourished as a bustling commercial port and dock thanks to the Shuiyang River, a “golden waterway.” The existing old street area covers approximately 0.5 square kilometers, with a total street length of 740 meters and a width of 4 meters. Streets and alleys such as Upper Street, Lower Street, Main Street, Cross Street, Pawnshop Street, Net Street, and Shenjia Lane crisscross to form a continuous market. Shuidong Old Street, in the same vein as Huizhou-style architecture, features streets paved with bluestone slabs, lined on both sides with uniform gray bricks, dark tiles, wooden eaves, and horse-head walls. These elements, set against the smooth bluestone pavement, create a strikingly ancient ambiance and embody the charm of Huizhou and Anhui culture.

The old street preserves over 30,000 square meters of ancient houses, all built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Their interiors feature simple and symmetrical structures, with exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and high research value. Representative buildings include the “Da Fu Mansion,” “Black Dragon Courtyard,” “Fire Prevention Bell Tower,” “Wang Tongfa Oil Mill,” and “Qingchang Ren Pawnshop.” At the entrance of the old street stands Ningdong Temple (also known as Sanguan Hall), which was first built during the Tang dynasty and is the oldest surviving temple in Xuancheng. In one corner of the old street stands the Gothic-style church, Shuidong Our Lady’s Church, which is the first Catholic church in southern Anhui and also one of the two largest Catholic churches in six eastern provinces and cities of China. Shuidong Our Lady’s Church is as renowned as Shanghai’s Sheshan Our Lady’s Church and enjoys high recognition in Southeast Asia. The “Eighteen Steps” and “Five Wells” of the old street are two highly distinctive historical remnants. Above the “Eighteen Steps” stands a two-story archway, simple and elegant, perfectly blending with the overall style of the old street. Below the Eighteen Steps is a square ancient well built with bluestone slabs. Beneath the well lies a pool about 20 meters long, and a small stone arch bridge divides the water usage: drinking water above the bridge and washing water below. The well water is crystal clear, sweet, and never dries up year-round. Shuidong Old Street attracts visitors from all over who come to explore history and savor life with its unique charm and depth.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancient town of Shuidong flourished as a bustling commercial port and dock thanks to the Shuiyang River, a “golden waterway.” The existing old street area covers approximately 0.5 square kilometers, with a total street length of 740 meters and a width of 4 meters. Streets and alleys such as Upper Street, Lower Street, Main Street, Cross Street, Pawnshop Street, Net Street, and Shenjia Lane crisscross to form a continuous market. Shuidong Old Street, in the same vein as Huizhou-style architecture, features streets paved with bluestone slabs, lined on both sides with uniform gray bricks, dark tiles, wooden eaves, and horse-head walls. These elements, set against the smooth bluestone pavement, create a strikingly ancient ambiance and embody the charm of Huizhou and Anhui culture.

After walking for a few minutes, you’ll see a cloth banner on the right side of the street that reads “Millennium Ancient Town Shuidong Old Street.” The four characters for “Millennium Ancient Town” are written in small seal script, exuding an ancient aura. Following the sign, you’ll soon arrive at Ningdong Chan Temple. The temple is filled with the fragrance of incense, and there is a pair of stone lions at the entrance draped with red cloth. From the couplet reading “A Land of Eternal Incense, An Ageless Ningdong Temple,” you can sense the former prosperity of this sacred site. Also called Sanguan Hall, Ningdong Temple is an ancient temple with a thousand years of history. It covers an area of 4,200 square meters, with a building area of 1,400 square meters. At its peak, it had 99 and a half halls and 360 golden Buddha statues.

Interestingly, there is also a well-preserved Catholic church to the south of the old street. Built in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing dynasty (1880), it was constructed by French missionary Jean-Baptiste Francois (known as Jin Shiyu) and is the second-largest Our Lady’s Church in East China. It is said that many young people from Xuancheng attended Christmas services here in 2008. I’ve visited several towns in the Jiangnan region, but it’s rare to find a place where a temple and a church coexist and thrive simultaneously. This truly shows how this small town in southern Anhui harmoniously blends Eastern and Western religious cultures, allowing them to flourish together.

Shuidong Town is known as a famous jujube-producing area, so the jujube wood comb has become a unique local product. Look at the sign of “Wangji Wooden Comb” hanging high above the door, with rows of jujube wood combs displayed inside. According to the introduction, Wangji brand jujube wood combs are premium grooming products with a long history, made from jujube wood over 80 years old and offering various health benefits.

The “Eighteen Steps” is the first of the old street’s five stone wells. Below the well, two stone lions guard a square ancient well built from bluestone slabs. A small stone arch bridge divides the water usage: drinking water above the bridge and washing water below. The well water is crystal clear, sweet, and never dries up year-round. It flows from the pool to a small river outside the street and then into the Shuiyang River. Although the old street now uses tap water, the elderly still say that well water tastes sweeter. Movies such as *Sword Homecoming*, *Sister Mei*, and *Postal Bond* as well as TV series like *Taibai’s Trail* and *Date with a Jujube Girl* were filmed on location here.

Walking along the old street of the town, the weathered stone walls, smooth stone roads, and uneven walls all reveal traces of history. Especially notable is an old house whose roof is covered with lush growth of moss—vigorous little plants standing tall and gently swaying in the breeze, as if telling ancient stories. Meanwhile, barber shops, blacksmiths, tofu stalls, snack bars, and others all exude the aura of bygone eras. Walking here gives you a feeling of returning to history—serene, quaint, with a touch of vicissitude and nostalgia.

Shuidong Town: Located southeast of Xuancheng City, Shuidong Town is 29 kilometers from the city center. It covers a total area of 108.4 square kilometers and has a population of 32,000. Provincial Highway 104 runs directly through the town for 10 kilometers. It is 20 kilometers from National Highway 318 and the expressway, 20 kilometers from Xuancheng–Hangzhou Railway, and adjacent to the Anhui–Jiangxi Railway to the west. The Shuiyang River flows through the town, making transportation very convenient. As early as the Ming dynasty, Shuidong Town gained fame for its abundant production of honey jujubes and thriving commerce. It has now become a true “China Honey Jujube Hometown” and a renowned industrial, trade, and tourism town in southern Jiangnan.

The town is extremely rich in mineral resources, with coal reserves of 19 million tons and limestone... More detailed information about Shuidong Town++