The Ancient City of Xiuning

The Ancient City of Xiuning

The Ancient City of Xiuning, now the county seat of Xiuning County, is located in Haiyang Town. Since the ninth year of the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era (750 AD), it has served as the county’s administrative center. Nestled against the Songluo, Fenghuang, Baihe, and Yujie mountains, it is flanked by the Jiaxi and Hengshui rivers. The city walls were first constructed during the Song Dynasty, measuring nine li and thirty bu in circumference, with six gates initially, later expanded to seven. The walls underwent multiple renovations and remained well-preserved until the Republican era. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the walls were gradually demolished due to construction needs. Today, remnants of the old city walls can still be found on the northeastern and southwestern sides of the urban area. In the past, the main streets of the county town included Xianqian Street, East Street, West Street, South Street, North Street, Middle Street, Back Street, and Liutang Street, all paved with stone slabs. Over the years after the founding of the PRC, the streets gradually transformed, and the commercial center shifted from West Street to South and North Avenues. After 1985, South and North Avenues were fully widened and resurfaced with cement. A number of high-rise buildings were subsequently constructed along the avenues, reflecting a modern urban landscape.

Xiuning County has a long history and a flourishing culture. Eminent figures born here include the Ming Dynasty literary scholar Cheng Minzheng, publisher Hu Zhengyan, and physician Wang Ang, as well as renowned modern Huizhou merchants such as Wang KuanYe and Cheng Dunyu. The city boasts numerous ancient Huizhou-style buildings. West Street became a commercial hub as early as the late Ming Dynasty, and most of its shops still retain the distinctive features of traditional Huizhou architecture. The street also retains its original stone-paved surface, making it a well-preserved historic commercial street. The Bell and Drum Tower on Xianqian Street, originally a watchtower, is now a key cultural relic protected at the county level. Hu Kaiwen’s former residence is located in Yucailane within Qining Street. On the mountainside of Baihe Mountain in the southeastern part of the city, nestled between two small hills, lies a clear spring. The spring is enclosed by a square well curb made of red sandstone. The water is clean, sweet, and has never dried up over the years. The Qing Dynasty poet Wang Zicang once praised it in a poem: “The soul of snow stirs cool dreams, ice fills the jar, pure as empty air.” Known as the “Number One Spring in the City,” it remains well-preserved to this day.