Fenshui Pass

Fenshui Pass

Fenshui Pass is located about twenty Chinese miles from Zhao’an County and has historically been the border between the two prefectures of Zhangzhou and Chaozhou. The terrain features ridges and peaks in succession, and within it, Fenshui Mountain has a natural gap that forms a mountain pass connecting “the Five Blessings to the east and the Two Guangs to the west.” In the fifteenth year of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (1520), the Zhangzhou-Chaozhou Patrol Inspectorate was relocated here, thus giving rise to the celebrated Fenshui Pass known across the three provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi. Zhao’an is situated at the border between Fujian and Guangdong and serves as the eastern gateway of Fujian. Historical records describe it as “extending to the utmost of the Seven Min regions and bordering the Hundred Yue territories.” According to the Zhao’an County Annals: “During the Tang Dynasty, people from Nanzhao passed through here and said, ‘The scenery here resembles that of our Nanzhao,’ hence the place was named after Nanzhao.” In the Tang Dynasty, it was known as Zhao’an Fort. When Chen Yuanguang established Zhangzhou, he set up administrative offices around its periphery, and Zhao’an Fort was one of them. In the Song Dynasty, it was called the Nanzhao Field and had a border patrol camp. The Yuan Dynasty initially built a stone city here and established a Ten-Thousand-Household Farming garrison. In the ninth year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the county was officially established, under the jurisdiction of Zhangzhou Prefecture and adjacent to Chaozhou Prefecture of Guangdong.

In the early days of Fenshui Pass’s construction, the surrounding area was uninhabited, and the office of the Patrol Inspectorate temporarily lodged in a roadside temple. In the twenty-seventh year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1548), Li Shangli, the magistrate of Zhao’an, and Lin Song, the magistrate of Longxi, jointly erected a stone memorial archway at the pass inscribed with “Border Between Fujian and Guangdong,” serving as the boundary marker between the two provinces. They also built government offices at the foot of the mountain. In the early years of the Tianqi era, Zhou Li, the magistrate of Zhao’an, donated funds to initiate the construction of a fortified pass, and the local gentry Shen Fu contributed funds to complete the project. The fortified pass had east and west gates and one artillery battery, with a perimeter of 119 zhang, a height of 1 zhang and 7 chi. Inside the city were structures such as a Buddhist hall (called “Da Shi An”), official offices, and barracks. In the sixth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1867), the fortifications were reinforced, the artillery battery heightened, and the gate plaque inscribed with “The First Pass South of Zhangzhou.” During the Anti-Japanese War, Japanese and puppet troops launched three attacks on Zhao’an from Chaoshan by sea and air. The defending forces at Fenshui Pass held their ground, successfully repelling the enemy in three bloody battles over several days and nights. A stone tablet inscribed with the Chronicles of Resistance Against the Japanese Pirates, which records this history, still stands in front of the temple today and serves as an important cultural relic for understanding the pass’s past.

In the 1950s, the fortified pass was demolished due to road construction.

The “Da Shi An” (Great Buddha Hall) faces south and worships the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin). Over time, due to natural disasters and erosion by wind and rain, the temple fell into disrepair. By the fifty-second year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, Deputy Envoy Wu Yiming, Captain Zhao Feilong, Li Guoyou, Huang Tingju, Shen Xiyuan, and others expanded the original site, rebuilt the statue of Guanyin, and added statues of the Eighteen Arhats. In 1984, the “Da Shi An” was renovated with donations from overseas Chinese and villagers. In 1988, Bhikkhu Shi Dingzhou and Shi Dingqing raised funds for another expansion and renamed it “Changle Temple.”

“Changle Temple” features a post-and-lintel wooden structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. It is three bays wide and two bays deep. The main deity worshipped is Guanyin, with the Eighteen Arhats enshrined on both sides. In front of the temple is an ancient banyan tree and a stone archway erected in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty.

The stone archway faces east and west, with imitation wooden components. Most of the carved floral panels are missing, but the main structural parts are intact. The archway is a three-bay, five-story, eight-pillar structure with a hip-and-gable roof and a ridge decorated with chiwen ornaments. There are four main and side pillars forming three gates, with four additional side pillars diagonally bracing the main ones to create an openwork frame. All twelve pillars are carved with crabapple patterns. Between the four main pillars are three arched beams shaped like moon beams, with column capitals bearing bracket sets. Above the bracket sets are small columns. The first and second floors have small columns with four cantilevered brackets, the third and fourth floors are supported by strongman figures, and the fifth floor has plain small columns, though the central dragon-and-phoenix panel is missing. Above the moon beams are circular wooden beams joined with mortise-and-tenon joints, with two inscribed plaques embedded in them. On the lower side, both panels read “Gentry and commoners from Fujian and Guangdong jointly erected this for Grand General Commander Zheng Zhilong.” The upper left panel reads “Fame Shakes China and Beyond,” and the upper right panel reads “Achievements Cover Fujian and Guangdong.” Zheng Zhilong, originally named Zheng Yiguan and styled Feihuang, was from Nan’an. He was born in the thirty-second year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1604). In the first year of the Tianqi era, he went to Japan for business, married a local woman named Weng, and had a son, Shan. Soon after, Zheng Zhilong followed Yan Siqi to Taiwan and engaged in multiple naval battles with Ming imperial forces. In the first year of the Chongzhen era, he accepted an official amnesty, was appointed as a coastal defense commandant, and in the seventeenth year, was promoted to Fujian Military Commander. In the first year of the Longwu era of the Southern Ming (the second year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, equivalent to 1645 AD), Zheng Zhilong supported the enthronement of Prince Tang and presented his son Shan. The Prince bestowed upon him the imperial surname and the name Chenggong—he would later become the legendary national hero Zheng Chenggong. In the third year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing and was taken north. The following year, Zheng Chenggong rallied his forces and launched an anti-Qing resistance on Nan’ao Island. In the third year of the Yongli era of the Southern Ming (the sixth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, 1649 AD), Zheng Chenggong led his army westward, personally capturing Zhao’an and stationing at Fenshui Pass to plan the campaign to take Chaozhou. Legend has it that Zheng Chenggong inscribed the bold characters “Might Shakes Fujian and Guangdong” on a large rock about thirty steps from the pass.

Fenshui Pass lies adjacent to National Highway 324, like a pearl inlaid along the road. The historical ruins of the pass include cultural landmarks such as “Da Shi An,” “Gong Qin Min Archway,” “Anti-Japanese Pirate Memorial Stele,” and “Fenshui Pavilion,” all rich in historical and cultural significance. These are invaluable historical relics and rare tourist attractions. Though we are now far removed from the smoke of war, historical sites like Fenshui Pass still hold irreplaceable historical value and educational importance. Learning from history helps us avoid repeating past mistakes. In this sense, humanity should cherish and preserve the cultural heritage created by our ancestors.