Ancient Town of Changting (Tingzhou Ancient City)

Ancient Town of Changting (Tingzhou Ancient City)

The Ancient Town of Changting (Tingzhou Ancient City) is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The ancient city of Changting, together with Fenghuang, is known as one of China’s most beautiful mountain towns. If you enjoy the quaint little streets of Lijiang Ancient Town, you’ll probably like Changting too. Changting is even less commercialized, and you can still see original wooden carved pavilions and various traditional craftsmen.

The layout and shape of the ancient city walls are quite unique, and locals refer to them as “Blue Robe Adorned with Pearls,” meaning they look like beautiful Buddhist beads draped over the city of Changting, creating a stunning scenic view.

The ancient city walls once had four major gates. The Chaotian Gate was one of the four main gates of Tingzhou Prefecture, commonly known as the East Gate. Originally named Xingxian Gate, it was renovated in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt with bricks and stones, and equipped with a gate tower. With its solid gate and towering tower, the structure was so majestic that it was renamed Chaotian Gate. Later, Yan Yiming, the prefect of Tingzhou during the Qing Dynasty, renovated it again. The main body of the gate tower was built on the high platform of the city gate, with multiple layers of upturned eaves soaring above, making it one of the celebrated sights of the ancient city known as “Eastward Soaring and Calling.”

The current Sanyuan Pavilion gate tower is the oldest gate. Originally named Yinjiang Gate, it was later renamed Guangchu Gate. It was the gate built when Chen Jian, the governor of Tingzhou during the Tang Dynasty's Dali era, relocated the prefectural seat and constructed the earthen city. It has been repaired through successive dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, it was a three-story gate tower, with the base being the original ancient city gate made of square stone slabs, topped with city wall bricks, featuring upturned eaves and flying corners—truly spectacular. Throughout various dynasties, the ancient city walls underwent continuous repairs and expansions, with many additional gates added, such as the Ancient Prefecture South Gate, Wutong Gate, Shuiji Gate, and West Gate. Some were later demolished during road expansions, while others remain preserved as historical sites and are listed as county-level cultural relics protected by the government.

When visiting Changting, you can also feast on a variety of Hakka snacks.

Address: No. 80, Zhaozheng Road, Other Area, Changting County, Longyan City

Type: Historic Site / Ancient Town / Ancient Village

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 day

Information Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission