Dongmen Watchtower

Dongmen Watchtower

Dongmen Watchtower. The gateway arch is built with stone slabs, and the walls are constructed from large cobblestones. The stone at the base of the city wall inscribed with “Prohibited to Move, Safeguarding the Locale” is one of the three “Old Market Prohibition Steles” of Heping, erected during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, society had few landlords but many farmers. Farmers would turn over most of their harvest to the landlords each year, and during times when the old crop was exhausted but the new one not yet ready, grain prices would rise. Landlords would then transport most of the grain to Shaowu County or Fuzhou, turning grain-producing areas into grain-deficient ones and leaving farmers threatened by starvation. As a result, this stele was erected, and villagers took turns keeping watch. It was stipulated that any grain transported out without permission would be confiscated or purchased at low prices, thus helping to stabilize the local grain market at the time.