Lian Village Castle

Lian Village Castle

Lian Village Castle is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province.

Lian Village Castle is located in Lian Village, Xitan Town, Fu'an City, dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Description: Constructed in the 39th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1560), it features an oval floor plan with a perimeter of about 1,200 meters. There are three city gates preserved on the eastern and western sides. Outside the eastern wall lies a stone-paved embankment, and at the southern end of the embankment stands a wide stone wharf built during the Ming Dynasty. Parts of the castle are damaged. Currently, it retains a length of approximately 450 meters from north to south and 300 meters from east to west. The inner walls were built with rammed earth, while the outer walls consist of block stones and river pebbles. The base of the wall is about 4 meters wide, the top about 2 meters wide, and the remaining height is around 3 meters.

In 2013, Lian Village Castle was designated as part of the eighth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the People's Government of Fujian Province.

Protected area: An additional 50 meters outward from all sides of the castle walls.

Lian Village: Originally named Shijijin, Lian Village is located 15 kilometers southwest of Fu'an City, Fujian Province.

During the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties (502–519), the Imperial Libationer Xue He migrated from the Jiangnan region to Fujian and eventually settled in Shijilü. His sixth-generation descendant, Xue Lingzhi, diligently studied and eventually became the first scholar from Fujian to pass the imperial examination in the second year of the Shenlong reign during the Tang Dynasty (706 AD). After passing the exam, he was appointed as the Left Remonstrator and Tutor to the Crown Prince. At that time, Prime Minister Li Linfu abused his power, and officials of the Eastern Palace were neglected. Feeling indignant, Xue Lingzhi wrote a self-lamenting poem on the wall: “The morning sun rises round and bright, shining upon the master’s tray. What lies within the tray? Alfalfa grows along the edge. The rice is dry, the spoon..." More details about Lian Village++

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Fujian Province