Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang

Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang

The Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a key cultural relics protection unit in China. The Fuliang Ancient City Tourist Scenic Area is located 8 kilometers from the suburbs of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital.  Ancient County Yamen Ticket: Adult ticket 25 RMB (February 28 - April 20, Monday-Sunday) Ticket: Adult 40 RMB (April 21 - May 31, Monday-Sunday) Opening hours: 08:00-17:30 (all day); Last admission: 17:30 

Ancient county yamens were generally of the seventh rank, but the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang was of the “fifth rank.” This is because Fuliang was once the largest porcelain production center in the country. At that time, the imperial kiln supervisor appointed by the court held the third rank, and in feudal society, a county magistrate of the seventh rank could not directly report to an official of the third rank. Therefore, the magistrate of Fuliang was granted the honorary fifth rank by imperial decree, making it the highest-ranking county yamen in China.

The Fuliang Ancient City Tourist Scenic Area is located 8 kilometers from the suburbs of Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital. It lies at the center of the “golden triangle” formed by the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and southeastern Fujian, as well as the junction of the economic zone in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the economic belt along the Beijing-Kowloon Railway. Its geographical advantage is quite evident. If Jingdezhen is taken as the center and a 250-kilometer radius is drawn, it encompasses “six mountains and two lakes,” including Mount Lu, Mount Huang, Mount Wuyi, Jiuhua Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Longhu Mountain, Poyang Lake, and Qiandao Lake, forming a cluster of popular tourist destinations and a dense area of “World Heritage Sites.” This creates a golden tourism circle radiating outward from the porcelain capital, Jingdezhen.

The Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty and is the only well-preserved ancient county yamen in southern China. It showcases the art of ancient Chinese architecture and the political system of the Qing Dynasty very well. From its establishment to its abolition, many powerful officials were stationed here, shining brilliantly for a magnificent 170 years. Historically, Jingdezhen was under the jurisdiction of Fuliang County. Since the Tang Dynasty, the magistrates of Fuliang had always held the fifth rank. The existing structures of the ancient yamen include the screen wall, the first gate, the ceremonial gate, the main hall, the second hall, and the third hall, covering a construction area of more than 2,660 square meters. From the first gate to the ceremonial gate to the main hall, there is a nearly 100-meter-long bluestone-paved reporting path, flanked by several ancient cypresses and a historic well. Between the ceremonial gate and the main hall lies a large courtyard of about 1,200 square meters. The entire yamen compound was not painted, and the carvings were simple, reflecting the reality of limited national treasury and local financial constraints at the time, indicating that the Qing Dynasty was beginning to decline. Truly, “one ancient yamen tells half the history of the Qing Dynasty.”

The Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang is located on Yamen Road, Fuliang County, Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province. The existing ancient yamen was built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty and is the only well-preserved feudal-era county government office in southern China. Since the Tang Dynasty, this site has been the seat of Fuliang County government, serving as its political, economic, and cultural center.

We often hear about seventh-rank magistrates in movies and TV shows. County magistrates, who managed both administration and judiciary in their counties, were mostly of the seventh rank, commonly referred to as “seventh-rank petty officials.” However, the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang in Jiangxi is a high-ranking exception, with its government office ranked as fifth, known as the “No. 1 County Yamen in China” and the “No. 1 County Yamen in Southern China.”

Its relatively high political status stems from its important economic position. Since the Tang Dynasty, Fuliang has been a prosperous economic county, an important hub for porcelain and tea trade, which is why it was repeatedly designated as a fifth-rank county yamen.

The ancient yamen faces south and features a screen wall, the first gate, the ceremonial gate, the yamen courtyard, the main hall, the second hall, and the third hall, arranged in a neat and orderly layout. The entire yamen compound was not painted, and the carvings were simple, largely preserving the original appearance of the county yamen.

In front of the yamen gate (the first gate) stands a drum, symbolizing the ancient litigation system. It could only be struck for major cases or emergencies; otherwise, the person striking it would be punished in court. On the other side stand two stone tablets inscribed with “False Accusations Punished by an Additional Three Degrees” and “Filing Appeals Out of Order Punished by Fifty Strokes.” Ancient laws required that “all civil and military litigations must be reported step by step from the bottom up. Those who bypass their immediate superiors and appeal directly to higher authorities shall receive fifty strokes.” The reason was: “Reporting step by step allows lower officials to fulfill their duties, while higher officials can maintain their authority.”

Entering the first gate is a nearly 100-meter-long bluestone path leading directly through the ceremonial gate to the main hall. Along both sides of the path from the first gate to the ceremonial gate are various tax offices, where the government collected taxes.

The ceremonial gate is where the county magistrate would welcome superior officials. The central gate of the ceremonial gate was reserved for the magistrate and his superiors, the east gate for general personnel, and the west gate exclusively for prisoners.

Behind the ceremonial gate and leading to the main hall, the path is flanked by several ancient cypresses and a historic well. On both sides of the path, civil officials are on the left and military officials on the right, arranged as the Six Ministries: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works.

The main hall’s door plaque reads “Qinmin Hall” (People’s Hall), where the county magistrate presided over trials, received imperial edicts, issued decrees, and held major ceremonies. Above the main hall hangs the plaque “The Mirror Is High,” where you can sit in the magistrate’s seat, rap the wooden judgment tablet, and experience the atmosphere.

The second hall behind the main hall is also called the Qinzhi Hall, used for handling general civil cases, receiving visiting officials, and discussing state affairs. The second hall has side rooms where the yamen runners and clerks worked.

The third hall is a small residential courtyard in the Huizhou architectural style, where confidential matters were discussed and where the magistrate and his family lived.

The eastern axis buildings, from south to north, are the Jiujiang Dao Office, the Earth God Temple, the Jin Ancestral Hall, the Yamen God Temple, the Three Shifts Office, the Drill Ground, the Changping Granary, the Deputy Magistrate’s Office, and the Xiangshan Villa.

The western axis buildings, from south to north, are the prison, the Prison God Temple, the clerks’ quarters, the Chief Clerk’s Office, the Recorder’s Office, and the Arrest Supervisor’s Office.

On the east side of the yamen entrance stands an ancient pagoda, the Millennium Red Pagoda, also known as the “Great Sage Treasure Pagoda.” Built in 961 AD, it is 40.47 meters tall with six sides and nine stories, boasting a history of 1,045 years. It is a Buddhist pagoda that blends unique features of ancient Chinese pagodas with southern architectural styles. Known as the “Ancient Emblem of Fuliang,” it is the earliest and most intact large-scale ancient pagoda in Jiangxi Province, hailed as the “No. 1 Pagoda of Jiangxi” and a symbol and historical witness of ancient Fuliang.

Visiting the ancient yamen allows you to appreciate the architectural style of ancient government offices while gaining deep insights into the history, politics, and culture of feudal yamens, as well as the millennia-old tea and porcelain culture of Fuliang.

A national 4A-level tourist attraction. Located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, it is only 8 kilometers from Jingdezhen City. Fuliang gave birth to the world-renowned porcelain capital, Jingdezhen; Fuliang is a place where you can linger in the blend of culture and nature; with millennia of heritage, the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang shines brilliantly all the way through history.

The ancient yamen scenic area includes a well-preserved fifth-rank ancient yamen, the Song Dynasty pagoda—Red Pagoda, a grand ancient city gate tower, a world-unique historical and cultural corridor, a millennium porcelain altar applying for a Guinness World Record, a Millennium Love Square showcasing romantic love, the Kuixing Pavilion highlighting fine ceramics, Ming and Qing imperial kilns (filming location of the CCTV hit drama “The Great Porcelain Merchant”), Fuliang Tea House, ancient Chinese astronomical timing instruments—the gnomon, the equatorial sundial, and the sundial—as well as a millennium-old well—Tanggong Well, and planned leisure destinations such as Yunqin Lake and the Xita Temple that condenses religious culture...

The Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang is the only well-preserved Qing Dynasty county yamen in southern China, hailed as the “No. 1 County Yamen in Southern China.” It was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit in 1987. In the 11th year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty (816 AD), due to flooding, the county seat of Fuliang was moved to its current location in the old city of Fuliang. Spanning the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties until the fourth year of the Republic of China, for over 1,100 years, the yamen was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The existing ancient yamen was built during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang reign, nearly 200 years ago, covering an area of 64,495 square meters (equivalent to 95 mu), with a grand scale.

The Red Pagoda was originally named the West Pagoda. Built in the early Northern Song Dynasty (961 AD), it has a history of 1,053 years and is the earliest and most intact large-scale ancient pagoda in Jiangxi Province, known as the “No. 1 Pagoda of Jiangxi.” It was listed as one of the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Jiangxi Province in 1959. It was renovated once in the third year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1575 AD). Since a temple called the West Pagoda Temple was built in front of the pagoda during the Tang Dynasty, it can be inferred that the purpose of the pagoda was to spread Buddhism—it is a Buddhist pagoda, with the Buddha name “Great Sage Treasure Pagoda,” and is recorded in the annals of China’s seventy-two ancient pagodas.

The scenic area offers unique performances such as courtroom trials, ancient warrior parades, the chance to be a county magistrate for a day, imperial edict readings, and archery, allowing you to immerse yourself in historical ambiance and travel a thousand years in a single day.

Scenic area activity schedule: Free county magistrate trial performances are held daily at 9:30, 10:30, 14:00, and 15:30.

Explore the ancient yamen site and savor the essence of humanistic history.

On October 7, 2019, the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang was included in the eighth batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.

Welcome to the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang Scenic Area

Website: www.-xy.com Address: Old Town, Fuliang County, Jingdezhen City

Telephone (Fax): 0798-2621155

Transportation Tips: Take Bus No. 16 Branch Line directly from the People's Square to the scenic area.