The Youlan Chastity Archway

The Youlan Chastity Archway

The Youlan Chastity Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Nanchang City.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Type: Ancient Architecture

Address: Archway Village, Youlan Town, Nanchang County

Introduction:

The Chastity Archway is located in the central part of Archway Village, Youlan Town, facing south (345°). The "Chastity Archway" is actually the carved stone gate (archway) of a wooden structure building from the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty.

The "Chastity Archway" features a symmetrical three-story, pavilion-style design with five bays, consisting of four pillars and three bays, with a connected residential structure at the rear.

All four pillars are square (chamfered) red sandstone, with carved stone bases beneath. Between the pillars are three tiers of red sandstone archway sections, adorned with carvings of figures, flowers, animals, or geometric patterns. Between the two central pillars is an additional red sandstone door frame, with carved brackets on the upper left and right, and a threshold at the bottom. Between the central and side pillars, grayish-blue bricks are laid, with diamond-shaped carvings in red sandstone in the middle of the brickwork, and red sandstone blocks at the lower part. This archway and its wooden structure serve as valuable physical materials for the study of archway architecture, stone carving art, and Qing Dynasty wooden structures in the Nanchang region.