Ai Lake Gate Tower

Ai Lake Gate Tower

The Ai Lake Gate Tower is located on the central street of Ai Lake Village, Sangcun Town. Built in the early years of the Republic of China, it was the grand entrance gate of the wealthy local landowner Shi Anqing’s residence and now serves as the entrance to the village committee building. This gate tower features a unique and elegant architectural style that reflects aspects of ancient Chinese culture. The upper parts of both sides of the gate are inlaid with handcrafted earthenware pottery, while the eaves are adorned with horizontal wooden carvings. Below the door frame there is a door stopper stone, with a middle waist-locking stone and an upper top-locking stone, all contributing to a sturdy frame. Additionally, the door stopper and waist-locking stones are carved with floral patterns and lush bamboo. The roof ridge and the two gable ends of the gate tower are adorned with six "Ha Ba Gou" (open-mouthed mythical beast) ornaments. The two wing rooms connected to the main gate tower each have two symmetrically built tile-roofed rooms, highlighting the prominence of the main structure and adding a finishing touch to its appearance. The two stone lions that once stood on either side of the gate have gone missing.

According to villagers, there were originally eight main tile-roofed rooms and nine west-side auxiliary rooms, which also functioned as shops facing the street. All the bricks, tiles, and handcrafted earthenware were fired in kilns built by Shi Anqing on his own land south of the village, with labor hired for the purpose. (Collected and compiled by Chen Yong, Wang Chengqian)

Source: Sangcun Town Government Website

Sangcun Town: Sangcun was initially established during the Spring and Autumn period and took shape in the Warring States period, then known as Lingqiu, a southern town of the Qi State. It flourished during the Han dynasties, covering a vast area of a thousand hectares. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, merchants gathered here, and it became famous for widespread mulberry cultivation and sericulture.

Sangcun is located in the western part of Shanting District, Zaozhuang City, adjacent to Tengzhou, with a total area of 78 square kilometers, 23 villages (communities), and a population of 91,000.

It has been listed as a National Reform and Development Pilot Town, a National Model Town for Small Town Construction, a Model Town under Shandong Province’s “Hundred Towns Construction Demonstration Action,” a Strong Economic Town in the Western Economic Rising Belt of Shandong Province, and a Shandong Province… More details about Sangcun Town++