Upper and Lower Sluices

Upper and Lower Sluices

The Upper and Lower Sluices are protected cultural heritage sites of Liaocheng City.

The Upper Sluice is located at the western end of Shangzha Village, Zhangqiu Town. It was first built in the ninth year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1411 AD). Constructed from bluestone, the sluice features double sluice gates. The sluice structure stretches 10 meters from north to south and 3 meters from east to west, with the wing walls extending 8 meters, and the sluice groove being 15 centimeters wide. The sluice gates themselves no longer exist. However, stone carvings of water-controlling beasts remain on the sluice railings—circular reliefs with amiable designs.

The Lower Sluice is situated to the west of Xiazha Village, Zhangqiu Town, and to the east of Songzhuang Village, Acheng Town, approximately 1,000 meters south of the Upper Sluice. It was one of the six sluices established during the Ming Dynasty in Yanggu. The sluice structure is 12 meters long from north to south and 8 meters wide from east to west, with the sluice groove being 25 centimeters wide. There were originally four stone-carved lions at the head of the sluice, but only one remains today. The lion stands 1.2 meters tall, with its base measuring 0.8 × 0.6 × 0.3 meters. According to villagers, there used to be several stone steles at the sluice head, all of which, along with the stone lions, have fallen into the canal below the sluice.