Purple Stone Street

Purple Stone Street

Purple Stone Street originates from a beautiful legend. It is said that during the Qingli era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Sun, the county magistrate of Yanggu, wanted to raise funds to renovate the commercial street in front of the government office. The local people responded enthusiastically, vying to contribute money and labor. In less than a month, the project was completed. That night, a purple stone fell from the sky. People buzzed with speculation: the descent of the purple stone symbolized the arrival of auspicious energy from the east, heralding that Yanggu would surely prosper and flourish. Thus, the commercial street was named “Purple Stone Street.” Later, Shi Nai'an included it in his classic novel "Water Margin," and from then on, Purple Stone Street became famous far and wide.

The newly built Purple Stone Street is located in the central area of Yanggu Ancient City. It was constructed with an investment of 130 million yuan from Zhejiang businessmen. The street stretches 800 meters in length and 50 meters in width, covering an area of 56 acres, with a total construction area of 4,780 square meters. It is the longest Song-style commercial pedestrian street in China to date and has become a significant achievement in the development of our county’s cultural industry. (Text and photos / Yanggu Tourism Bureau)