Qiji Ancient Town

Qiji Ancient Town

Qiji Town is located in the northeastern part of Yanggu County, at the junction of Yanggu, Dong'e, and Dongchangfu districts (counties), approximately 26 kilometers from the county seat of Yanggu. The ancient town enjoys convenient transportation, with the provincial highway Liaowei Road (Route 258) running through it. It lies just 15 kilometers north of Liaocheng City, known as the "Water City North of the Yangtze" and the "Ancient Capital of Canals."

As a historic canal town, Qiji boasts profound cultural heritage and has left behind numerous historical relics. Legend has it that there were as many as seventy-two temples in the town, arranged in the shape of a phoenix, hence the nickname "Phoenix Temple" for Qiji. The site of the ancient Qiji Ferry is the only scientifically excavated dock site along the Shandong section of the Grand Canal and is currently the best-preserved canal dock known. Other existing relics include the ancient street, the Zhai Family Ancestral Hall, the Di Daguang Pharmacy, the Qiji Upper and Lower Locks, and the Bixia Temple. Among these, the ancient street is one of the few remaining commercial streets along the Lu Canal, with architectural styles largely preserved from the late Qing and early Republican periods. Some shop fronts feature brick-paved outer corridors, and the site is designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in Liaocheng City.