Jixing Tower

Jixing Tower

Jixing Tower is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Jixing Tower is located on Gulouhou Street, Weizhou Town, Yu County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. It was originally the "Juyilong" silk and satin shop built by Wang Pu, a wealthy businessman in Yu County during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period.

The building is constructed of brick with precisely fitted joints, featuring a single-courtyard layout. The main residence has nine rooms topped with a flush-gable roof covered in clay tiles. The western wing functioned as a street-facing shop and includes more than ten cave-style rooms made of blue brick with arched vaults, all enclosed. Jixing Tower is situated in the northwest corner of the courtyard, with a square floor plan and a beam-less brick-vaulted structure. Both the west and north sides of the tower have arched doorways; the street-facing brick gate is adorned with a carved “吉” (auspicious) character in brick relief, and the western arched doorway leads directly into the courtyard. The second floor features hexagonal windows on the north and south sides, and arched windows on the east and west. The rooftop facing the street on the west side is decorated with a cruciform openwork parapet in a mountain-pattern design. The entire structure has a rigorous layout and represents a brick building from the early Republican period whose exterior design already shows Western architectural influence.

In November 2001, the People's Government of Hebei Province designated Jixing Tower in Yu County as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province