Shenyang Ancient Town

Shenyang Ancient Town

Shenyang Ancient Town is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Shenyang Town is situated in the southwest of Yuzhou City in central Henan Province. It is the world-famous birthplace of Jun porcelain culture and a historically significant Chinese town with over 5,000 years of ceramic heritage, showcasing distinctive regional characteristics. It also serves as the economic, cultural, and commercial hub at the junction of Yuzhou City, Jia County, and Ruzhou City. The town covers a total area of 49.1 square kilometers, with a population of 42,000, including 32,000 in the town proper, which spans an area of 10 square kilometers. The name "Shenyang Ancient Town" has been bestowed with imperial recognition four times throughout history. Due to its continued production of various types of ceramics, Shenyang Ancient Town is honored as the only "living ancient town" in China.

Shenyang Town is located on the southeastern edge of the Jishan Mountain Range, 30 kilometers southwest of Yuzhou City. It borders Hongchang Town of Yuzhou City to the east, Jia County to the south, Mojie Township of Yuzhou City to the west, and Wenshu Township of Yuzhou City to the north. Situated in the shallow mountainous area of the Funiu Mountains, the town features Jiaozi Mountain and Fengchi Mountain to the east, Niutou Mountain and Fengyang Mountain to the west, Daliu Mountain to the south, and Yungai Mountain to the north. The Qianming Mountain, stretching east-west through the center, divides the town into two narrow basins. The southern basin is the industrial zone dominated by ceramic manufacturing, while the northern basin is an agricultural grain-producing area, with the Xiao River running through it. Both the Xiao River and the Xiaoqing River flow across the territory. Most cultivated land consists of hilly slopes with poor water conservancy conditions. The area is rich in mineral resources, including 1 billion tons of clay, 180 million tons of coal, 1 billion tons of limestone, as well as certain reserves of bauxite, purple sandstone, and other minerals.

The ancient and mysterious Shenyang Town has written records dating back to the Ming Dynasty, but the origin of its name remains a mystery. The "Xinhua Dictionary" defines the unique character "垕" (Hou) as: "Hou, Shenyang, a place name in Henan Province." The "Cihai" (Sea of Words) encyclopedia briefly introduces Shenyang as the homeland of Jun porcelain. Based on pottery artifacts such as Guasha, red pottery, and comb-patterned gray pottery unearthed in recent years, it is inferred that as early as the Xia and Shang dynasties, Shenyang was inhabited by people engaged in farming and pottery-making. The evolution from pottery to porcelain indicates that Shenyang’s history is nearly synchronous with that of Chinese civilization.

Shenyang Town has a long history. As early as the Xia and Shang dynasties, humans lived here, engaging in farming and pottery-making. Since the emergence of Jun porcelain in the Tang Dynasty, Shenyang gradually developed into one of the ceramic centers in northern China. During the Song Dynasty, it was called Shenyang Store, and in the Ming Dynasty, it began to be known as Shenyang Town, under the jurisdiction of Hongchang District. In the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to Wenfeng Li. A popular folk rhyme from the Ming and Qing periods goes: "Enter the Shenyang Mountains, stroll the seven-mile-long street, see seventy-two kilns, smoke veils the sky, merchants fill the streets, earning a fortune each day," illustrating the prosperity of the time.

Shenyang was formerly known as Shenyang Store, became a town in the Ming Dynasty under Hongchang District's Lingjin Li, and was part of Wenfeng Li during the Qing Dynasty. In the early Republic of China, it remained under Wenfeng Li before Shenyang Town was officially established. In 1961, it was successively referred to as Shenyang Town, renamed Shenyang Commune in 1968, and has been known as Shenyang Town since its reconstruction in 1981.

The long history has left Shenyang Town with a wealth of cultural relics and historic sites. Currently, the town center has one national key cultural relic protection unit, three provincial-level ones, and over 40 ancient temples, residences, ancestral halls, and more, most of which are distributed within the 3-square-kilometer ancient town area centered around the Old Street.

Shenyang Old Street is located in the central town area of Shenyang, commonly known as the "Seven-Mile-Long Street." It originally consisted of five ancient villages—Erdao Street, Gaolaozhuang, Zhuyuangou, Chayegou, and Lao Yaopo—along both sides of the Xiao River (Zouyu River). Today, Shenyang Old Street has preserved the old streets predating the late Qing Dynasty in relatively good condition, including East Main Street, Old Main Street, West Main Street, Baiyitang Street, Beizhai Street, Ancestral Hall Street, Hongshiqiao Street, and Yangjialou Street, with a total length of about 4 kilometers. The architectural complexes, buildings, many valuable architectural details, and even the surrounding environment have largely retained their original appearance.

Shenyang Old Street consists of four ancient stockades—east, west, south, and north—and two administrative streets, Hongshiqiao and Guanyin Temple. The Xiao River (Zouyu River) flows from west to east through the old street, with the Zouyu Bridge connecting the eastern and western stockades. The old street has multiple stockade gates with tall, sturdy walls and watchtowers, primarily used in ancient times for military defense against bandits and floods. Each stockade has an elegant name, such as "Wangsong" (Looking at Song Mountain) for the east stockade and "Tianbao" (Heavenly Protection) for the west, inscribed in blue stone on the gates. Each stockade also features numerous traditional buildings and distinctive local residences and alleys.

Buildings along Shenyang Old Street are arranged on both sides of the street, offering a unique landscape with a rich variety of architectural types. Major structures include religious buildings, residential houses, specialty markets, and shops. Key religious buildings are the Bailingong Temple, Guan Di Temple, Confucius Temple, Laojun Temple, Baiyitang, and Laojun Temple. Notable Ming and Qing residences include the Xi Family Courtyard, Bai Family Courtyard, Wen Family Courtyard, Huo Family Courtyard, Wang Family Courtyard, and Xin Family Courtyard. Other structures and facilities include the Jun Porcelain Street, antique market, Wangsong Gate, Zouyu Bridge, Tianbao Stockade, and Dengyu Stockade.

Shenyang Town also boasts several cultural relics and historic sites, including the Shenyang Jun Kiln Site, Ancestral Master Temple, and the Century-old Baiguo Tree at Lingquan Temple. The Shenyang Jun Kiln Site is located about 10 li southwest of the town center, in the Xiaobaiyu and Liujiamen areas.

In 2000, the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University and the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted archaeological surveys and excavations at the Shenyang Jun Kiln Site. In March 2001, it was named one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China for 2000" by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and is now a national key cultural relic protection unit. The Ancestral Master Temple is located on the summit of Qianming Mountain, north of Tianbao Stockade, and is a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. Its main structure is the Ancestral Master Hall, a flush-gable building with a terrace, featuring three bays in width and two in depth. To the east of the hall lies the Shenyang Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, lush with green pines and cypresses. The Century-old Baiguo Tree at Lingquan Temple is situated at the southern foot of Fengchi Mountain in the eastern suburbs of the town, about 1 kilometer northwest of the Shenyang Town Archway. With a history of over 1,500 years, it is a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. Behind the tree is a spring, known historically as Lingquan (Spirit Spring) and commonly called Bandaojing (Pulled-Over Well). The original Lingquan Temple has since been rebuilt.

Address: Near Provincial Highway 236, Shenyang Town, Yuzhou City, Xuchang

Type: Ancient Town/Village

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Ticket Information:

No admission fee.