Ancient Architectural Complex of Tangjiaguan

Ancient Architectural Complex of Tangjiaguan

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Tangjiaguan is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Tangjiaguan Ancient Town

Address: Tangshi Community, Dongping Town, Anhua County

Type: Ancient Architecture

Era: Ming–Qing Dynasties

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Tangjiaguan is located on the old street of Tangjiaguan Community, Dongping Town, Anhua County, Yiyang City, Hunan Province, on the north bank of the Zi River, between the Chaxi Stream and the Zhuxi Stream. Due to its relatively flat terrain and moderate water flow, it became a docking point for riverine dwellers traveling by boat and engaging in external interactions. The Zi River, the second-largest river in Hunan Province, has historically been the only navigable waterway from Shaoyang to the Dongting Lake region. Owing to its prime location, the initial form of a dock and port began to take shape during the late Tang Dynasty. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the establishment of a tea trading market gradually brought prosperity. The existing ancient town took form during the Qing Dynasty through the Republican era, serving as a key shipping dock and commercial hub for tea trade along the Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Road within Anhua.

The ancient town’s architecture stretches east–west along the north bank of the Zi River, running linearly parallel to the river, covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. The streets consist of a main longitudinal bluestone street about 500 meters long, three transverse streets, and several docks extending toward the river. Lined with historic shops and bustling storefronts, the buildings all follow a front-shop-back-yard layout, featuring double-story wooden structures with small blue tiles. Among them are interspersed brick-and-wood constructions such as ancient ancestral halls, mansions, churches, and quadrangle courtyards, while dozens of stilt houses hang high above the Zi River surface. Along the streets, there are also more than ten stone tablets and carvings from various periods, including regulations on tea trade, prohibition agreements, business codes, and dock rules. Additionally, there is the “Liao Ruyuan Charcoal Shop” where Comrade Liu Shaoqi stayed while conducting underground work in Anhua in 1936 (Liao Ruyuan, originally from Yanglin Township—now Dongping Town—in Anhua, was an early underground Communist Party member, former Secretary-General and Military Commissioner of the Manchurian Provincial Committee of the CPC, and secretary to Comrade Liu Shaoqi).

In the 51st year of the Kangxi reign (1712), the "Wanshou Palace Stone Tablet" of Tangjiaguan recorded: “It uniquely borders southern Chu, connects to Hengyang, and is foremost in the region of Hunan. Hence, traders coming to Tangjiaguan in Anhua County are ceaseless in their flow. Since Tangjiaguan is hailed as a splendid place and a gathering hub for merchants, how could there not be a guildhall standing amid these ancient ruins?”

From the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the 1950s, the Ancient Architectural Complex of Tangjiaguan maintained commercial connections spanning Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou, becoming a bustling market town for commodity distribution, processing, and transit. It served as the economic center of Anhua during the Ming and Qing periods, as well as a key hub for water and land transportation, cargo and passenger flows. The overall layout of the ancient town remains intact today, making it a rare and valuable remnant of historic commercial architecture in China. As a prominent commercial and traveler town along the Zi River waterway, its well-preserved ancient architectural complex bears witness to the political, economic, cultural, and social development of the Anhua region, reflecting both its historical splendor and vicissitudes. It holds significant research value in history, sociology, economics, and architecture. In 2004, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Yiyang City, and in 2014, it was included in the national list of traditional villages under protection.

Protected Area: Extends 500 meters east, west, and south; extends to the Zi River shoreline to the north

Date of Announcement: November 28, 2004

Dongping Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Anhua County. It is the seat of the county government. Established as Dongping Town in 1955, renamed Chengguan Town in 1956, came under Chengguan Commune in 1960, reinstated as Chengguan Town in 1980, reinstated as Dongping Town in 1982, and merged with Huangshaping Town, Chengbuping Township, and parts of Zhongdi Township, Yanglin Township, and Qingshanyuan Township in 1995 to form the current Dongping Town. Located in the northwest-central part of the county, it covers an area of 197.5 square kilometers with a population of 79,000. The town government is based on Jiefang Street. Provincial Highway 1802 passes through here, and the Zi River allows for year-round navigation. Jurisdiction includes Zi River, Minzhu, Jianshe, Huanghe, Selenium Tea, Xinjian Street, Minfu... More detailed information on Dongping Town ++

Further Reading:

· Tenth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hunan Province