Chen Tuan Village Gate

Chen Tuan Village Gate

The Chen Tuan Village Gate is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The village gate of Chen Tuan in Chen Tuan Village, Jingwuzhou Town, Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Hunan Province, has been listed as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Hunan Province.

According to the Tongdao Dong Autonomous County Cultural Relics Management Office, the Chen Tuan Village Gate consists of two village gates and three drum towers, respectively built at the entrances of the upper and lower Chen Tuan Dong villages. The village gates were initially built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (the 59th year of Qianlong), with the drum towers constructed a few years later.

The village gates feature a post-and-lintel wooden frame structure with raised beams. The upper village gate is of an overhanging wing-room style, with a double-sloped single-ridge hip-and-gable roof covered in green tiles, white eaves, and hanging stilted columns, along with built-in benches known as “beauty’s lean” for people to gather and relax. A nine-step stone stairway leads to the drum tower and into the village. The lower village gate is styled like a memorial archway, utilizing fully articulated dougong brackets that project outward, resembling a riding gable wall. It has clearly divided sections: the central bay is open as the entrance and exit, while the side bays feature non-load-bearing decorative railings, developing a unique style that breaks from tradition. Drum towers were constructed to obstruct internal space and enhance the physical texture of the architecture. Drainage gutters were ingeniously designed. The exterior of the buildings is solid, while the internal structures are rigorous. Decorations avoid being contrived, instead striving for simplicity and unadorned beauty.

In 2004, it was announced as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Huaihua City; in 2006, it was listed as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Hunan Province.

Jingwuzhou Town: Located in the central part of Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Jingwuzhou Town borders Linkou Town and Xiaxia to the east, Diyangping and Xianxi Town to the west, Shuangjiang and Yatunbao Towns to the south, and Jiangkou and Xikou Towns to the north. It governs Xingjing Neighborhood Committee; and 19 village committees: Jingwuzhou, Dilangping, Chekong, Dilian, Shuinan, Liyong, Zhaotoubao, Luantang, Xiaojiang, Matou, Dihui, Balu, Laowangjiao, Jiangkou, Caojiachong, Jiangjiabao, Jiulongqiao, Furong, and Pingxi.

The area features undulating mountains and rivers, with five peaks over 600 meters above sea level, including the highest peak, Tangtouling, which rises 76... For more detailed information on Jingwuzhou Town ++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units