Chenyang Ancient Town

Chenyang Ancient Town

Chenyang Ancient Town

1. Kuixing Pavilion: Located at the eastern end of Zhongshan Road in the old town area of Chenyang, it was first built during the Ming Dynasty and underwent multiple renovations over the dynasties. The current structure was rebuilt in the seventh year of the Qing Dynasty's Jiaqing reign. It was originally constructed to enshrine the God of Literature, and is the best-preserved ancient building within the Chenyang ancient city. In 1996, it was listed as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit.

2. Ancient Alleys and Wharves: There are many alleys and wharves in the ancient city of Chenyang. Currently preserved are Liushuwan Ma Fang Lane, Yu Family Lane, Zhao Family Lane, and Liushuwan Street. Along the river, there were successively built more than ten docks, including Shuangxikou Dock, Zhongnanmen Dock, Private Dock, New Dock, Lingguan Dock, Liangshui Dock, Big Dock, and Fishing Boat Dock.

3. Ancient Temples: Some of the more ancient and well-known ones include Dayou Temple, Jiangdong Temple, Guang’en Temple, Dan Mountain Temple, Guishan Temple, Yuhua Cave, Shuiyun Temple, Jin Cliff Temple, Nengren Temple, Shuifu Temple, Ancestral Master Hall, and Pujie Nunnery.

4. Jin Cliff Pagoda: Located on Jinqi Mountain, 2 kilometers west of the city, “Jin Tower by the River” is one of the eight ancient scenic spots of Chenxi. It was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty by Cao Xingjian, the magistrate of Chenxi County. The seven-story pagoda has an engraved lintel reading “Auspicious Qi of Phoenix City,” facing southeast, symbolizing “Purple Qi Coming from the East.” The ancient pagoda was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, leaving only an inscribed stone tablet: “Waters merge on both banks, peaks rise in seven tiers. The golden pheasant spreads its wings, the golden walls stand firm. Culture and talent flourish, households gather in prosperity. For ten thousand years here, may Chen County be forever established.”

5. Yang Ren’s Former Residence: Located on Liushuwan Street in Chenyang, this building was originally constructed during the Ming Dynasty, covering an area of over 1,700 square meters. The residence is rectangular, surrounded by fireproof walls, with wooden houses inside, including two courtyards and more than 30 rooms. It is currently in severe disrepair and under restoration. It is now a county-level cultural heritage protection unit. Yang Ren (1880–1911) went to Japan in 1905, studying successively at a Japanese physical education school and a military academy. In 1908, he joined the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) through the introduction of Song Jiaoren, and in 1909, he joined the Gongjin Association. Together with Tan Renfeng and Jiao Dafeng, he was known as one of the “Three Outstanding Figures of Hunan.”

6. Former Headquarters of the Second Red Army Corps: On November 27, 1935, He Long, commander of the Second Red Army Corps, and Gan Siqi, political director, led over 8,000 Red Army soldiers on the Long March into Chenxi County from Yuanling. They withdrew on December 1. He Long’s headquarters was located in a building at No. 225, Ou Family Lane, Zhongshan Road, in the county town. It is now a county-level cultural heritage protection unit.

7. Anti-Japanese War Site Cluster: After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan in 1937, agencies, schools, and factories from occupied areas moved inland en masse, making Chenxi a “military stronghold in the great rear of Hunan.” Over the eight years in Chenxi, a vigorous anti-Japanese salvation movement emerged. After the victory of the war, many precious wartime sites were left behind. In 2011, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit, including the former site of Zaojiaoping Airport, the Dayou Mountain Martyrs’ Cemetery for Anti-Japanese War casualties, the former site of a field hospital, the Nanzhuangping Arsenal, the headquarters of the Fourth Front Army, and bunker clusters in the suburbs and the county town.

8. Former Site of the Provisional County Committee of the CPC in Chenxi: Located at No. 4 Ma Fang Lane, Liushuwan (now No. 297 Yu Family Lane), it served as the former site of the Provisional County Committee of the CPC in Chenxi. In August 1938, the Hunan Provincial Party Committee sent Communist Party member He Liang to Chenxi to carry out work. In December of the same year, with approval from the Hunan Provincial Party Committee via the Western Hunan Working Committee, the County Committee of the CPC in Chenxi was established. The military minister of the Western Hunan Working Committee, Liang Chunyang, presided over a meeting that formed the County Committee, consisting of four members: He Liang, Mi Qingxuan, Cheng Jinwu, and Pan Duqing.

9. Xiangxi Bandit Suppression Victory Park: In 1952, to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed gloriously in the bandit suppression campaign in western Hunan, a memorial hall was built in the park. At the time, Chenyang was the seat of the Yuanling Special Administrative Region, hence the name “Yuanling District Bandit Suppression Victory Memorial Hall.” As a result, Zhongshan Park was renamed Victory Park. In 2001, the memorial hall was listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit and is now a provincial-level patriotic education base.