Zhu Ting Ancient Wharf Cluster

Zhu Ting Ancient Wharf Cluster

Zhu Ting, known as Puwan before the Southern Song Dynasty, was located by the Xiang River with a harbor featuring many winding sections and shoals. In ancient times, it was overgrown with cattails and reeds, hence the name. In the second year of the Qiandao era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1166), the great Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi, accompanied by the eminent scholar Zhang Shi, traveled south to Mount Heng. Passing through Puwan, at the request of local gentry, they built a thatched hut and lectured there for five months. To commemorate this, the place was renamed "Zhu Ting" (meaning "Zhu's Stop"), which later evolved phonetically into "Zhu Ting." The area now borders former Zhuanqiao and Longtan townships to the east, neighboring former Longfeng township to the south, borders Hengdong County to the west, and adjoins former Pingshan township to the north, with its northwest edge along the Xiang River. The region is part of a high hilly area with gentle terrain. Hills and fields are interspersed. Major streams flow in from the south, run through the central area, and converge into the Zhu Ting Harbor before entering the Xiang River. The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway double track runs through the area; the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway crosses the Xiang River and traverses the area longitudinally with an entrance. Provincial Highway 1815 runs the entire length of the area. Simple roads connect to all villages. Zhu Ting is a thousand-year-old ancient town and was designated as a historical and cultural town by the provincial government in 2011.

Zhu Ting Ancient Town has a long history. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, due to its proximity to the Xiang River and developed water transport, the town began to take shape. The 1995 "Zhuzhou County Annals" recorded: "Zhu Ting Town had four streets during the Ming and Qing dynasties: New Street, Old Street, Main Street, and Harbor Street." The Ming Chongzhen-era "Changsha Prefecture Annals" noted that Zhu Ting "had a more bustling population and a fortress." In the sixth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1728), the Xiangtan County Magistrate's Office was stationed here. Commerce flourished, with merchants gathering, and there were nine wharves known as "One Reed Pavilion." They were distributed in a "7" shape, and six are still in use today. In the eighth year of the Tongzhi era (1869), the Gelaohui (a secret society) in Zhu Ting rebelled, executing the county magistrate and burning the county office. During the Qing Dynasty, there was a horse market, making the town prosperous. In the late Qing and early Republican period, markets (fairs) began to be held. By the end of 2008, statistics from relevant organizations showed that the total street length was about 1 kilometer; integrating agriculture, industry, and commerce, it was a large comprehensive market with nearly 300 stalls. In recent years, due to improved transportation, most middle-aged and young people have left to seek opportunities elsewhere, leaving behind mainly the elderly, children, and those with illnesses or disabilities in rural areas, resulting in a sharp daily decline in market trade.

Coming from the direction of Zhu Ting Railway Station along the Xiang River southeast to north, on the left flows the clear Xiang River water from south to north; on the right are the lush, undulating Changling Mountains, once renowned as the "Zhu Ting Man-Made Forest Sea" and famous both domestically and abroad. Beneath Changling Mountain, the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway double track runs through the area, with trains carrying goods and passengers from south to north speeding by day and night without pause. The first wharf encountered along the way is the Youpuwan Wharf, which was abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s due to the construction of a machinery factory. The once thriving machinery factory is now also deserted. Walking about 200 meters from Youpuwan Wharf leads to Wan Wharf, which is only a little over 1 meter wide, with a few remaining bluestone steps. The area has a mix of old and new houses, with occasional boats unloading cargo onshore. Moving forward to the banks of the Xiang River at Zhu Ting Main Street is Mojia Wharf, built by the merchant Mo Huan during the Qing Qianlong era. Mo Huan was a descendant of Mo Yu, the magistrate of Xiangtan County in the early Ming Dynasty. At that time, he was doing business in Zhu Ting, with a flourishing household and a passion for public welfare. To facilitate water transport, he spent a huge sum building this bluestone wharf. The wharf is 15 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and has over 50 steps. It is wider than Wan Wharf and sees more frequent use. On the left side of the wharf are earthen houses, full of a sense of age; on the right are renovated red-brick houses. Continuing forward about 100 meters leads to Xin Wharf, also known as the Ancient Ferry. It is located on the east bank of the Xiang River in the middle of Main Street. In the Qing Qianlong era, gentry from both sides of the Xiang River in Zhu Ting advocated for villagers to donate fields and raise funds to establish public property, building a new river-crossing wharf in the middle of Main Street, along with two ferries for free crossings, funded by the public property. Today, no traces of the wharf’s bluestone remain, and the surface is entirely covered with cement, but it remains the most frequently used ferry crossing between the two banks. Opposite is Hepaizhou Village in Longchuan Town, and the two sides have historically traded goods with each other. Now, the Party committee and government have implemented policies for people’s livelihood—on legal holidays, market days fall on dates ending in 1 and 6, with free ferry crossings. Upon reaching Xin Wharf, one encounters the only Soviet-style architectural complex in Zhuzhou County—the Zhu Ting Supply and Marketing Cooperative. In those days of extreme material scarcity, one can imagine the bustling scene at the cooperative’s entrance. Moving on, the next stop is Xiaojia Wharf, where houses on both sides were unfortunately destroyed by fire and are now dangerous structures, leading to the wharf’s discontinuation. Diagonally opposite the wharf lives 91-year-old Grandma He, who is in excellent health—not only managing her own life but also “self-employed,” providing haircuts and perms for the town’s middle-aged and elderly. A short haircut costs just six yuan. Grandma He says this amount isn’t enough to support her, but she thanks the good Party and government for providing her with a basic living allowance of 900 yuan per month, and her three children are also very filial. Speaking of these wharves and the once-bustling market scenes, Grandma He points to the steps outside her window and says that in the past, they were all lined with stalls selling goods.

Leaving Grandma He’s house and walking along the ancient stone-paved street, on the right is the now-unrecognizable Foundling Home (which took in abandoned infants and orphans), and on the left are storefronts with blue bricks and wooden boards, extending southward along the street. Ahead is a large gate “with bluestone foundations, blue brick frames, and white plastered surfaces,” inscribed with the three large characters “Da Matou” (Great Wharf), along with colorful paintings. Historical records indicate that the Great Wharf was located at the junction of the Xiang River and Zhu Ting Harbor. Built in the early Republican era, it was publicly funded by the He family under the leadership of He Baohuang, then a member of the Hunan Provincial Senate. The wharf was entirely paved with bluestone, featuring two platforms and over 50 steps leading straight down to the bottom of the small harbor. It is the largest of the nine major wharves in Zhu Ting, hence the name “Great Wharf.” Next to the wharf was a cargo warehouse covering several hundred square meters. The front section of the warehouse was residential, while the rear has collapsed. From these ruins, overgrown weeds, and debris, one can imagine the bustling trade of merchants from Tan, You, Heng, and Li gathering here in the past. Zhu Ting teacher He Fuli once said that in 1956, when delivering public grain, at age 11, he accompanied his father pushing a “tuche” (a type of cart) from former Longfeng township, walking through Changling to Zhu Ting Town for the market. The market was packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder, and he almost got lost. This illustrates the prosperity and splendor of Zhu Ting at the time, and the elegant nickname “Little Nanjing” is well deserved. (The "Zhuzhou County Annals" record Wang Kaiyun’s words: “Xiangtan is a strong county beyond the lake… stretching more than ten li up the Xiang River, known since the early Ming Dynasty as Little Nanjing.”)

Proceeding from the Great Wharf from west to east are: Guanjia Wharf, Xiejia Wharf (abandoned), and Yiyiting Wharf. Guanjia Wharf is located on the south bank of the Zhu Ting Harbor. In the sixth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1728), the Xiangtan County Magistrate’s Office was moved to Zhu Ting, establishing a branch office on Harbor Street to govern the southeast four districts of Xiangtan County. Later, the office publicly funded a bluestone wharf on the south bank of the Zhu Ting Harbor, called Guanjia Wharf. It is wider than ordinary wharves, and it is said that officials would come to inspect and need to disembark from sedan chairs, so it had to be wider for easier access. A few meters further is Yiyiting Wharf, located on the south bank of the Zhu Ting Harbor, named after the legend of the eminent monk Yiyi crossing the river on a single reed. During the Wei and Jin periods, Huairang, a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Dajian Huineng, was ordered to travel and spread Buddhist teachings. One evening, arriving at Hepaizhou on the west bank of the Xiang River, he looked across the water at Puwan. Under the glow of the sunset, the majestic Lion Peak appeared draped in a golden kasaya. The mountain was covered with ancient trees and dense greenery; the town below had houses clustered together with cooking smoke rising; the streets bustled with people, shoulder-to-shoulder—a truly bustling marketplace. Eager to cross the river and unable to wait for the ferry, Huairang picked up a few reeds by the riverbank and threw them into the surging waters. Displaying his lightness skill, he stepped from floating reed to reed and dashed across the river in an instant, his shoes and socks remaining dry. Onlookers were amazed, thinking him a sage. Huairang stayed in Puwan for several months, preaching Buddhism. Later generations built a hexagonal grass hut where he landed, naming it Yiyi Pavilion. Later, a new bluestone wharf was built nearby, called Yiyiting Wharf. Now the wharf steps have been renovated, with one side paved with cement into a slope for vehicle access. Today, many unique and historically rich elements have been destroyed in the name of economic development. The glorious past and beautiful scenery of Zhu Ting can only be remembered through these old wharves and ancient buildings. During the construction of the Xiang River Navigation and Power Hub, due to rising water levels, the stilt houses around Guanjia Wharf, Xiejia Wharf, and Yiyiting Wharf were all demolished. Had they been preserved, alongside the clear waters of Zhu Ting Harbor, how beautiful and elegant they would have been.

Zhu Ting Town: Zhu Ting Town and Longfeng Township have been merged to form Zhu Ting Town.

Zhu Ting, anciently called Puwan, is located at the southern end of Zhuzhou County, bordering Pingshan to the north, Hengdong to the south, Fenghuang to the east, and the Xiang River to the west. The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway runs directly through, and the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway and S211 Line pass through the area. The town covers an area of 88 square kilometers with a population of 25,700. Its administrative structure has undergone several changes. In 1998, it was merged into Huanglong Town, and on September 25, 2002, with approval from the Hunan Provincial People's Government, Huanglong Town was renamed Zhu Ting Town, restoring its original name.

Zhu Ting, as an ancient... Zhu Ting Town detailed information++

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units