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Ancient Stone Archways in the Old Town

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The ancient stone archways are living fossils that record the glory of Chaozhou’s history. They are not only a collection of exquisite stone carving art but also a treasure trove of calligraphic art. The stone archways in Chaozhou’s old town, “either two-pillar single-gate or four-pillar triple-gate,” are carved from stone into hip-and-gable roofs, pillars, beams, and various small components, assembled into three-tiered arch structures. On both sides of the plaques, some are adorned with intricately carved stone decorations such as “two dragons playing with a pearl” or “auspicious phoenixes amid scrolling vines.” Stone lions or drums — or pedestals — are added beside the pillars, locally called “pavilions” by the people of Chaozhou. As the local saying goes: “Admire the pavilion inscriptions on the main streets, eat fried noodles on the bridge, climb up to Dongmen Tower, then visit Kaiyuan Temple.” Although the old Taiping Road may not quite boast an archway every five steps, there were 17 archways from south to north along it, plus 50 more on other streets, totaling 97 archways within the old town.

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The ancient stone archways are a cultural tourism attraction.

The ancient stone archways are living fossils that record the glory of Chaozhou’s history. They are not only a collection of exquisite stone carving art but also a treasure trove of calligraphic art. The stone archways in Chaozhou’s old town, “either two-pillar single-gate or four-pillar triple-gate,” are carved from stone into hip-and-gable roofs, pillars, beams, and various small components, assembled into three-tiered arch structures. On both sides of the plaques, some are adorned with intricately carved stone decorations such as “two dragons playing with a pearl” or “auspicious phoenixes amid scrolling vines.” Stone lions or drums — or pedestals — are added beside the pillars, locally called “pavilions” by the people of Chaozhou. As the local saying goes: “Admire the pavilion inscriptions on the main streets, eat fried noodles on the bridge, climb up to Dongmen Tower, then visit Kaiyuan Temple.” Although the old Taiping Road may not quite boast an archway every five steps, there were 17 archways from south to north along it, plus 50 more on other streets, totaling 97 archways within the old town.