The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai

The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai

The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai is a protected cultural relic site of Guangdong Province.

The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai is located in Huidong County, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province. Construction was commissioned in the 28th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1549) and took 13 years to finish. It underwent renovations in the 38th year of the Kangxi reign (1699) and again in the 5th year of the Yongzheng reign (1727). After over 460 years of historical changes, the nearly 600-meter-long ancient wall and the eastern, western, and northern gates of Jinghai Ancient Town still retain their original appearance. This landmark structure embodies the wisdom and resilience of ancient laborers. It is one of the best-preserved ancient city wall ruins in eastern Guangdong and was listed as a sixth-batch provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 2010.

The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai is a rare stone structure, built with strip stones on both sides and compacted gray earth in the middle. The wall is lined with battlements, each equipped with sighting holes. The top serves as a running path about 4 meters wide. The ancient town has four gates—east, west, south, and north—each bearing engraved stone plaques: the east gate reads “Grand View of the Sea,” the west “Calm Seas and Peaceful Waves,” the south “Swift Transformation Toward Harmony,” and the north “Eternal Security.” Each gate is complemented by a barbican and gate tower. At the four corners of the wall are protruding square watchtowers that are higher than the wall itself, with the southeast and northeast corners still intact. The city's layout features a unique cross-shaped main road connecting all four gates and an oval outer wall, creating a distinctive symbolic pattern referred to as the “Elephant City.”

It fully reflects traditional Chinese architectural style and urban planning concepts. It is a historic structure embodying the architectural characteristics of the Ming Dynasty.

The existing sections of the ancient wall are well-preserved and sturdy. In 2006, reinforcement and maintenance work were carried out, and a stone stele was erected inscribed with “Record of the City Wall Restoration.” The engraved horizontal plaques of the east gate (“Grand View of the Sea”), west gate (“Calm Seas and Peaceful Waves”), and north gate (“Eternal Security”) remain embedded in their respective gate structures. The Ancient City Wall of Jinghai stands as valuable evidence for studying the architectural style and historical evolution of ancient city walls. It holds significant research value for the study of Ming Dynasty ancient architectural art and structural engineering, as well as offering important historical, scientific, and artistic insights into ancient coastal defense systems and the region’s history of resisting Japanese pirates.

Dongguang Village: Located southeast of Jinghai Town, Dongguang Village lies in the urban-rural fringe. It has a total population of 2,643, with 523 households, covering an area of 4,583 mu, including 256 mu of arable land and 1,500 mu of forest. The per capita income is 3,002 yuan. In recent years, various funds have been raised to build infrastructure such as a village office building, cultural room, elderly activity center, cultural square, and basketball court. Village roads have largely achieved the “four transformations”: hardened, illuminated, cleaned, and greened. In 2007, the village was honored as an Advanced Party Branch at both municipal and county levels, as well as recognized as a Civilized and Safe Village by the county. In 2009, it received the title of Civilized Village from the city.... More details about Dongguang Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Relic Units of Guangdong Province