Taiping Ancient City

Taiping Ancient City

Taiping Ancient City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism destination.

Located in Taiping Town, Chongzuo urban area, in the southwestern part of Jiangzhou District, it sits on the middle reaches of the Zujiang River, spanning both the northern and southern banks. The Xianggui Railway runs from east to southwest through the southern bank urban area, while the Zujiang River enters from the southwest, meanders around the city from south to north, then flows northeast. An ancient saying goes, “The beautiful river bends four times, encircling three sides of the city, resembling the shape of a pot—hence the name Pot City.” It refers to the city being surrounded on three sides by the Zujiang River, forming a right-bank oxbow-shaped river embankment.

Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, people have built a gourd-shaped city following the mountain contours and water flow. It draws inspiration from the spiritual energy of a precious gourd, with only one main road leading into the city through the gourd’s neck, and four city gates opening along the river. Within the gourd-shaped city, people gathered, wealth accumulated, and the economy flourished. Qing Dynasty Taiping Prefect Gan Rulai wrote the poem “Viewing the Gourd Pass City”: “The Gourd City was built in the early Ming; its name comes from its shape. The Zujiang River bends four times, embracing the city walls. On the east, west, and south sides, the river blocks threats. At the river’s mouth to the north, roads connect the land.”

Taiping Town has a long history. In the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era of Yuan Emperor Shizu (1292 AD), the Taiping Route was established in the intercalary sixth month. The seat of the Taiping Route was in what is now Taiping Town. The ancient city walls of Taiping Prefecture were first built in the fifth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1372 AD). The walls were constructed of earth, stone, and brick, standing “two zhang and one chi high, one zhang and one chi thick, with a circumference of six hundred and forty-two zhang. Five city gates were set up: east, south, small west, large west, and north.”

In the 19th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1540 AD), the county seat of Chongshan County was moved to Taiping Town, adjacent to the prefectural seat of Taiping. From the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era as a route, prefecture, county, district, and city seat, it has a history of 810 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, various administrative offices were established, including the hall magistrate, professor, instructor, patrol inspector, governor, prefecture, and county offices. Cultural institutions such as the Zhaohua, Jing’an, Hushan, Lijiang, and Guixiang Academies were also built, along with numerous memorial archways, pavilions, temples, shops, and monasteries like Mituo Temple and Jiqing Temple. By the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936 AD), most temples, pavilions, and monasteries in the town had been demolished, with materials repurposed for constructing pavilions and schools.

After liberation, only the Lijiang Pavilion (now the Jiangbei South Gate Wharf) and eight remaining buildings of the Confucius Temple remained. Taiping Town is surrounded by mountains, with the eastern side featuring winding peaks resembling women’s hair buns. To the east of the city are the “Four Treasures of the Study”: Wenbi Mountain, Bijia Mountain, Moyan Mountain (formerly known as Jingui Mountain), and Sanyuan Mountain. The eight scenic spots of the old Taiping Prefecture included “Mountain Temple Monk’s Lamp,” “Emerald Lotus Layered Greenery,” “Stone Gate Fishermen’s Song,” “Longkou Woodcutters’ Return,” “Green Trees and Divine Spade,” “White Clouds and Immortal Cave,” “Turtle Peak Towering,” and “Bijia Mountain Clear Mist.”

Among them, “Turtle Peak Towering” refers to the GuiLong Leaning Tower (also known as the Shui Bao Tower), located 2 kilometers northeast of the urban area, on Ao Tou Peak, a rocky island in the Zujiang River. Situated in a perilous spot amid rapid currents and sharp bends, it was built in the first year of the Tianqi era (1621 AD) by Taiping Prefect Li Youmei, initially with two stories. In the second year of the Chongzhen era (1629 AD), a third story was added, and in the 35th year of the Kangxi era (1696 AD), Prefect Xu Yue added two more stories, making it a five-story brick tower. The ancient tower has an octagonal pillar structure, with a copper bell hanging from each eave corner, chiming melodiously in the wind. The base circumference is 21.75 meters, the diameter at the base is 5 meters, the height is 18.28 meters, the horizontal offset is 1.42 meters, and the tilt angle is 4°24′46″, making it one of the world’s eight famous leaning towers. Remaining relics from the Taiping Prefecture period include the “Lishui Dragon God Temple Stele” (located at the former site of Lijiang Park), the “Fengxian Leishi” stele, and the continuous cursive script “Thousand-Year Longevity” by Wang Yuiren. There are also ancient city walls, three city gates, a stone ox, and the site of the Jade Well. On the Moya Mountain cliff facing the river to the east of the city, there are eight bold characters inscribed by Ming Dynasty censor Mao Bowen in the 20th year of the Jiajing era (1541 AD): “Elder Statesman’s Mighty Contribution, Glorious Achievements in Pacifying Jiaozhi,” now a key cultural relic protection site. Along the outskirts of the Zujiang River, there are over 20 Huashan cliff paintings. About 5 kilometers southeast of the city lies the Zujiang Stone Forest Scenic Area, covering approximately 100 hectares, connected to the Shuikou Lake Scenic Area to the west, featuring towering, uniquely shaped stone peaks that are a feast for the eyes. The peaks are cleverly formed, the caves are deep, the cliffs are steep, the rocks are peculiar, the waters crisscross, and the landscape is lush. It is hailed as “rare in the nation, foremost in Guangxi.”

About 6.7 kilometers east of the city, on Wenyang Mountain in Longwangtun, lies the Wenyang Cave, covering a total area of about 5,000 square meters and capable of accommodating 5,000 people. Inside the cave are six major chambers and one grand hall. Three of the chambers feature the unique reflection of the GuiLong Tower, resembling a celestial jade pool. The cave ceiling opens to the sky, with a ray of sunlight shining in, creating a scene akin to a “sky window,” offering a uniquely beautiful sight. The grand hall extends from east to south, forming a stone city connected to seven peaks. To the north of the city lies the Baiyun Cave, located on Baiyun Mountain behind Mingchong Village. The mountain is often shrouded in white clouds, hence its name. Baiyun Mountain stretches southeast for about 3 kilometers, with its main peak reaching 246.9 meters. The mountain is composed of limestone, and halfway up its slopes are seven caves, the most notable being Baiyun Cave. Built in the late Ming Dynasty, legend has it that Ge Hong once refined elixirs here and later ascended to immortality, turning into white clouds—hence the cave’s name. The cave is about 6 meters wide, 12 meters high, and over 30 meters deep. Hanging rocks inside produce sounds when struck; to the right of the cave stands a colorful rock resembling a parrot, named Parrot Rock. On the left wall in front of the cave, Zhou Pu from Fujian inscribed the three characters “Baiyun Cave” on the stone. The area in front of the cave is shaded by trees, serene and elegant, resembling an immortal’s dwelling.

In front of Baiyun Cave, the grass is green and the trees lush. To the right of the cave entrance stands the Parrot Rock pillar. Inside, the bizarre rocks and caves are dazzlingly colorful, with many inscriptions left by predecessors. To the southwest of the city, outside the Huguan military training ground in Qinglian Mountain, lies the Biyun Cave, visited by Xu Xiake. Opened in the 41st year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1613 AD) by military officer Gu Fengxiang, it has long been known as “Bixia Magnificent Cliff.” On the cave’s eastern entrance are the three characters “Biyun Cave,” inscribed by Gu Fengxiang during his trailblazing efforts. The cave is divided into four chambers—southeast, northwest, and north—winding through the mountain. The eastern chamber features a light-transmitting “Sky Gate”; the southern chamber connects to the “Treasure Basin” and “Sky Reach,” with a beam of light shining directly down from above; the northwest chamber leads to the “Basin Dragon,” featuring scenic wonders such as “Peaks Paying Homage,” “Canopy Pavilion,” and “Crouching Tiger.” The inner and outer walls of the cave are adorned with inscriptions by literati throughout the ages, making it one of the city’s scenic highlights.

Around 1984, the following sites were developed into tourist attractions: Shuikou Lake scenery, Zujiang cliff paintings, Zujiang Stone Forest Scenic Area, Wenyang Cave, GuiLong Leaning Tower, Baiyun Cave, and Biyun Cave. In addition to these, there are many other picturesque spots, such as the ancient fortress of Taiping Prefecture, Huangchao City, Nanyang Ancient Ferry, the cliff inscriptions on Golden Flower Mountain, the ancient “Thousand-Year Longevity” stele, and Banmai Stone Tower—all excellent destinations. After liberation, Taiping Town became the seat of Chongzuo County. In 1951, the southern section of the Xianggui Railway from Nanning to Pingxiang was fully opened, with the train station located in the southern bank urban area. In 1969, the Chongzuo Highway Bridge was completed.

(Now called Bridge One), connecting the northern and southern urban areas of the county. The Taiping Bridge, completed at the end of 1989, was opened to traffic.

Taiping Town has become a transportation hub in southwestern Guangxi and a transportation center in Jiangzhou District.

The Chongzuo Zujiang Cliff Paintings are located along both banks of the Zujiang River, from Shuangduiji Mountain in Kongjia Village to Longgou Mountain in Jiangzhou District, stretching 80 kilometers. There are 28 cliff painting sites, including Shuangduiji Mountain, Tuobai Mountain, and Huangchao City Mountain. These cliff paintings are not only found on the steep cliffs along the Zujiang River but also on several land-based cliffs located several kilometers away from the river. Most depict human figures in various poses. The painting locations are on high, steep cliffs, and the artworks date back to the early Warring States period to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Among them, the Tuobai Mountain paintings are the most notable. This site features paintings on a steep cliff about 100 meters long on the southwestern side of Tuobai Mountain, approximately 50 meters north of Tuobai Street, 1 kilometer northwest of New Tuobai Street, and 0.75 kilometers across the river from Butuan Village, adjacent to the downstream Yinshan Cliff Paintings.