Rongzhou Ancient City

Rongzhou Ancient City

Rongzhou Ancient City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Rongzhou Ancient City is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Rong County. The ancient-style architectural complex consists of the Rongzhou Prefecture Government Office, Zhenwu Pavilion, Museum, Kaiyuan Temple, the Imperial Concubine Lane antique-themed street, and the night scenery along the Xiujiang River. It is a cultural tourism destination that combines historical culture, artistic experience, religious activities, sightseeing, dining, shopping, and leisure entertainment. Zhenwu Pavilion is known as the “First Marvelous Tower in Lingnan” and is ranked among the Four Great Towers of Ancient Jiangnan, alongside Yueyang Tower, Yellow Crane Tower, and Tengwang Pavilion. Originally built in 1573, it has stood for over 440 years and is listed as part of the second batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. Constructed atop the Jinglue Platform dating back to the Tang Dynasty, the entire pavilion is built using mortise-and-tenon joints of ironwood components, applying the principle of the lever. Notably, the four inner pillars on the second floor do not touch the ground, making it a unique marvel of ancient Chinese architecture.

In the first year of the Zhenguan era (627 AD), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty decreed that all prefectures and counties name themselves after the prominent mountains and rivers in their regions. Since Tongzhou had the renowned Dayan Mountain within its territory, it was renamed Rongzhou, and the prefectural seat was moved from Beiliu County to Puning County—this marked the origin of the name Rongzhou. Fourteen hundred years later, stepping into this small border city in southeastern Guangxi and listening to the timeless flow of the Xiujiang River is like dreaming oneself back to the Tang Dynasty.

Rongzhou was established in the eighth year of the Zhenguan era (634 AD) when Tongzhou was renamed. Its seat was located in Beiliu County (now Beiliu City, Guangxi), named after the Rong Mountain within its territory. During the Yuanhe era, the seat was moved to Puning County (now Rong County, Guangxi). The jurisdiction covered areas equivalent to today’s Rong County and the northern part of Beiliu. In the Song Dynasty, it expanded to include today’s Luchuan and the southern part of Beiliu. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was briefly renamed Rongzhou Road. In the tenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1377 AD), it was downgraded to a county. During the Tang and Five Dynasties periods, it served successively as the seat of the Rongzhou Military Governorate and the Ningyuan Military Circuit.

The Rongzhou Ancient City scenic area recreates the splendor of the ancient Rongzhou Prefecture, a renowned Lingnan government office of the Tang Dynasty, through the enhancement of the ancient Jinglue Platform and Zhenwu Pavilion, the restoration and reconstruction of Kaiyuan Temple and Rongzhou Prefecture Government Office, the construction of the Rong County Museum, and other attractions such as Imperial Concubine Lane. Major highlights include Rongzhou Prefecture, Zhenwu Pavilion, Museum, Kaiyuan Temple, Imperial Concubine Lane, Prayer Bridge, Seven-Colored Waterfall, Morning Bell Evening Drum, Xiujiang Park, and Catholic Church—ten key sites in total.

The Rongzhou Ancient City scenic area follows a layout of “one prefecture, one pavilion, one temple, one museum, and one lane” to recreate the charm of the ancient Rongzhou Prefecture, a renowned Lingnan government office of the Tang Dynasty. Located on both banks of the Xiujiang River in Rong County, Yulin City, and about 50 kilometers from downtown Yulin, the scenic area centers around Zhenwu Pavilion and ties together the Xiujiang Lake, offering a cultural tourism destination that integrates historical and cultural sightseeing and experiences, dining, shopping, and leisure entertainment.

Rong County’s Zhenwu Pavilion is situated within Rongzhou Ancient City. The entire pavilion is constructed from wood and is hailed as the “Outstanding Structure of Southern China,” being truly one of a kind. Along with Yueyang Tower in Hunan, Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei, and Tengwang Pavilion in Jiangxi, Zhenwu Pavilion is counted among the Four Great Towers (Pavilions) of Ancient Jiangnan. In 1982, it was designated as part of the second batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. Having withstood five earthquakes and four major typhoons over more than 440 years, the pavilion remains intact—a unique feat among the Four Great Towers (Pavilions), as it is the only one never rebuilt and still preserved in its original form. Despite the immense weight from upper floors, beams, supporting columns, roof tiles, and ridge ornaments, the pillars’ bases are suspended and do not touch the ground, representing the most ingenious and peculiar aspect of the entire structure.

The Jinglue Platform and Zhenwu Pavilion were initially built in the third year of the Dali era of the Tang Dynasty (768 AD). Historical records indicate that the famous poet Yuan Jie, serving as the Rongzhou Military Governor, constructed the Jinglue Platform to train soldiers and enjoy the scenery. The platform is approximately 50 meters long, 15 meters wide, and about 4 meters high, with a rammed earth core and brick-and-stone walls, ensuring sturdiness. In the tenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1377 AD), an “Xuanwu Palace” was built atop it to enshrine the True Warrior Deity (Zhenwu) to suppress the fire god. In the first year of the Wanli era (1573 AD), large-scale expansion took place, resulting in a three-story pavilion facing south, surrounded by corridors, walls, bells, cauldrons, and other auxiliary structures. After centuries of weathering and cycles of rise and decline, only Zhenwu Pavilion still stands tall and has been preserved to this day.

Zhenwu Pavilion stands 13.2 meters tall, 13.8 meters wide, and 11.2 meters deep, and is a uniquely styled wooden structure. The entire pavilion is assembled using nearly 3,000 ironwood components of varying sizes—hard as stone—joined, interlocked, and supported in a rational and harmonious manner, forming a beautifully stable and unified whole.

The ground floor is open on all sides without enclosing walls, creating a spacious and open feel. Among the twenty straight, upright pillars, eight run the full height of the structure, serving as the main load-bearing supports for the entire three-story pavilion. Horizontal beams connect the pillars, and each pillar is adorned with four brackets (dougong) that hold up four corner posts, effectively stabilizing the building. The second floor has four pillars that bear the load of the upper floor’s planks, beams, supporting columns, and roof tiles, but the base of these pillars is suspended 3 centimeters above the ground—the most unique and ingeniously designed

This structural method involves using eighteen beams and brackets to pass through the eaves columns on two levels—upper and lower—on the cantilevered pillars, forming two sets of tightly integrated "lever-style" dougong (bracket sets). The heads of the brackets support the wide outer roof eaves, while the tails prop up the cantilevered inner columns. This unique "lever structure," which maintains the balance of the building much like a scale, is truly rare in the history of architecture. The entire pavilion was constructed without a single iron nail, relying entirely on mortise-and-tenon joints. Despite enduring over 400 years of wind, rain, and earthquakes, it remains intact—an outstanding masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture.

Historical records about the Zhenwu Pavilion include not only the Rong County Annals compiled in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (1893), but also inscriptions documenting the pavilion’s renovations. There are currently four stone tablets recording the historical maintenance of the Zhenwu Pavilion, among which the most significant are the Jiajing Wudang Palace Stele by Liang Pei from the 31st year of the Jiajing reign (1552) and the Rebuilt Wudang Palace Stele by Yang Jixi from the 48th year of the Wanli reign (1620). The former documents the reconstruction of the Wudang Palace during the Jiajing era and is now embedded in the stele corridor on the west side of the Jinglue Platform, classified as a key cultural relic of Guangxi Province.

The Rong County Museum is a garden-style museum primarily featuring ancient architectural relics, complemented by landscaped scenery. It covers an area of 18,200 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,880 square meters. It lies to the south of the Xiujian River and faces the Duyao Mountains in the distance, offering a tranquil environment.

The Rongzhou Kaiyuan Temple was built in the early Tang Dynasty and has a history of over a thousand years, making it one of the oldest temples in Guangxi. The temple was located north of Rong County in Yulin, Guangxi, and was abandoned before the Ming Dynasty. The restoration and reconstruction of Kaiyuan Temple is a key component of the tourism enhancement project for the Zhenwu Pavilion scenic area in Rong County.

As an important cultural and tourism resource in Rong County, the Zhenwu Pavilion scenic area enhancement project was listed as a priority during the county’s tourism development campaign in 2014. This included reconstructing the Rongzhou Kaiyuan Temple on its original site and following its original layout. The reconstruction adopted a traditional Chinese architectural style and was planned along a central axis in accordance with ancient Chinese temple design principles. The central axis features the Mountain Gate (also serving as the Heavenly King Hall), the Mahavira Hall, and the Rear Hall (Ten Thousand Buddhas Tower), with the Dharma Hall (Library Pavilion), Bell and Drum Towers, Dining Hall, Monks’ Quarters, and Lay Buddhists’ Building arranged on both sides—embodying the seven-hall layout characteristic of a traditional Buddhist monastic complex.

The Rongzhou Kaiyuan Temple has been restored and reconstructed on its original site, following the original layout and situated along the banks of the Xiujian River. It includes the construction of multiple traditional-style halls and towers such as the Mahavira Hall and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Tower.