Ancient Changhua City

Ancient Changhua City

Ancient Changhua City was the county seat of the ancient Changhua County, located on the western coast of Changjiang County, over 50 kilometers from Shilu Town, the seat of Changjiang County. Its original site was in what is now Changcheng Village, Changcheng Township.

The ancient city wall of Changhua was first built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. By the Yongle era, due to disturbances caused by Japanese pirates, the Changhua County government constructed walls using stone bricks, stretching two and a half kilometers in circumference, six meters high, and five meters thick. By the tenth year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1445 AD), Zhou Zhen, the magistrate of Changhua, ordered the digging of a five-foot-wide deep moat near the outer perimeter of the city walls, thus forming a robust defensive system for the Changhua city. Later, due to damage from hurricanes and typhoons, the walls were repeatedly destroyed and repaired. The surviving city walls are square-shaped, about two kilometers in circumference, with remnants of city bricks still visible on the walls and clear traces of the moat remaining.

The ancient city of Changhua is picturesque, nestled against mountains and facing the sea. Two kilometers southeast of the city lies the renowned tourist destination of Changhua Ridge and Qizi Bay. Local historical sites also include the cenotaph of Zhao Ding (a famous statesman of the Song Dynasty), the stele of the Zhiping Temple, the Nankouyuan Tomb Cluster, and the ruins of the Junling Five Temples.

"The Loyal Widow Yujiao"

A touching story known as "The Loyal Widow Yujiao" is widely circulated in the region of Ancient Changhua City. It is said that in the late Ming Dynasty, Changhua City suffered years of drought, yet the then-county magistrate monopolized the few wells in the city for his own use. To appease the people, the emperor stripped the magistrate of his position and sent an upright official to replace him. The new magistrate, traveling by sea with his wife Yujiao to take up the post in Changhua, was tragically murdered by pirates led by Shark Cat. Shark Cat then impersonated the magistrate and took office, forcing Yujiao to become his concubine. Yujiao wrote to her elder brother, who was the Governor-General of Huguang and Guangxi, informing him of the incident. Upon receiving the letter, her brother immediately dispatched five thousand soldiers and ingeniously eliminated Shark Cat and all the bandits. To fulfill her husband’s legacy and alleviate the suffering of the people, Yujiao organized the digging of 36 wells, bringing benefits to the local community.

Address:

Western coast of Changjiang County

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Admission:

No admission fee required.