Lianggaoshan Archway Cluster

Lianggaoshan Archway Cluster

The Lianggaoshan Archway Cluster is a Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

The Lianggaoshan Archway Cluster refers to seven archways: the Zhang Family Filial Piety Archway and Wang Family Filial Piety Archway in Lianggaoshan, the Yan Family Filial Piety Archway and Huilong Bridge Inscribed Stone Archway in Dashanpu Town, the Xie Family Filial Piety Archway and He Family Filial Piety Archway in Fenghuang Township, and the Ruan Family Grand Tomb Four-Pillar Archway on Da’an Street. In June 2007, the Lianggaoshan Archway Cluster was successfully designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit. The cluster mainly consists of filial piety archways, most of which were built during the Guangxu era, with the oldest being the He Family Filial Piety Archway, constructed during the Qianlong era.

The Zhang Family Filial Piety Archway was built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1903) and is located at Lianggaoshan Archway Dam. The archway’s lintel bears the inscription “Filial Piety Archway of Madam Zhang, Mother of Li Xinxī, Li Xinzhan, and Li Xinbai, Successive Wives of Local Gentry Li Chunlin.” The archway is made of stone, featuring a five-tiered, four-pillared, three-gate structure. It stands 12.5 meters tall and 10.5 meters wide, with exquisitely carved details of flowers, birds, figures, dragons, lions, pines, and cranes, all rendered lifelike.

The Wang Family Filial Piety Archway is situated among a row of old residential houses on Lianggaoshan Old Street, with a narrow alley about 200 meters long passing beneath it. Following the May 12 earthquake, another quake that struck on October 10, 2008, at the border of Weiyuan County in Neijiang and Da’an District in Zigong caused further damage to the Wang Family Filial Piety Archway, leaving it in a precarious state. The archway was built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1903) to honor Madam Wang, wife of local scholar Li Minghui. It is a stone structure with a five-tiered, four-pillared, three-gate design, standing 12 meters tall and 7.5 meters wide, adorned with intricate carvings. In addition to couplets and inscriptions, it features vividly sculpted stone figures and mythical beasts.

The Yan Family Filial Piety Archway is located beside Dashanpu Town in Da’an District (formerly within the Third Radio Factory). It was built in the autumn of the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (1901). Yan was a member of the “Yan Guixin Hall,” one of the four major salt merchant families, and her husband, Wang Jinwu, belonged to the “Wang Sanwei Hall.” He passed away in his twenties. Yan remained a widow for thirty years, raising their adopted son, Wang Zanchang, who grew up to become an official at the Guanglu Temple (an imperial office overseeing court rituals). Wang Zanchang petitioned the emperor to approve the construction of a filial piety archway in honor of his mother.

The Huilong Bridge Stone Archway is located at the head of Huilong Bridge on Libai River in Dashanpu Town, Da’an District. Built in the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign (1807), it commemorates the construction of Huilong Bridge with an inscribed stone archway detailing its history. This four-pillared, three-gate stone archway stands nearly 5 meters tall and wide, with weathered stone gates and barely legible inscriptions.

The He Family Filial Piety Archway is a four-pillared, three-gate stone structure located by the Fu Xi River in Group 8 of Yongsheng Village, Fenghuang Township (approximately 2.5 kilometers southeast of Yongsheng Village). Built in the 59th year of the Qianlong reign (1794), it has stood for over 200 years. The archway features exquisite carvings that remain vivid despite its age. However, the couplets have been heavily eroded by time and are no longer legible. The stone carvings are relatively well-preserved, with the particularly intricate depiction of two dragons playing with a pearl on the central beam of the main gate being especially masterful.

The Xie Family Filial Piety Archway is located at Huangjia Mountain on Wuxing Street in Ziliujing District (now behind the rear gate of the Donggu Boiler Technical School within the Dongfang Boiler Company premises). It was erected in the 23rd year of the Daoguang reign (1843) to honor Madam Xie, wife of local Confucian scholar Huang Yubang, for her filial piety. The archway is a four-pillared, three-gate, three-story stone structure, notable for its scientific design, masterful carving craftsmanship, and ornate decorations. It serves as a rare material for studying the local culture of late Qing society.

The Ruan Family Grand Tomb Four-Pillar Archway is situated on the hiking trail of Shenhai Park along Dagao Road in Da’an District. The Ruan family tomb belongs to a Ming dynasty official of the second rank, whose family returned to their hometown and buried him there in the early Qing dynasty. At the time, the site included a spirit way, stone statues, and stone beasts. Eight-Pillar and Four-Pillar archways were built at the front and middle sections of the spirit way, respectively. These were destroyed during the Xianfeng era of the Qing dynasty but rebuilt in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign (1879). By 1949, the spirit way, statues, beasts, and eight-pillar archway had all been lost. Today, only the four-pillar archway remains.

Protected Area: Extend 5 meters beyond the base of the archway.

Construction Control Zone: East, west, and north boundaries are set 5 meters outside the protected area; the southern boundary extends 10 meters beyond the protected area.