Jiange Ancient City

Jiange Ancient City

Jiange Ancient City is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jiange Ancient City is the political, economic, and cultural center of Jiange County. It has a history of over 1,500 years dating back to the establishment of Nan'an Commandery during the Song Dynasty's Daming era of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (457–464 AD). Successively governed as: Anzhou under the Southern Qi and Liang dynasties; Shizhou Puan Commandery under the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou; Puan Commandery under the Sui Dynasty; and Jiuzhou during the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), the commandery was abolished and replaced with Jiange County, and in 1935, the Jiange Special Administrative Region was established.

Surrounded by four mountains, Jiange County is flanked on the north by the gentle-flowing Wenxi River passing east of the city wall, while the picturesque Heming Mountain lies to the southeast. National Highway Sichuan-Shaanxi crosses the Wenxi River east of the east gate, bustling with traffic day and night. The reinforced concrete highway bridge spanning the Wenxi River was originally a flat stone bridge named Wuhou Bridge, built by Zhuge Liang when he led his troops on the Northern Expedition. Standing on the bridge and leaning on the railing, one can see remnants of the ancient city wall near the east gate. The city wall, constructed during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (after 1515) under the direction of Li Bi, the magistrate of Jiuzhou, encircles the old town in a peach-like shape, stretching 1,582 meters in circumference, though only 528 meters remain today. Built with blue stones and compacted earth at its core, the wall stands 5 meters high and 3 meters thick, still reflecting the grandeur it once held.

The east gate of the ancient city leads to the main east-west thoroughfare that cuts straight through the town. Just a few hundred meters down East Zhonglou Street from the Bell and Drum Tower, one arrives at the renowned Two Sages Shrine. Heading west from the Bell and Drum Tower and exiting the west gate, one can find Longquan Well, surrounded by lush bamboo. This oval-shaped stone well is 2 meters in diameter, producing clear, cool spring water that remains sweet-tasting year-round, warm in winter and cool in summer. Outside the west gate of Jiange, at the foot of Hanyang Mountain, lies the Nanchan Temple, initially built during the Song Dynasty. To the south of the city, by Yan Street, stands Shengshou Temple. With their stately halls and well-preserved ancient appearance, these sites are another highlight of Pu'an Town, the ancient city’s main settlement.

The Ming-era city walls, serene ancient temples, elegant Bell and Drum Tower, rows of tiled houses and tall buildings, and the quaint cross street all make strolling through the streets feel like stepping back into an ancient market of the Ming Dynasty.