Qingxi Ancient Town

Qingxi Ancient Town

Qingxi Ancient Town is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Qingxi Ancient Town is located 59 kilometers west of Qiaozhuang, the county seat of Qingchuan. According to the *Huayang Guo Zhi* (Records of the States South of Mount Hua), in the seventh year of the Jianxing era (229 AD), the Guangwu County was newly established in Qingxi within the jurisdiction of Gangdi Dao of the Yinping Dao, with Zhuge Liang’s military advisor Liao Hua appointed to oversee the region, where he implemented farming and garrison duties. It has a history of over 1,700 years.

It was an important pass along the ancient Yinping Dao of China. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has been a battleground for constant conflict between royal forces and local powers, making it a strategic military location throughout successive dynasties. Due to its vital geographical position, Qingxi was guarded by generals dispatched by various imperial courts, who constructed fortifications and walls. In the fourth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1371), Zhu Lu, the Commandant, replaced the earthen walls with brick walls. In the tenth year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1653), Bai Danzhong, appointed as the Lieutenant Colonel of Long’an Camp and specially granted the title of General Zhaoyi of Huaiyuan, rebuilt the town walls, completing them in three years. The city wall spanned nine hundred zhang, with its surface built from stone strips and large bricks bonded with glutinous rice-lime mortar, and its interior filled with earth and stones. It stood two zhang and one chi high, with a base width of one zhang and four chi, and a moat one zhang deep connected to it. The outer gate was equipped with a drawbridge, while the east, west, and north gates each had semi-circular outer walls known as “wengcheng” (barbicans). The inner and outer gateways were all arched with stone strips. The inner gate did not align with the outer gate but was offset to the side, with an arrow tower built above. Above the inner gate stood a two-story pavilion-style gate tower, four zhang and five chi above ground, serving as a watchtower for soldiers and showcasing the grandeur of the frontier. The town was shaped like a boot, hence also called the “Boot City.” Inside the town, there were four main streets—east, south, west, and north—as well as Lower East Street and Lower South Street, all paved with flagstones. At the crossroads where the four streets met, there was a tall wooden drum tower covering an area of one zhang and eight chi. Two towers stood opposite each other, four zhang and five chi high, with three stories and multiple tiers of flying eaves, glazed tubular tiles, carved beams, and painted rafters. Plaques hung on all sides: the west bore the inscription “Ancient Yinping Path,” the north “Northern Lock and Key,” the east “Purple Star Shines Bright,” and the south “Nanshan Gathers Beauty.” Each of the four main streets had its own memorial archway with inscribed plaques: East Street “Purple Star Shines Bright,” West Street “Throat of Western Shu,” North Street “Polar Star Radiance,” and South Street “Land of Outstanding People.”

Qingxi Ancient Town boasts a long history, profound cultural heritage, and numerous historical and cultural relics. The poem describing the Eight Scenic Spots of Qingxi by the late Qing scholar Yuan Rucai goes: “To the west, the Golden Ox exhales its aura; to the east, the White Horse Saddle glows; the bridge soars high where golden willows bend; springs gush forth with jade-like splendor; fish leap from the cave’s depths; stone tigers guard the pass; the Ti Lake knows no dawn; snow clears to reveal peaks cold and stark.” These refer to eight specific sites: Shiniu Temple, Ma’an Mountain, Gaqiao Temple, Yuhua Spring, Yudong Bian, Guanhu Stone, Tihu Pond, and Jiulong Bao.

Address: Qingchuan County, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province

Qingxi Town: Located on the western border of Qingchuan County, at the foot of Motianling Mountain on the southern edge of the Minshan Mountain Range and along the upper reaches of the Qingzhu River, Qingxi Town borders Qiaolou Township, Fangshi Town, Wen County of Gansu Province, and Pingwu County of Mianyang City. It is a major agricultural town, a key border trade hub, an emerging industrial town, and a strong economic center in Qingchuan County.

Qingxi Town covers an area of 526.27 square kilometers, with a total population of 14,256, including 13,103 agricultural residents. It administers 15 administrative villages, one town neighborhood committee, and 82 agricultural production cooperatives. The population includes ethnic groups such as Hui, Han, and Tibetan, with the Han people accounting for 95% of the total.

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