Shunqing Prefecture Yamen

Shunqing Prefecture Yamen

A yamen, also known as an official office, was where ancient officials conducted their administrative duties. Throughout the long course of history, various official offices such as prefectural and county yamens once existed within Nanchong.

The reconstruction of the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen began in 2011 and is set to make a grand return, drawing much attention from local residents. Many years ago, was the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen located at its current site? What historical changes has the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen undergone?

The earliest county yamen appeared in Langzhong

Nanchong is situated in the middle reaches of the Jialing River. As early as the Neolithic Age, there were human settlements thriving within its territory. When King Wu of Zhou attacked the Shang Dynasty, the Ba people contributed to the campaign and were granted the title of Viscount, alongside the Chu and Wu states. By the Eastern Zhou period, the Chu state continuously encroached upon Ba territory, causing the Ba state to lose vast lands in what is now northeastern Guizhou and western Hubei. After retreating west of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, the Ba people established capitals successively in Ju (now Fuling, Chongqing), Pingdu (now Fengdu, Chongqing), Jiangzhou (now Banan District, Chongqing), Dianjiang (now Hechuan, Chongqing), and Langzhong.

“Langzhong is a famous historical and cultural city with a very long history,” said a staff member of the Langzhong City Local Chronicles Office. During the Qin Dynasty, the Langzhong County was established within Nanchong’s territory, under the jurisdiction of the then Ba Commandery. At that time, the jurisdiction of Langzhong County was quite extensive, covering the entire areas of today’s Langzhong City, Cangxi County of Guangyuan City, Nanbu, Yilong, Peng’an, Xichong, Shunqing, Gaoping, and Jialing, as well as parts of Enyang in Bazhong City, the northwest of Yuechi County in Guang’an City, and the southeast of Jiange County in Guangyuan City.

The establishment of a county in Langzhong naturally led to the construction of an office for local officials. Therefore, it is not difficult to deduce that the earliest county yamen in Nanchong’s territory appeared in Langzhong. Over time, administrative systems underwent tremendous changes. But throughout history, Langzhong has always been a shining pearl along the middle reaches of the Jialing River. Even in the early Qing Dynasty, Langzhong briefly served as the provincial capital of Sichuan, where five sessions of the Sichuan Provincial Imperial Examination were held.

Zhu Li, a staff member of the Langzhong City Local Chronicles Office, said that currently, the ruins of the yamen (after Langzhong County was elevated to Baoning Prefecture) and the county yamen in Langzhong Ancient City are hard to find. However, the former glory of Langzhong can be glimpsed through the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall). According to her, the Gongyuan is located on Xuedao Street in Langzhong City. It was the examination venue for scholars during the imperial examination era, and literati from surrounding areas all came to the Gongyuan to take the exams.

The earliest Nanchong city was built in Wulidian

“The earliest urban area of Nanchong was built around Qingquanba in Wulidian, then called Anhan County, and the county yamen was likely located there,” said Qing Yuanming, editor-in-chief of the Shunqing District Local Chronicles Office. Currently, there are no records detailing the specifics of the county yamen at that time. However, generally speaking, a county yamen would be located within the county town, so it can be inferred that the Anhan County yamen was probably in Wulidian. The history of Nanchong’s urban development dates back to the Han Dynasty and is associated with the notable figure Ji Xin.

Ji Xin was a native of Langzhong County in the late Qin Dynasty and a general under Liu Bang. In 204 BC, when the city of Xingyang was besieged, Ji Xin disguised himself as Liu Bang and pretended to surrender, allowing Liu Bang to escape while he was burned to death by Xiang Yu. He made significant contributions to the founding of the Han Dynasty. To honor Ji Xin, Emperor Gaozu of Han established Anhan County south of Ji Xin’s hometown, Langzhong County, and chose a site along the Jialing River to build the county town, which was established in what is now Wulidian Qingquanba area. By the Sui Dynasty, Anhan County was renamed Nanchong County.

During the Tang Dynasty, Guozhou was established with its administrative center in Nanchong County, overseeing five counties. This meant that both the prefectural and county seats were located within Nanchong County, serving as official offices. At that time, Langzhong was designated as Langzhou, governing nine counties with its seat located within Langzhong County. During the Tang Dynasty, Guozhou and Langzhou were among the more economically and culturally developed regions in Bashu, becoming the political, economic, and cultural centers of the middle reaches of the Jialing River.

According to historical records, due to various reasons, the Nanchong city later moved downstream along the Jialing River. In the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty, the city was relocated to the area south of Mofan Street, where the intersection of Mofan Street and Dabeijie was the site of the North Gate at that time. The official offices were also moved accordingly.

Shunqing Prefecture Yamen Once Relocated to Gaoping Qingju

In the third year of the Baoying era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1227), Guozhou was elevated to Shunqing Prefecture, with its yamen located in the area of present-day Fujie Street. Mr. Luo, an elderly resident of old Nanchong, said he was born on Fujie Street, but as a child, that section was called “Er Fu Jie” (Second Prefecture Street). What was the reason for this? Qing Yuanming explained that at the time, the Shunqing Prefecture Office (i.e., the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen) and the Nanchong County Office were both located on Fujie Street. Since there were two levels of government offices in the area, one part of the street was called Er Fu Jie, and the other part was called Zheng Fu Jie (Main Prefecture Street).

Qing Yuanming said that Fujie Street got its name from the presence of the yamen. After the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen was established in the Fujie area, it had also undergone changes. Previously, reporters visited the ruins of Chunyou Ancient City in Gaoping Qingju and saw only the remnants of walls and gates. According to records, in the ninth year of the Chunyou era during the Southern Song Dynasty, to resist the southern advance of Mongol troops, the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen was moved to the Yanshan Mountain in Qingju. Chunyou Ancient City, situated high above and utilizing the natural barrier of the river, became one of the “Eight Pillars Against the Mongols.”

The relocation of the yamen was a major event in the political life of the time. Unless under exceptional circumstances, the yamen would not be easily moved. Before the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen was moved to Qingju, the old urban area had been breached twice by the Mongol army, and the extent of destruction can be imagined. In the sixth year of the Baoyou era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongol army completely occupied Shunqing Prefecture. However, because Chunyou Ancient City was close to the Jialing River with convenient waterway transportation, it was beneficial for military operations, so the yamen was not immediately moved back to its original site. It was not until the fifteenth year of the Zhiyuan era under Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty that Shunqing Prefecture was finally allowed to “return to its original governance location.”

“As for what the situation was like after the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen was moved to Yanshan Mountain in Qingju, it is now impossible to investigate,” said Yang Fangping, a staff member of Qingju Town, Gaoping District. The existence of Chunyou Ancient City is strong evidence of the yamen's move to Yanshan Mountain in Qingju, corroborating written materials. “Now, only broken walls and stone gates remain of Chunyou Ancient City.”

Shunqing Prefecture Yamen Disappears from Fujie Area

“The Shunqing Prefecture Yamen eventually disappeared from the Fujie area,” said Qing Yuanming. As for the exact year when the yamen vanished, there are no precise records. He presented a map from the 18th year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty – the "Nanchong County Annals" map – and described the condition of the Shunqing city at that time. He said that this map was drawn by later generations based on earlier data and is highly accurate. “Earlier materials were somewhat blurry, but after redrawing, it became very clear.”

In the map, Nanchong City is located by the Jialing River, surrounded by walls with nine city gates: the Great North Gate, Small North Gate, Great West Gate, Small West Gate, Civilized Gate, Great South Gate, Small South Gate, Great East Gate, and Small East Gate. At that time, the Shunqing Prefecture Office was located near the area of present-day Fujie Street, adjacent to the Small North Gate. The Nanchong County Confucius Temple and the Shunqing Prefecture Office were not far from each other. The Nanchong County Office was located near the Small South Gate, close in proximity to where the Shunqing Prefecture Confucius Temple once stood. In the Nanchong urban area of that time, there were also places like the Shaanxi Guildhall, Fujian Guildhall, and Guangdong Guildhall.

Journalists reviewing historical documents found that the names of these nine gates had been changed over time. In the early Hongwu years of the Ming Dynasty, when the Shunqing Prefecture returned to the old city, the city walls were constructed during wartime. Later, after being rebuilt, eight city gates were opened — named Jinghe, Laixun, Fucheng, Yangfu, Xiaodong, Xiaonan, Xiaoxi, and Xiaobei. During the early Qing Dynasty, nine city gates were opened again. In the Guangxu era, Nanchong suffered from serious flooding that damaged the walls. After reconstruction, they were renamed according to those found on the map in the 18th year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty “Nanchong County Annals.”

In the second year of the Republic of China, the national system of prefectures, departments, and subprefectures was abolished, leading to the dissolution of both Shunqing Prefecture and Baoning Prefecture (which had been elevated from Langzhou in the Yuan Dynasty). Later, the city walls were dismantled, and the yamen also disappeared due to urban development.

Today, with the restoration of both the Shunqing Prefecture Yamen and the Nanchong Confucius Temple, these two structures will be preserved in new forms, allowing citizens to touch the history of Nanchong.