Lizhuang Ancient Town

Lizhuang Ancient Town

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

Lizhuang is situated on the southern bank of the mighty Yangtze River in Yibin City, Sichuan Province. It gets its name from a naturally formed large stone pillar in the town area, commonly referred to as "Lizhuang." A remote small town with a population of only 12,000, Lizhuang features well-spaced wooden structures, narrow alleys paved with bluestone slabs, tall wooden thresholds and heavy doors, as well as exquisitely designed and well-preserved ancient houses and temples. These have made it widely renowned across the nation and earned it the status of a provincial-level historical and cultural town. Hence, there is a saying in China: "Zhouzhuang in the east, Lizhuang in the west."

As it is located at the starting point of the Yangtze River, it is known as

"the First Town on the Ten-Thousand-Li Yangtze River." There are two scheduled ferries and two hovercraft services daily along the riverbank. A first-class cement road stretches 25 kilometers, with nearly a hundred large and medium-sized buses running daily, making transportation very convenient and fast.

Lizhuang has a long history. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was already a settlement of the ancient Bo people, belonging to the ancient Bo Kingdom and Bo Marquisate. In the second year of the Taiqing era (548 AD) during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, the Nan Guang County was established with its seat in what is now Lizhuang. During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, Lizhuang was the largest market town in Nanxi County. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Lizhuang served as the seat of the Third District Office of Nanxi County. In September 1983, it came under the jurisdiction of Yibin City following the reorganization of the Lizhuang District.

Lizhuang Town boasts numerous cultural relics and historic sites, as well as a rich collection of humanistic landscapes. The ancient architectural complex, once known to have "Nine Palaces and Eighteen Temples," still preserves over ten well-maintained structures from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including the Huiguang Temple, Dongyue Temple, and Xuanluo Hall from the Ming Dynasty, and the Yuwang Palace, Wenchang Palace, Nanhua Palace, Tianguan Palace, and Zhang Family Ancestral Hall from the Qing Dynasty. The scale of these ancient buildings is grand, their layout rigorous, and they reflect the characteristics of temple and hall architecture in southern Sichuan during the Ming and Qing periods. The wood carvings and stone engravings within the complex are exquisitely crafted, with vivid imagery, offering high artistic appreciation value. Ancient streets such as Yang Street and Xizi Lane in the town exhibit a simple style, reflecting the local customs and folk culture of southern Sichuan towns during the Ming and Qing eras.

The town was also one of the cultural centers in the rear area during the War of Resistance against Japan. In 1939, prestigious higher education institutions and research organizations such as the National Tongji University, Central Research Academy, Central Museum, Central Architectural Research Society, China Geodetic Survey Institute, and the Humanities Research Institute of Jinling University successively relocated from Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and other places to Lizhuang Town. They remained there until 1947, after the victory of the war, when they moved back to their original locations. This had a profound impact on the social, economic, and cultural aspects of Lizhuang.

Lizhuang Town has a history of 1,460 years since the establishment of the Liutong Commandery in the sixth year of the Datong era (540 AD) during the Liang Dynasty. It also served as the administrative seat of Rongzhou (now Yibin City), as well as Nan Guang and Nanxi Counties for over 400 years during the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. In 1992, it was designated as a provincial-level historical and cultural town by the Sichuan Provincial Government. With a long history and a concentration of cultural figures, Lizhuang Town features the "Nine Palaces and Eighteen Temples" composed of temples, monasteries, and halls, as well as the Xuanluo Hall and the former site of the China Architectural Research Society, both of which are provincial cultural relics protection units. It also has well-preserved ancient streets, alleys, and numerous traditional courtyard residences. The ancient architecture expert Liang Sicheng hailed the Xuanluo Hall, Kuixing Pavilion, Nine-Dragon Stone Tablet, and Hundred-Cranes Window as the "Four Wonders" of Lizhuang.

Major Qing Dynasty structures in the town include:

Xuanluo Hall, Yuwang Palace, Dongyue Temple, Nanhua Palace, Tianguan Palace, Zushi Hall, Wenchang Palace, Huiguang Temple, Zhang Family Ancestral Hall, Luo Family Ancestral Hall, the Si Xing Courtyard residence, and the Xiao Family Courtyard residence.

Xuanluo Hall: About 2.5 kilometers south of the ancient town of Lizhuang, there is a massive stone mound resembling a snail, commonly called "Stone Ox Mountain," stretching across three main paddy fields. Beneath the "Stone Ox" is a deep pool called "Dragon Pool." In August 1596, during the 24th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, a renowned palace known as the "Wenchang Palace" was built atop "Stone Ox Mountain," dedicated to the God of Literature. The main hall is an octagonal pavilion-style wooden structure, with each side and depth measuring 8 meters and a height of 12.5 meters. The interior structure is ingeniously designed, utilizing mechanics masterfully, with bracket sets overlapping around all eight sides and spiraling upward to the top, resembling a screw, hence the name "Xuanluo Hall." Despite enduring 400 years of wind, rain, and earthquakes, this temple still stands as solid as ever.

Yuwang Palace: Now called Huiguang Temple, it was built in the 11th year of the Daoguang era (1831) of the Qing Dynasty. Facing north, it consists of a main and a secondary courtyard. The main courtyard includes a mountain gate, theater stage, main hall, rear hall, Kuixing Pavilion, and wing rooms. Both the mountain gate and theater stage feature double-eaved hip-and-gable roofs, with ornamental bracket sets under the eaves. The entire structure is majestic. The plaque above the grand mountain gate originally praised Yu the Great for taming the floods, and the stone couplets on both sides were written by Li Songqing, a Hanlin academician from Lizhuang during the late Qing Dynasty. The theater stage inside the temple is one of the best-preserved ancient stages in Sichuan, with single-hook railings and ancient drama story reliefs on the stage foundation. In May 1942, the 35th anniversary celebration of the National Tongji University was held here, where Tongji University and the National Drama School in Jiang'an jointly performed Cao Yu’s famous works "Thunderstorm" and "Sunrise." Yuwang Palace is the largest surviving Qing Dynasty structure in Lizhuang, and its Nine-Dragon Stone Tablet is widely renowned.

Zushi Hall: Also known as Zhenwu Palace, it was funded and built in 1833 (the 13th year of the Daoguang era) by the Tian Deng Hui, a civilian guild organization. Covering an area of 4,349 square meters, it is a four-courtyard building with a front and back section, and the rear hall stands independently in the backyard. In 1905 (the 31st year of the Guangxu era), the grand mountain gate and theater stage were demolished to establish the Lizhuang Central National School in Nanxi County, leading to its current form.

Introduction

Lizhuang is a national-level historical and cultural town, located on the Lizhuang Dam on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, 19 kilometers from downtown Yibin. Originally a fishing village, it once had a post station in the Han Dynasty. Due to its proximity to the Yangtze River, it became a hub for waterway trade during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Lizhuang Ancient Town has numerous cultural relics and historic sites, as well as a rich collection of humanistic landscapes. The ancient architectural complex is grand in scale, rigorously laid out, and reflects the characteristics of residential, temple, and hall architecture in southern Sichuan during the Ming and Qing periods. The town is bustling with taverns, teahouses, and shops. It still retains the layout and style of an ancient Ming and Qing town, with flagstone streets lined mostly with Qing Dynasty buildings, featuring high "fenghuo" walls, carved windows, and an antique charm. Narrow alleys wind between the courtyards. Along the river docks, layered flagstone steps lead up to the main street, showcasing strong local ethnic characteristics of southern Sichuan. The wood carvings and stone engravings in the ancient buildings are exquisitely crafted and lifelike, offering high artistic appreciation value. Lizhuang was also one of the cultural centers in the rear area during the War of Resistance against Japan. In 1939, more than ten prestigious universities and research institutes, including the National Tongji University, Jinling University, Central Research Academy, Central Museum, and China Architectural Research Society, relocated to Lizhuang. Renowned experts and scholars such as Li Ji, Lin Huiyin, and Liang Sicheng gathered in Lizhuang for six years. Liang Sicheng completed his monumental work "A History of Chinese Architecture" here.

Transportation

Take any bus heading to Lizhuang from the Yibin South Passenger Transport Station.

Xuanluo Hall

Lufeng Mountain Villa

Lizhuang Zushi Hall (early activity site of the Communist Party of China Nanxi County Committee and former site of Tongji University Medical School)

Lizhuang Dongyue Temple (former command post of the Nanxi Peasant Uprising attack on Lizhuang)

Lizhuang Zhang Family Ancestral Hall

Lizhuang Yuwang Palace (Huiguang Temple)

Lizhuang Kuixing Pavilion

Maitian Official Residence

Lizhuang Wangye Temple

Li Zhuang Guanyin Hall

Li Zhuang Huanhou Palace

Li Zhuang Nanhua Palace

Li Zhuang Jade Buddha Temple