Heshun Stone Memorial Archway

Heshun Stone Memorial Archway

The Heshun Stone Memorial Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province.

Stone Memorial Archway

Stone Memorial Archway (Third Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Ming Dynasty

Address: North Gate, Zhonghe Street, Heshun County

The stone archway's full name is "Bingxian Stone Archway." It was erected by Liu Hongguang, the imperial censor inspecting Shanxi and serving as a surveillance commissioner, in honor of Yao Jizhong, his mentor—who was the vice commander of the Changping Military Defense Circuit under the Shandong Censorate—during the late Ming Dynasty.

The archway was built in the fourth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1631). Constructed from eighty-eight massive stones, the central bay is 3.3 meters wide and the side bays are 1.7 meters wide. The main archway stands 9.57 meters tall and is 8.5 meters wide. It features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof supported by four king posts. The two central posts are 5.9 meters high, while the side posts are 4.6 meters high. Each post is flanked by two supporting stones at the front and back, totaling eight supports, with each support carved with one large lion and two small lions—24 lions in all. The front and back surfaces of the stone posts are adorned with carvings of camellia and peony patterns. The beams between the stone posts are connected in the central bay by an openwork design featuring qilin (mythical beasts) encircled in rings. The central beam is 3.3 meters long and inscribed with nineteen characters reading: “Zhongxian Daifu, Changping Bingbei Dao, Shandong Censhi Fushi, Yao Jizhong.” The upper inscription reads: “By his student, Liu Hongguang, Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi.” The signature reads: “Constructed in the winter month of the xīnweì year of the Chongzhen era, 1631, by Magistrate Lu Congzhong of Heshun County, Liaozhou, Shanxi, clerk Chen Yingkui, and Confucian instructor Zhao Zhihong.” The upper beam is carved with the scene “Eighteen Scholars Ascend to Yingzhou.” Above that is a stone plaque inscribed with four large characters: “Lingjing Suoyue” (Key to the Imperial Capital). Below the central bay eaves hangs a vertical plaque inscribed with the characters “Enrong” (Imperial Favor), flanked by carvings of a “Double Phoenixes Facing the Sun.” The roof overhang features bracket sets, and the roof corners are adorned with upturned eaves and decorative carvings. Read more:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units