Yuanming Tower

Yuanming Tower

Yuanming Tower, located east of Lutijian Village, Zaolin Town, Dai County. Its exact founding date is unknown, but the existing structure exhibits Qing Dynasty architectural style. It faces south and sits on a north-south axis, covering an area of 199 square meters. This three-story, double-eaved pavilion-style building stands approximately 14 meters tall. The base is constructed from rammed earth, measuring 21.5 meters in width, 9.9 meters in depth, and 0.55 meters in height. The ground floor is built of brick and features a central arched passageway that runs from north to south. The structure spans three bays in width and four rafters in depth, with a double-eaved, hanging-hip roof and a five-rafter front-and-rear corridor framing system. The front eaves of the ground floor have a central bay with four-panel lattice doors featuring six panels per leaf. The second and third floors also have four-panel lattice doors with six panels per leaf on the central and side bays of both the front and rear eaves. On the second floor, bell and drum towers are built on the eastern and western sides respectively. A pair of flagpoles stands in front of the tower. In 1984, the Dai County People’s Government designated it as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit. (Excerpted from “A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou”)

Lutijian Village is located 18 kilometers east of Dai County in Xinzhou City, north of Highway 08, within Zaolin Town. Originally named Lianzhuang, the village lies on flat terrain with 3,271 mu of arable land and a population of 978, most of whom are descendants of the Yang family. The lineage traces back to Yang Ye and has continued for 51 generations. Martial arts traditions remain strong here, with locals enjoying martial training. The area is also known for its abundant fruit production. In the early Yuan Dynasty, Yang Ye’s 13th-generation descendant Yang You and his younger brother Yang Shan led troops to cultivate land around Liushu Village (present-day east of Dai County). One day, while hunting near Mayu River (in today’s Yantou area of Fanshi County), they suddenly encountered a large spotted deer. Yang You shot an arrow that hit the deer’s hoof, and the wounded animal fled. The brothers gave chase on horseback until they reached Lianzhuang (now Lutijian Village), where the deer dashed its head against the ground and vanished. Upon orders from the brothers, soldiers dug about three feet into the spot where the deer had disappeared and unearthed a strange stone bearing the image of a spotted deer. After retrieving the stone, Yang You had it carved and polished as a keepsake. The Yang family believed that “deer” (鹿) and “prosperity” (禄) shared the same pronunciation, and that wherever a deer entered was surely an auspicious place. As a result, they relocated the Yang clan to Lianzhuang and renamed the village “Deer Hoof Arrow.” Later, due to the presence of deep valleys on either side of the settlement, the name was changed again to “Deer Hoof Valley” (Lutijian). By imperial decree, the Yang Family Ancestral Hall was built, and the “Deer Hoof Stone” was placed in front of the main hall in the hall’s rear courtyard.

Source: Xinzhou Net

Lutijian Village: Lutijian Village... More detailed information about Lutijian Village++