Zhongsu Shangwei

Zhongsu Shangwei

Zhongsu Shangwei is a designated cultural heritage site under Guangdong Provincial protection.

Zhongsu (sù) Shangwei is located in Xinlou Village, Tangnan Town, Fengshun County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. Tangnan Town is known as the “southern gateway” of Meizhou City, situated just 4 kilometers from the county seat of Fengshun and 25 kilometers from the downtown area of Jieyang City. It enjoys relatively convenient transportation with the Guangmei–Shan Expressway and railway, National Highway 206, and Provincial Highway S224 all passing through the town. The local language is predominantly Teochew, and it is a renowned hometown of overseas Chinese.

Commonly referred to as Shangwei Ancient Fort, Zhongsu Shangwei is located at 23°43′32.3″N latitude and 116°11′50.1″E longitude, at an elevation of 14.9 meters. The ancient fort was originally built between the 9th year of the Shunzhi reign (1652 AD – 1670 AD), taking 18 years to complete. Its architectural structure is unique, with an ingenious layout covering an area of over 18,000 square meters. The fortress walls were constructed using 108 segments aligned with the 36 Heavenly Stems and 72 Earthly Branches, forming a crab-like shape. Each wall segment is two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) wide and high, with walls 0.5 meters thick. Each segment features a circular bullet loop with a 20-centimeter diameter, constructed from coarse sand, small pebbles, glutinous rice mortar, and brown sugar. To this day, the walls remain solid and undamaged.

The ancient fort has three main gates: the central West Gate, the North Ping Gate, and the South An Gate, all facing west, which is why it is also known as the “West Gate Ancient Fort.” The gate planks are as thick as five inches, reinforced with three door bars plus a horizontal beam as thick as a soup bowl, supported by two large stone pillars—making them virtually impregnable. The East Gate is smaller and rather eerie. Above it sits the Kuixing Tower, which enshrines the God of Literature, with incense burning year-round. At each of the four corners of the walls stands a two-story watchtower. Each exposed wall of the watchtowers has two bullet loops, and each side of the outer wall has one, allowing for crossfire that prevented attackers from approaching the base of the walls. Inside the fort, there are three streets, six alleys, one ancestral hall, and six communal halls. The three streets run parallel, with the middle one crossing through the North Gate. The streets and alleys intersect to form a grid pattern. Upon entering the West Gate, you arrive at West Main Street, directly opposite which is the three-bay, nine-generation Ancestral Hall of “Qianshi Gong,” flanked on both sides by alleys that connect with all other lanes, linking every street. In the old days, the streets were paved with blue bricks, and the sound of wooden clogs clacking on them at night created a pleasing rhythm, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate—extremely pleasant to the ear. There are 108 rooms of various sizes within the fort, matching the number of wall segments. Nowadays, most families have moved outside the fort, leaving the population sparse and the ancient alleys even quieter and more serene.

Outside the fort gates lies a large open square, beyond which is a crescent-shaped pond. Rainwater and wastewater from inside the fort flow into the pond via the protective moat. Five flagpole bases stand erect in the square. To the south, beside the pond, there are five towering ancient banyan trees lined up in a row. Their intertwined trunks and gnarled roots create a spectacular sight, locally referred to as the “Five Clusters of Banyans,” and they are one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Tangnan. During the Qing Dynasty, the ancient fort produced five successful candidates in the imperial examination system. It is said that according to local custom, “one banyan tree was planted for each successful candidate,” which explains the varying sizes of the trees based on the order in which they were planted. The ancestral hall of the Ninth Generation within the fort once housed a private school during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. In 1927, these private schools were combined to form a single elementary school, named Quanmin Primary School. Before and after the liberation, Quanmin Primary School produced five professors and over 50 university graduates. During the War of Resistance against Japan, many underground Communist Party members and progressive teachers from Teochew conducted various revolutionary activities at the school. On the eve of liberation, they evacuated one after another to join guerrilla forces in the Bashan Mountains. According to the Biographies of Notable Figures in Fengshun County, Luo Dagang, a famed general of the Taiping Rebellion and a descendant of the Ninth Generation of the fort, was known for his exceptional bravery in battle, striking fear into the hearts of Qing troops, and died heroically defending Tianjing. This shows that the West Gate Ancient Fort was not only a cradle of culture and talent but also a revolutionary birthplace with a proud legacy.

In March 2011, Zhongsu Shangwei was designated as part of the Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Ancient Villages.

In January 2014, it was listed as a Meizhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Site; in December 2015, it was designated as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Site.

Xinlou Village: Located in Tangnan Town, Fengshun County, Meizhou City, Xinlou Village administers 55 villager groups, with 2,662 registered households and a population of 10,321. The village covers a total area of 3.8 square kilometers, including 1,850 mu of arable land. The annual average temperature in Xinlou Village is 17.6°C, with an annual rainfall of about 1,936 mm. The previous year’s total rural economic income of Xinlou Village was 38,000 yuan. ... More detailed information about Xinlou Village ++

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites

· Second Batch of Meizhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Sites