Xingning Gongchen Gate

Xingning Gongchen Gate

Xingning Gongchen Gate is the north gate of the ancient city. The gate bears the inscription — “Gongchen Gate,” and there is an iron drawbridge over the moat outside the gate.

The ancient city wall of the Ming Dynasty in Xingning is situated at the current North Gate of Xingcheng Town, Xingning City. According to historical records, in the winter of the third year of the Chenghua era during the Ming Dynasty (1467), Qin Hong, the magistrate of Xingning, petitioned the imperial court for approval to rebuild the county town, changing the earthen walls into brick walls. The reconstruction was completed the following summer. The ancient city wall consists of the northwest, northeast, southeast, and west sections, with a total length of 1,264 meters, a wall height of 1.85 zhang, a perimeter of 626 zhang, and 903 crenels. A moat surrounds the city, 0.7 zhang deep and 2 zhang wide. In the fourth year of the Jiajing era (1525), four gate towers were added, and the gates were renamed as follows: the east gate became Pingyuan Gate, the west gate became Fucheng Gate, the south gate became Yingxun Gate, and the north gate became Gongchen Gate.

The Analects of Confucius, in the chapter "Wei Zheng" (Governance), states: “To govern with virtue is like the North Star. It remains in its place, while all the stars pay homage around it.” This means that in governance, virtue must come first. Just as the North Star stays in its position and fulfills its role, only then do other stars revolve around it. Later generations used the term “gongchen” (拱辰) to symbolize protecting the sovereign or the allegiance of distant regions. “Gongwei” (拱卫) means to surround and protect. Therefore, in ancient times, many northern city gates were named “Gongchen Gate.”

Xingtian Subdistrict: The Xingtian Subdistrict Office is located in the southwestern part of Xingning City, on the banks of the Ning River, in the center of the Xingning Basin. It borders the Ningxin Subdistrict Office to the east, the Fuxing Subdistrict Office to the southwest, and the towns of Xinbei and Ningzhong to the north. Covering an area of 31 square kilometers, it administers 12 residential committees and 6 village committees, with a total population of 170,000. It is the seat of the Xingning Municipal Party Committee and Government, and forms part of the central urban area of Xingning.

　The Xingtian Subdistrict Office is located in the central area of Xingning City. Renmin Avenue and Guanshan Avenue are the main thoroughfares passing through the area, making it an important part of the urban core. The Ning River flows gently through the center of the subdistrict. … Xingtian Subdistrict detailed information++