Ancient Town of Changting

　　The ancient city of Changting, along with Fenghuang, is hailed as one of China’s most beautiful mountain towns. If you appreciate the classic old alleys of Lijiang Ancient Town, you’ll likely enjoy Changting as well. Changting is even less commercialized, and you can still see original wooden carved pavilions and various traditional artisans at work.

　　The ancient city wall of Changting has a uniquely shaped layout, which locals poetically call “Blue Robe Adorned with Pearls,” meaning it looks like beautiful Buddhist beads draped over the city of Changting, creating a stunning scenic view.

　　The ancient city wall once had four major gates. Chaotian Gate was one of the four main gates of Tingzhou Prefecture, commonly known as the East Gate. Originally named Xingxian Gate, it was renovated in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt with bricks and stones, and topped with a gate tower. With its solid gate and towering structure, it was renamed Chaotian Gate for its majestic appearance. Later, Yan Yiming, the prefect of Tingzhou during the Qing Dynasty, renovated it again. The main body of the gate tower was built on the high platform of the city gate, featuring multiple layers of upturned eaves soaring above, and it became one of the celebrated scenic spots of Tingzhou known as “Eastward Soaring and Calling.”

　　The current Sanyuan Pavilion gate tower is the oldest city gate. Originally named Yinjiang Gate, it was later renamed Guangchu Gate. It was the gate built when Chen Jian, the governor of Tingzhou during the Tang Dynasty's Dali era, relocated the prefectural seat and constructed the earthen city. It has been repaired through successive dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, it was a three-story gate tower, with the base being the original ancient city gate made of square stone strips, topped with city wall bricks. Its upturned corners and flying eaves were quite spectacular. Throughout various dynasties, the ancient city wall underwent continuous repairs and expansions, with many additional gates added, such as the Ancient Prefecture South Gate, Wutong Gate, Shuiji Gate, and West Gate. Some were later demolished during road expansions, while others remain preserved as historical sites and are listed as county-level cultural relics protected monuments.

　　When visiting Changting, you can also feast on a rich variety of Hakka snacks.

　　Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission