Mianzhou Mansion

　　   for administration. Until the early years of national liberation, Miancheng also served as the administrative center of Mianyang County for three years.

　　      Mianzhou Mansion, or the state government office, is now the site of Miancheng Senior High School. It is located inside the West City’s

　　     Ancient Cypress Gate and covers an area of sixty acres. It was first built in the ninth year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty (1376). Along the street

　　     is a screen wall several zhang high, enclosed by wooden fences. On both sides are the east and west corner gates; the east corner gate remains open

　　     all day, serving as the passageway for officials and commoners; the west corner gate is closed year-round, only opened to escort condemned prisoners

　　     out through the ancient cypress gate to the river embankment for execution. Behind the screen wall is a small

　　     courtyard, flanked by two stone lions, beyond which lies the main octagonal gate inscribed with the “Yi Men” (Ceremonial Gate) plaque.

　　     To the east of the gate are the offices of the Three Shifts (Zao, Zhuang, and Bu), and to the west are the male and female prisons. In the middle is a large courtyard, behind which is the main hall. The hall features a tall gate, only used when the prefect takes office, leaves office, or welcomes and sees off guests. To the left is a side gate for general access. Behind the main hall is the second hall, where the prefect handles case inquiries. The main hall is only used for executing death row inmates. Flanking the second hall are six departments (Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Public Works). Behind the second hall is the prefect’s signing office (i.e., his office). To the left is the East Flower Hall, to the west are the offices of the prefect’s two clerks (i.e., secretaries), and further west is the West Flower Hall.

　　    Mianyang Prefecture had four levels of officials: the first-tier Prefect, stationed in Miancheng as the highest administrative officer of the entire prefecture, holding the seventh-rank official position; the second-tier Tongzhi, stationed in Xindi (Honghu); the third-tier Pian, stationed in Xiantao Town; the fourth-tier Limu, stationed in Shahu. Major and minor cases across the prefecture could not be concluded without the Prefect’s signature.

　　   The second-tier and third-tier officials could only act on the Prefect’s behalf to investigate local homicides or inspect dikes, and to survey local security conditions. The fourth-tier official was solely responsible for arresting criminals, preventing banditry, and had little involvement in other administrative matters.

　　   For a long time before the Xinhai Revolution, the administrative and judicial powers of Mianzhou were concentrated entirely in the hands of the Prefect. The Prefect could disregard the “Great Qing Code” and all legal statutes, handling certain judicial cases based solely on personal whim, following the principle that money and power supersede law.

　　   He could arbitrarily impose levies under various pretexts, and if demands weren’t met, simply let cases pile up unresolved. Sometimes, when both plaintiff and defendant offered bribes, the one who paid more won; if only one party bribed, that party won; if neither paid, the case would remain unresolved indefinitely. Legend has it that the Miancheng scholar Wu Yu and the scholar Du...

　　He rarely involved himself in administrative affairs.

　　 For a long time before the Xinhai Revolution, the administrative and judicial powers of Mianzhou were entirely in the hands of the prefect.

　　The prefect could disregard the “Great Qing Code” and all legal statutes, making decisions solely

　　based on personal whim, adhering to the principles that money outweighs law and power overrides law when handling judicial cases.

　　He also created pretexts at will to extort arbitrarily, and if parties failed to meet his demands, he would simply let their cases pile up and go unresolved.

　　Sometimes when both plaintiff and defendant offered bribes, the one who paid more won the case; if only one side bribed, that briber won;

　　if neither side offered a bribe, the case would remain pending indefinitely. It is said that Wu Yu, a scholar from Miancheng, and the scholar Du...

　　A quarrel broke out between Fu Jie and another party over whether to sing the "Five Watches Song" in memory of the deceased surnamed Jin, and the two ended up suing each other over this minor issue.

　　The dispute over such a trivial matter dragged on for months without resolution.

　　Later, Wu Yu secretly gave the prefect five taels of silver, fully expecting to win the lawsuit.

　　But when the court session began, the prefect ruled in favor of Du Fu Jie.

　　Wu Yu panicked and quickly held up his hand with all five fingers spread wide, exclaiming, “Your Honor, I have reason (and a gift) on my side!”—a not-so-subtle reminder that he had bribed the official with five taels.

　　However, the prefect slammed his gavel and stretched out both hands angrily, declaring, “He has even more reason (and a bigger gift) than you!”

　　It turned out that the scholar Du Fu Jie had given the prefect ten taels of silver.

　　At the time, the people of Miancheng circulated this folk rhyme: “The yamen gates open wide to the south with their eight characters displayed; those with reason but no money need not come inside.”

　　Come on.”

　　On December 3, 1927, the Hubei Special Committee held an uprising in Miancheng—

　　—rescuing Lou Minxiu, then secretary of the Mianyang County Committee of the Communist Party, from prison, and subsequently burned down the county yamen.

　　 In December 1947, Miancheng was liberated. In August 1949, the People’s Government of Mianyang County moved from Pengchang to Miancheng, initially setting up temporarily at the homes of Li Xinqi and Li Xindi in Qilicheng.

　　In the spring of 1950, the county government office building was constructed on the ruins of the old Mianyang Prefecture Yamen.

　　It faces south with its back to the north, stretching 35.4 meters from east to west and 22.5 meters from north to south, with a total floor area of 1,478 square meters.

　　The building is of brick-and-wood construction in a corridor-eaves style, with two stories.

　　It has four entrances on the east, west, south, and north sides, with the main southern entrance designed as a round arch. Above it is embedded the emblem of the People’s Republic of China, made from cement mortar.

　　In front of the building lies a 60-meter-long pathway lined with lush green grass and thriving trees, while along the path, ancient stone carvings and sculptures of diverse forms stand vivid and lifelike.

　　The national emblem. In front of the gate is a 60-meter-long road, flanked by lush green grass and verdant trees, with

　　Inside the building, the high, bright-raftered ceiling glimmers brilliantly in the sunlight.

　　The interior is divided into four large sections by a cross-shaped hallway, making navigation very convenient.

　　Ascending the stairs on the north side of the hallway leads to the second floor, which features a wooden mezzanine structure.

　　The various latticed railings, doors, and windows are exquisitely elegant, rich with classical charm.

　　fragrance in the air.

　　In April 1952, due to the administrative division between Mianyang and Honghu, the seat of Mianyang County was moved north to Xiantao,

　　and Miancheng thus ceased to be a county seat. The former government office was repurposed as the Mianyang Junior Normal School, and later became Miancheng Senior High School.

　　Despite half a century of weathering, the former Mianyang County Government Office Building still retains its distinctive charm.

　　The office building of the People's Government of Yang County still retains its charm.