Lixi Ancient Town

　　    Highlights     Lixi Wenchang Palace: Situated on South Street outside Lixi town, it was built in the Jiashen year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1884). Facing west and situated to the east, the palace boasts a grand and imposing structure with a rigorous layout and exquisite craftsmanship. It consists of three vertical courtyards and three horizontal rows, featuring red walls and cylindrical tiles, exuding an antique charm. The courtyard originally had a “worship platform” inlaid with marble. Beneath the bell tower on the left was the “scripture recital hall,” and beneath the drum tower on the right was the “practice room.” In the late Qing Dynasty, the “Liangshan Academy” was established here.

　　    Xichan Temple: This is a complex of buildings with Ming Dynasty architectural style. Structures such as the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Guanyin Hall, the Buddha Hall, the Kṣitigarbha Hall, and the Scripture Depository are built in harmony with the landscape and arranged in a well-spaced layout. Xichan Temple offers four major highlights: the relic of the Southern Silk Road — the Tian Deng Pavilion, the former office and lodging site of Comrade - during the Long March, Ming and Qing dynasty furniture and artifacts, and distinctive vegetarian meals. Lixi Conference Site: On May 19, 1935, Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Central Red Army stayed at the Bian family’s quadrangle courtyard in Tuguanzhuang, Lixi (now Group 7 of Tianba Village), where slogans left by the Red Army can still be faintly seen. On May 21, the famous Lixi Conference was held in the Bian family ancestral hall in Tuguanzhuang, Lixi. After the meeting, the Military Commission issued an “extremely urgent” diversion order at 18:00 that afternoon, officially establishing the northbound route to northern Shaanxi for the Long March. It was after this conference that the historically significant term “Long March” began to appear in Red Army documents and propaganda slogans.

　　 　    Lixi Town, formerly known as “Suqi County,” is located in the northern part of Xichang City, just 23 kilometers from Xichang. Covering an area of 35 square kilometers, it has expansive farmland and is one of the main regions in Xichang for growing rice, wheat, millet, potatoes, and cash crops. Lixi has a long history, having served as a county or prefecture under seven dynasties and a state capital under five dynasties. It boasts glorious historical sites such as “where Shu troops camped and stationed,” “where the Taiping Army built platforms and hung drums,” and “where the workers’ and peasants’ Red Army fought the rich and helped the poor.” It was also a station along the yak trail of the Southern Silk Road. Within the town are three ancient city sites and Neolithic ruins, where over a thousand cultural relics have been unearthed. It serves as the northern gateway to Xichang and an important town for political, economic, and cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups. On January 14, 1995, approved by the provincial government, Lixi Town was designated as a Sichuan Provincial Historical and Cultural Town.

　　    In 1935, the Red Army passed through Lixi during the Long March and stayed here for six days in total, making it the town in Xichang where the Central Red Army stayed the longest and had the most troops stationed. The Red Army fought the rich and helped the poor in Lixi Town while educating and rallying the masses, earning deep support from all walks of life in the town. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, -, -, -, and Nie Rongzhen fought and lived in Lixi. At the famous Lixi Conference, the Central Red Army officially proposed the historically significant term “Long March” and determined the northbound route to northern Shaanxi. Lixi is a town of special significance in the history of the Long March.

　　 　    Transportation     Many buses depart daily from Daxiangkou–Statue location in Xichang to Lixi, with fares around 3 yuan.

　　 Liangshan, Sichuan