Qingyan Ancient Town

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Overview

The “Qingyan” of Qingyan Ancient Town is Chinese pinyin, “Qing” means the color of “Cyan”, “Yan” means “rock”, and together it means “Cyan rock”

Qingyan ancient town is named because the surrounding rocks are Cyan. A large number of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties are well preserved. Together with Zhenyuan, Bing’an and Longli, they are known as the four great ancient towns in Guizhou.

Location

It is located in the southern suburbs of Guiyang City, about 29 kilometers away from the urban area. It was built in the 10th year of Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty (AD 1378), approximately about 600 years ago.

It is about 10 kilometers long from north to south, 8 kilometers wide from east to west with total area of 92.3 square kilometers. Originally a military fortress,

Climate

Qingyan ancient town has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an average annual rainfall of about 1250 mm, a sunshine duration of 2200 hours, and an average temperature of 14°C-15°C. It is suitable for sightseeing throughout a year.

Architecture and layout

Most of the scenic spots in the town are ancient buildings of different styles, and there are still relatively complete city walls, gates and religious buildings.

Dingguang Gate, the south gate of the ancient town, is one of the four magnificent gates. Historically, this was the first gate to guard the southern of Guiyang. The tall and mighty gate towers and walls made of huge stones, together with the winding stone roads outside the city and the farmland on both sides, constitute a magnificent picture. Many publicity photos of Qingyan Ancient Town are from here.

Walking along Dingguangmen into the ancient town, the first thing you see is Zhao Lilun Baisuifang (Memorial Archway) which was built according to the reward of Emperor Daoguang of Qing Dynasty. The strange is that the stone lions carved on the four pillars are in very unusual positions, with their tails up and head down, which are different from what being usually seen, which is quite peculiar.

Walking along the old post road paved with stone slabs, on both sides of the street are almost all shops selling local specialties, such as braised pork knuckles, roasted tofu, rose sugar, etc.

Features

·Qingyan ancient town is built on the uneven hillside, not on a flat surface. Viewed from a high place, the layout of the entire town gives people a three-dimensional beauty that is difficult to see in other towns.

·The city walls are built on cliffs with huge stones, and there are four gates in the east, west, south and north. The exquisite stone carvings and wood carvings of the buildings in the town are a major highlight

·The back street is the most characteristic stone lane in Qingyan. The street is surrounded by courtyard walls with layers of stones. The road is narrow and quiet, and it undulates along the mountain.

·The four religions of Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism and Christianity coexist in the town. A Christian church and a Catholic church are also retained. Multiple religions coexist in harmony, forming its unique style.

Brief history

Qingyan Ancient Town was founded in the 11th year of Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty (AD 1378). It was built as a result of the Ming Dynasty’s army stationing. It is a mountainous military camp evolved from the evolution of military defenses. It is known as the “South Gate” of Guiyang.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Tunpu was set up here. From the 4th to the 7th year of Tianqi period (AD 1624-AD 1627), the Buyi chieftain built Qingyan fortress, and controlled the eight tribes, 12 divisions, and 72 villages

As a military fortress, Qingyan Ancient Town is with a unique geographical position. After several hundred years of construction and expansion, the earthen wall was changed to a stone wall, and the streets and lanes were paved with stone slate. The surrounding city walls are built on cliffs with huge stones

Qingyan is located in the middle section of the main road from Guangxi into Guiyang. On the post road, a “Pu” for conveying official documents and a “Tang” for conveying military sentiments were set up, and a garrison were established under the Shuangshi Peak, known as “Qingyan Tun” in history.

In the 14th year of Hongwu reign of Ming Dynasty (AD 1381), Empror of Ming Dynasty sent 300,000 troops to expedition to Yunnan and Guizhou. A large number of troops entered the hinterland of central Guizhou and stationed. The “Qingyan Tun” gradually developed into a “Qingyan Fort” where soldiers and civilians were stationed together.

Postal culture

The first “Agent Post Office” in Chinese history was opened in Qingyan Ancient Town in the 14th year of Guangxu regin (1888 AD) of Qing Dynasty.

According to historical research, it was the first private “Post Office” to be established in Chinese history, even 8 years earlier than the earliest official postal service in China.

Until 1939, before the “Agent Post Office” was transformed into a government-run post office, it had been run by Qingyan Wang’s family, and without interruption in business, which assisted to promot the development of the ancient town’s commercial trade and became a hub for the transmission of important information from east to west.

It is recorded in the annals of the development of China Post. The precious plaque of the “Agent Post Office” has been collected by the China Post Museum in Beijing.

Local Cuisine

Qingyan braised pig’s feet, also known as champion hoof. To make this braised pig’s feet, it is needed to choose the pig’s feet of pigs raised in the countryside for about a year, take more than ten kinds of precious Chinese herbs, and simmer those. it tastes fat but not fatty, with glutinous fragrance and nourishing, sour and spicy.

Tofu balls are made by kneading tofu into a ball shape and then coating it with flour. Fry it slightly in a frying pan, and it will be yellow. Dip it in Guizhou-specific condiment while it’s hot. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet and spicy. It’s really delicious.

Rice cake porridge is the first choice for local people’s breakfast. Lotus root flour is used as the base, and a cooked rice cake ball is placed on it. It looks very cute and attractive. Usually, you will sprinkle some melon seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, and candied fruit before eating. Then use a spoon to mash the rice cake and put it in the lotus root flour.

Qingyan Ancient Town Data

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