Shangqiu Ancient City, A Timeless Journey Through History

Zhongshan Street, Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province

Shangqiu is one of the top 10 historical cities in China

Introduction

Shangqiu Ancient City, also known as Guidu Fu City, was a county town of Shangqiu in Henan Province during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built in the sixth year of Ming Zhengde, with a history of nearly 500 years. The ancient city consists of three parts: the brick city, the city lake, and the city layout. The city wall, city layout, and city lake are integrated, presenting a unique ancient coin shape. The city wall has a circumference of approximately 3.6 kilometers, with four gates located in the east, west, south, and north. The terrain inside the city is shaped like a turtle's back, with many buildings in the courtyard style. Inspired by the theory of the five elements, the ancient city's east and west gates are offset by a street to prevent the conflict between metal and wood, making it a unique feature among ancient Chinese cities. The streets in the ancient city still retain the architectural style of ancient times. The most famous attractions for tourists in the ancient city are the Zhuanghui Hall of famous literary figure Hou Fangyu from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and the Baguanzhai, which has the handwriting of Tang Dynasty's famous calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. These two attractions have a long history and profound cultural connotations. The ancient city of Shangqiu has produced two grand scholars (prime ministers), five shangshu (high-ranking officials), and more than ten shilang, xunfu, yushi, zongbing, and other heavyweight historical figures. Due to the Yellow River flooding over thousands of years, there are also historical cities such as Suiyang Ancient City from the Western Zhou and Song Dynasties, Nanjing City from the Song Dynasty, and Guidu Fu City from the Yuan Dynasty under the ancient city of Shangqiu.

Address

Zhongshan Street, Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province

Opening hours

All day (All year round, Monday-Sunday)

Phone 0370-3313605;0370-3310695