Hànchéng Gǔchéng is built on a mountainside beside water, thriving during the Ming and Qing dynasties due to prosperous trade. It retains complete city walls and street layouts, with a millennium of culture flowing between the blue bricks and grey tiles, earning it the nickname “Little Beijing.” [Ming Dynasty Geographer Xu Xiake] The ancient city wall is tall and majestic, with the inscription “Hànchéng” in seal script above the city gates, exquisite brick carvings telling of the peak of Ming and Qing architectural art. The Wentuemin (Temple of Literature) and Guandi Temple, along with Hànchéng Gǔchéng’s city wall, together form the “Three Wonders,” with the Wentuemin’s Lingxingmen (Steles of Lingxing) stone lions still dignified, and the Guandi Temple’s “Zhongyi” (Loyalty and Righteousness) plaque still shining brightly after enduring storms.
