Hebei Travel Notes: Handan Guangfu Ancient City
On the morning of April 9, 2023, I had a buffet breakfast at the hotel at 7:45. At 8:15, I took bus No. 605 nearby to Guangfu Ancient City. The fare was 6 yuan per person, and the trip took about an hour, arriving at the East Gate, the main entrance of the scenic area, at 9:20. Tourists usually enter through this gate; the bus also passes the South Gate on the way. Departures can be made from either the East or South Gate.
Yongnian Guangfu City, also known as Yongnian City, Guangfu Ancient City, Ancient City, Guangfu City, Water City, Tai Chi City, and City in Water, is located in Yongnian Marsh on the banks of the Fuyang River, 45 li northeast of Handan City, Hebei Province, 25 kilometers from the county government seat at Linmingguan. Historically, it served as the seat of Guangping Prefecture, hence the name Guangfu. Since ancient times, it has been called 'Little Jiangnan of the North' and is now a key cultural relic protection unit in Hebei Province. Guangfu City has a history of over 2,600 years. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, King Dou Jiande of Xia and King Liu Heita of Han once established their capitals here, and it later served as the seat of prefectures, departments, and counties for successive dynasties. Here one finds the majestic and timeworn ancient city wall; the elegant and uniquely structured Hongji Bridge, known as the 'sister bridge' of Zhaozhou Bridge; the weather-beaten and intriguing Mao Sui's Tomb; the well-planned and exquisitely built West Eight Sluice Gates, an irrigation facility from the Ming Dynasty still in use for agriculture; and the hidden soldier caves from the Sui and Tang periods used for strategic defense. The existing city wall was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, 12 meters high and 8 meters wide, enclosing an area of 1.5 square kilometers within the city. The wall is largely intact, and its total circumference is said to be nine li and thirteen paces. Guangfu Ancient City is also a water city, surrounded by thousands of acres of marshland and endless reeds, encircled by water on all sides, offering a rare and beautiful water town scenery in the north. Encircling the city is a smooth and continuous moat, beyond which lies the 46,000-mu Yongnian Marsh. The terrain is higher in the north and lower in the south, allowing natural water flow. The marsh has perennial water accumulation and was historically a famous natural aquaculture farm. The deep waters of Yongnian Marsh, such as the Laotan Dian area and the moat, will be used for artificial stocking of crucian carp, river shrimp, and river crabs; the shallow waters will be planted with reeds, lotus roots, and fox nuts. Guangfu Ancient City will once again showcase the beauty of a 'city in water.' This place is also the birthplace of Yang-style and Wu-style Tai Chi. It is a renowned city that integrates an ancient city, a water city, and a Tai Chi city, features unmatched by other ancient cities. The former residences of Yang Luchan, founder of Yang-style Tai Chi, and Wu Yuxiang, founder of Wu-style Tai Chi, are well preserved.
Guangfu Ancient City does not charge an entrance fee; only a few enclosed attractions require tickets. Among them, the Guangfu Ancient City Wall is not only imposing and magnificent but also well preserved. The history of this city wall dates back to the Tang Dynasty. At that time, it was an earthen wall and had taken initial shape. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, it was paved with bricks, and four barbicans were added, establishing its scale. The city wall forms a square, which is rare in the history of ancient Chinese cities. The moat, at 140 meters wide, is also very unusual. The current wall was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty, featuring four barbicans and four city gates, each topped with a gate tower, and four corner towers. The wall has 26 guard houses and 1,572 battlements. Outside the city, the moat is lined with weeping willows on both banks, connected to the interior by four drawbridges, forming a solid fortress. The ancient city has a circumference of 4.5 kilometers, with walls 10 meters high and 8 meters thick, covering an area of 1.5 square kilometers with over 30 streets. Originally, barbicans were built outside the east, west, south, and north gates, forming outer defenses. Because the barbican gates also had gate towers, the city was known as 'four gates and eight towers.' Today, only the east and west gates retain their barbicans, and both the gate towers and corner towers are no longer extant. Such well-preserved ancient cities are rare in China.
In addition to the city wall, there are over thirty scenic spots and historical sites both inside and outside the city. Within the city, there are four main streets, eight minor streets, and seventy-two alleys, vertically and horizontally distributed with attractions such as the former residences of Tai Chi masters Yang Luchan and Wu Yuxiang, Qinghui Academy, the City God Temple, and Wenchang Pavilion. Outside the city are attractions like Hongji Bridge, Mao Sui's Tomb, and Black Dragon Pool. Hongji Bridge is a key cultural relic protection unit in Hebei Province. Its form and size are roughly the same as Zhaozhou Bridge. Legend has it that it was built in a competition between Lu Ban's sister and Lu Ban himself, making it a sister bridge. Hongji Bridge is not only a vital transportation route between Hebei and Shandong provinces but also an artistic bridge of high appreciation value. The reliefs on its 34 panels and balustrade pillars are exquisitely carved. Mao's Tomb Peak (the mausoleum of the famous Warring States scholar Mao Sui) is the foremost of the well-known Pinggan Eight Views. Of course, we could only visit a few sites within the city, including the former residences of several Tai Chi masters and the later-reconstructed Guangfu Government Office.
At 12:50 p.m., we concluded our tour of Guangfu Ancient City, exited through the South Gate, took bus No. 605 back to Handan, and got off at Handan Museum to continue our journey.
