Changting: The Hakka Capital Flowing with Ancient Charm

Changting in western Fujian is a millennium-old ancient city steeped in the passage of time. The winding Ting River flows through the city, with Tang and Song dynasty-style city walls built along the mountains. Between the streets paved with bluestone slabs, the lifeblood of Hakka culture quietly flows. The ancient city walls are Changting’s most profound historical tome. Built during the Tang dynasty, the walls stretch five miles along Wolong Mountain. The Jichuan Gate city tower stands tall and majestic. From the top, you can see layers of Hakka residences with black-tiled eaves, resembling an ink painting scroll. The wooden arcade buildings on Diantou Street are well preserved, where the clanging of the blacksmith’s shop mingles with the rich aroma of Hakka rice wine, as if stepping back into a Ming and Qing dynasty marketplace. Among ancient architectural complexes like Sanyuan Pavilion and Yunxiang Pavilion, the carved beams and painted rafters of the Song dynasty Confucian Temple still exude a millennium of Confucian spirit. Known as the "Red Little Shanghai" of the Central Soviet Area, Changting’s revolutionary memories are equally vivid. At the former site of the Fujian Soviet Government, mottled slogans and relics tell stories of revolutionary flames; the old Gospel Hospital site bears witness to the early establishment of the Red Army’s medical system. At the Songmaoling battle site, trenches hidden among ancient pines still echo heroic epics. When night falls, lanterns light up one after another along both banks of the Ting River. Floating on the river, you see the lights outlining the ancient bridge as a golden rainbow, while Hakka mountain songs ripple with the waves. Taste a steaming hot bobo rice cake and sip a warm cup of Hakka rice wine, and the thousand years of time are brewed into an intoxicating poem in this landscape of culture and nature.