Yongchuan Songji Ancient Town in Chongqing | Ancient County Yamen, Kuixing Pavilion, Luo Family Ancestral Hall, Jade Emperor View

Songji (ji) Ancient Town is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River in the south of Yongchuan City, Chongqing, facing Shima Town in Jiangjin District across the river. Songji Ancient Town is known as 'a first-class ancient town, ten-mile old street, a hundred years of vicissitudes, a thousand years of cultural heritage, and the Yangtze River of ten thousand miles'. Songji was established in the Song Dynasty and has a very long history. It was originally called 'Songzi Ji', which is named after the nearby Songzi Mountain and located by the Yangtze River. The name means 'Song Mountain irrigates water', and later it was simply called 'Songji'. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the county yamen was set up here twice. The features of the ancient town are the Ming and Qing architectural groups, ancestral halls and temples, winding 5 kilometers of stone roads, ancient county yamen, Chen Gongyan, etc., known as 'nine palaces and eighteen temples', such as Kuixing Pavilion, Zhang Family Ancestral Hall, Fan Family Ancestral Hall, Luo Family Ancestral Hall, You Family Ancestral Hall, Chen Family Ancestral Hall, etc. The ancient county yamen is located on a small hillside called Phoenix Mountain, leaning against the mountain and near the water, belonging to the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. From the entrance to the backyard, there are four parts: the trough door, the front hall, the main hall, and the back hall. The people of Songji call the ancient county yamen 'Old Official Temple', which was originally the temple of General Li Gong, which was the location of the county yamen in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Luo Family Ancestral Hall is a family ancestral hall. It is the best preserved Qing Dynasty ancestral hall in the ancient town and the largest Luo Family General Ancestral Hall in the southwest region. It is composed of a courtyard with a patio, a corridor, a wing room, and a stage. The ancestral hall was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang, and was rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It has been more than four hundred years now. The Jade Emperor View is the largest ancient building in the ancient town. It is located in the center of the ancient town and is magnificent. Its history can be traced back to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The stone and wood carvings are exquisite, the colors are harmonious, and the two dragon pillars are vivid. The ancient town after protection and renovation retains the original features of buildings such as Kuixing Pavilion and Jade Emperor View. The ancient town that is repaired as old is full of scenery everywhere. It is a good choice to visit Songji Ancient Town. 📍Detailed address: Songji Ancient Town: No. 5 Hengjiezi, Songji Town, Yongchuan District, Chongqing City Tickets: Free admission