https://nz.trip.com/moments/detail/huailai-2527-121003156
STERLING WALSHUnited States

Won't you come and visit the place where Cixi once fled to?

Jimingyi Ancient City in Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province | A 650-year-old post station Jimingyi City is located in Jimingyi Village, Jimingyi Township, Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. It is 62 kilometers southeast of Zhangjiakou City and 127 kilometers from Madian Bridge on the Third Ring Road of Beijing via the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. The newly opened Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway has a station in Huailai. Jimingyi got its name because it is backed by Jiming Mountain. According to the 'Huailai County Annals': 'During the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, the Eastern Turks invaded the Central Plains, and the border people could not live in peace. Therefore, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, personally led a military expedition and stayed at this mountain. At night, he heard the sound of chickens crowing on the mountain, hence the name Jiming Mountain.' In terms of transportation and post roads, the terrain of Huailai is flanked by two mountains with a valley in between, forming an east-west corridor. To the west are the highlands and deserts, and to the east is the strategic pass of Juyong. This was the 'Shanggu Thoroughfare' during the pre-Qin period. In the early Yuan Dynasty, a 'station' and an 'express post' were set up at the foot of Jiming Mountain to handle the transmission of military and political messages. During the Ming Dynasty, a city wall was built here, with two gates to the east and west, and the 'horse paths' served as the entry and exit routes for post horses. Jimingyi City is square-shaped, 467 meters long from east to west, and 463 meters wide from north to south. There are two main streets running through the city from east to west; the front street was a major street and once had the reputation of 'a street of merchants.' In the central area of the front street, there were the Guanyin Temple, Dragon King Temple, Three Observatories Temple, and the mansions and courtyards such as the He Family Courtyard; the back street had the Yongning Temple, Wenchang Temple, Taishan Temple, Sanyi Temple, Mawang Temple, and the post station's horse registry. The 'He Family Courtyard' of Jimingyi became a popular attraction because it once hosted Empress Dowager Cixi. In 1900, when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu stayed here for one night while fleeing to Xi'an. To this day, on the mountain wall of the second courtyard, there are four large characters in regular script, 'Hongxi Jiefu,' which are said to have been inscribed by Empress Dowager Cixi herself. It was not until 1913, when the Beiyang government established the post office and abolished the post stations across the country, that Jimingyi City ended its 650-year history as a post station.
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Posted: Apr 10, 2024
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