Meicheng
At the confluence of the Fuchun River, Xin’an River, and Lan River, there is a thousand-year-old ancient city. It was named Meicheng (Plum City) because the city wall battlements along the river resemble plum blossoms. Since the Ming Dynasty, it has been the seat of Yanzhou Prefecture, also known as Yanzhou. Meicheng was a royal fiefdom in the Song Dynasty and has the reputation of “two and a half plum blossoms in the world, one in Beijing, one in Nanjing, and half in Meicheng.”
There are two pagodas on the banks of the three-river estuary in Meicheng, the North Peak Pagoda and the South Peak Pagoda. Most ancient pagodas are Buddhist pagodas, but the twin pagodas of Meicheng are Feng Shui pagodas. The North Peak Pagoda is also known as the Mao Pagoda because it is located in the Mao direction. The South Peak Pagoda is in the Xun position and is also known as the Xun Pagoda. It is said that with the protection of Feng Shui pagodas, even if it is located at the intersection of three rivers where dangerous waters are born, Meicheng enjoys good weather. It is also said that the pagodas gather Feng Shui, and Meicheng is rich in talents. Since the establishment of the prefecture, Yanzhou has produced 7 top scholars (Zhuangyuan). Lu You, Fan Zhongyan and others have all visited Meicheng.
On November 11, 1937, Zhu Kezhen led Zhejiang University to move west to Meicheng. With more than a thousand faculty, students, staff, and their families, the streets and alleys were crowded every day after school and meals, and Meicheng became a school city for a while.
Today, Meicheng is excavating historical and cultural resources to build a tourist ancient town. A T-shaped route formed by the ancient city wall and Yanzhou Fu Road has initially taken shape. The whole route is a folklore block featuring the Republic of China Chamber of Commerce Hall, the site of Zhejiang University’s office, ancient wells, archways, and Meicheng snacks. In the future, the Jade Belt River connecting the East Lake and the West Lake will be opened up, forming a tourism pattern of “embracing three rivers, carrying two lakes, and looking at twin pagodas” together with the three rivers and two pagodas.
Local cadres said that ancient towns are not built for tourists, but for residents. The development of ancient towns must fully guarantee the convenience of food, clothing, housing, and transportation for local residents. Only with the atmosphere of daily life (fireworks) will they prosper.
In the west of Meicheng, there is a village called Qianhe Village. In 1955, Jiande County submitted a report titled “Mobilizing Women to Participate in Production Solves the Difficulty of Labor Shortage” based on the participation of women in Qianhe Village in production labor. Mao Zedong revised this article repeatedly with black, red, and pencil pens, and wrote a comment of more than 500 words, clearly mentioning the slogan “Chinese women are a great human resource, and women hold up half the sky.” Since then, Chinese women have stood up. Qianhe women have also become a model for women across the country to learn from. Today, Qianhe Village has collected a large number of historical materials on the village women’s struggle for rights and participation in labor, and established the “Qianhe Women’s Spirit Education Base” to continue to pass on the “Qianhe Women’s Spirit”.
Published at: May 30, 2020 · Modified at: Dec 2, 2025
