Written by Veronica |
Shangli Ancient Town, located in Ya’an City, was listed as a “Historic and Cultural Town” by Sichuan Province in 1982. This is the transit place of Chinese Red Army’s Long March to the north, and it is also an important station for the former Southern Silk Road to enter Ya’an.
The overall planning area of Shangli Ancient Town is 17 square kilometers, of which the core area is 0.7 square kilometers. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Shangli Ancient Town still maintains many stilted buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Shangli Ancient Town Facts
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- Location: North of Yucheng District, Ya’an City, Sichuan Province
- Ticket Price: Free of charge
- Opening Time: Open all year round
What to See and Do in Shangli Ancient Town
Erxian Bridge
Ancient bridges are the representative buildings of Shangli Ancient Town. Starting from the town along the river upstream about one kilometer, there are over ten bridges of different shapes. These bridges are not only transportation channels, but also the witness to the history of the town and the skills of the workers. The most representative bridge is Erxian Bridge, one of the important landmarks of Shangli Ancient Town.
In 1776, local residents chose a place of hard rock to build a stone arch bridge. After the bridge was completed, many scholars came to congratulate and prepare to name the bridge. However, during the naming ceremony, two beggars appeared on the bridge. Then they suddenly jumped into the river and turned into two stones. The people at the scene were amazed and thought that the two beggars were actually immortals, so they named the bridge “Erxian Bridge”.
Han Family Mansion
It was built in 1824 and covers an area of 4600 square meters. This mansion is divided into seven quadrangles, known as “seven stars holding the moon”. The whole courtyard was modeled after the Beijing government mansion, and it took hundreds of years and three generations to complete. It can be seen that the owner of the mansion has a high social status and huge wealth.
Especially from the point of view of carving technology, the whole building adopts a large number of “mosaic carving” method. That is, after the pattern is carved separately, the grooves of the same size are carved on the doors and windows, and the pattern should be tightly stitched around. These engravings are so vivid and delicate that you can even see the facial expressions of the characters, and the texture of the clothes.
Ancient Stage
Shangli Ancient Town is one of the birthplaces of Sichuan Opera, and the ancient stage is an important carrier of its opera culture. It is mainly built of stone and wood, and the overall architecture is well preserved. There are exquisite stone carvings around the stage, and the themes are mostly related to opera stories.
The Han family once opened “Anqing” and “Qunyu”, two drama groups, here, and recruited talented children to learn Sichuan Opera. That is, the famous “Shangli Ancient Town Sichuan Opera children class” in the history. The ancient stage not only has witnessed the prosperity and development of opera art in Shangli Ancient Town, but is also a place for traveling vendors, merchants and local residents to enjoy tea and chat.
Taste Local Food
Remember to try the local cuisine when you travel to Ya’an! If you are hungry, find a local restaurant in Shangli Ancient Town and enjoy the view while eating. You can taste authentic Ya’an cuisine, such as tofu pudding, braised pork with bamboo shoots, and braised Ya’an fish. Besides, the snacks like Longxusu, peach slice cake, fried stinky tofu, glutinous rice cake are also worth trying.
How to Get to Shangli Ancient Town
By Air: You can fly to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport first, then transfer to Shangli Ancient Town by bus. The whole journey takes about 2-3 hours.
By train: After arriving at Ya’an Railway Station, you can transfer by bus to Shangli Ancient Town, with about 1 hour.
By bus: There are direct bus from Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station, Shiyangchang Bus Station, or Beimen Bus Station, to Shangli Ancient Town.
Attractions nearby Shangli Ancient Town
Bifengxia Giant Panda Base: It is the biggest panda base in China, where you can enjoy the adorable giant pandas playing or eating and the amazing natural scenery.
Mengding Mountain: It is not only known as a tourist resort because of its natural beauty, but also enjoys the reputation of “tea hometown” for its high-quality tea and tea culture.
