Yangmei Ancient Town 扬美古镇

About Yangmei Ancient Town

The street known as Linjiang Street is a useful starting point for looking at domestic facades and carved eaves. Kuixing Tower stands in the river-side part of the settlement beside the village school, linking the old architecture with a place still used for everyday life. Explore the public lanes slowly; historic houses may remain homes or have their own visiting arrangements.

Yangmei was first built in the Song dynasty, though most of its surviving buildings date from the Ming and Qing, mainly the Qing. Eight old dock sites (古埠码头), built in the Song and rebuilt during the Jiaqing era, survive along the riverbank. In the Ming dynasty the traveller Xu Xiake (徐霞客) travelled up the Zuo River (左江) and praised the scenery at Yangmei in his travel account. Linjiang Street (临江街), also called the Qing dynasty street, was built in 1832.

The town covers 6.5 square kilometres and has a population of more than 5,300. Besides Linjiang Street, its noted sites include Longtan Dock (龙潭码头), Zhuangyuan Bridge (状元桥) and an old beacon tower (古烽火台). Yangmei stands on the south bank of the lower Zuo River, where the river bends around the town in a horseshoe shape before joining the You River (右江) a short distance downstream to form the Yong River (邕江).

What to look for

• Linjiang Street contains old house fronts and carved roof details along a narrow paved route.
• Kuixing Tower is a distinctive river-side landmark beside Yangmei Primary School.

The surrounding area

Regional capital for laoyoufen, the Three Streets and Two Alleys quarter and Qingxiu Mountain.

Location & getting there

Getting to Yangmei Ancient Town

Travel to Yangmei in Jiangxi Town, Jiangnan District, Nanning. The old-street arrival area is around Gonghe Road and Jinma Street; arrange the final road transfer to the ancient town in Jiangxi rather than central Nanning.