Lichuan Ancient City 黎川古城

About Lichuan Ancient City

The old town's defining feature is a commercial street of arcaded, two-storey shophouses: some 600 arcade-fronted shops run for about 1.8 kilometres, and the county counts 130 Ming and Qing buildings in its streets and lanes. Two covered bridges, the Xinfeng and Henggang bridges, span the river. The novelist Zhang Henshui came to Lichuan as a ten-year-old in 1905 and lived here for close to a year; his 1924 essay recalling a long covered bridge with a great waterwheel below it refers to the Xinfeng Bridge and the Litan River, and his former residence is now one of the town's museums.

Recent restoration has kept the street's original appearance and historic fabric while adding cultural venues: the Zhang Henshui residence, which shows manuscripts and letters in its Cangbai Lou; the Lichuan Confucian Temple and the old examination hall; an old-bed museum; an oil-painting experience hall reflecting the county's large oil-painting industry; a ceramics workshop; and several revolutionary-era sites including the former Fujian–Jiangxi provincial committee and military district headquarters and the Tuancun battle memorial. White-lion dancing and street parades are staged on holidays.

What to look for

• The arcaded street of about 600 two-storey timber shophouses running roughly 1.8 kilometres along the Litan River
• The Xinfeng and Henggang covered bridges
• The former residence of the novelist Zhang Henshui, with manuscripts and letters displayed in its Cangbai Lou
• The Lichuan Confucian Temple and the old examination hall
• The former headquarters of the Fujian–Jiangxi provincial committee and military district

Location & getting there

Getting to Lichuan Ancient City

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 黎川古城 with 抚州市 and 黎川县.