Zhouzi Ancient Town 周子古镇

About Zhouzi Ancient Town

The town began in the Han dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song as a node on the Jialing River's water-trade route, once busy with boats and traders moving tung oil, rice and silk. A stone statue on nearby Longjiao Mountain depicts the Tang-dynasty painter Wu Daozi, who tradition holds was inspired here while surveying Sichuan's landscape for Emperor Xuanzong and later painted a 300-li panorama of the Jialing River. A shrine, Changqing Ci, was built west of Sima Xiangru's former residence in Xiangru Village to commemorate him, and today a square also commemorates Wu Daozi, overlooking the riverside old town.

The town was originally named Zhoukou (Boat-Mouth) Town; it was renamed Zhouzi in honor of the Song-dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi, who admired Sima Xiangru, traveled upriver to see his traces, and settled to lecture there. A shrine, Lianxi Ci, was built at his lecture site and survives halfway up the hill in the old town.

Walking down Red Army Street, past an old banyan tree and stone hitching posts, densely packed houses along stone steps lead to the old ferry dock, past a Wealth God Tower, a Longevity Palace, teahouses and inns; shops include the Zhang family's dried-fish stall, the long-established Heshu tofu shop, and a fried-dough-twist shop.

Nearby, the Jialing River forms two islands, Sun Island and Moon Island, near Youfanggou Village in Xiangru Town; the area is also the setting for an event called 'a hundred cattle crossing the river', in which cattle herds swim across to Sun Island.

What to look for

• the Lianxi Shrine, commemorating Zhou Dunyi, halfway up the hill in the old town
• the Changqing Shrine, commemorating Sima Xiangru, in Xiangru Village across the river
• the Wu Daozi memorial square and the stone statue on Longjiao Mountain
• the old ferry dock at the foot of Red Army Street, with its Wealth God Tower and Longevity Palace
• Sun Island and Moon Island in the Jialing River near Youfanggou Village

Location & getting there

Getting to Zhouzi Ancient Town

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

• Search for 周子古镇 with 南充市 and 蓬安县.