Qingxi Ancient City 青溪古城

About Qingxi Ancient City

A Guangming Daily feature describes the city as a key pass on the Yinping road, its west city tower hung with a plaque reading 'Throat Between Qin and Shu'; the article recounts, from the Records of the Three Kingdoms, how Deng Ai, holding the title General Who Conquers the West, led a force secretly along this road, crossing 700 li of uninhabited land, cutting through cliffs in cold weather and short of food, at one point wrapping himself in felt and rolling down a slope while his soldiers climbed trees and clung to cliff faces single file, over Motianling, on the border with Wenxian county in Longnan, before surprising and destroying the Shu Han state; statues of Deng Ai and his son Deng Zhong in full armour now stand on the west city tower.

Entering the city means crossing the Yinping corridor bridge, a long, open, gable-roofed covered bridge over the clear, snow-fed Qingzhu river; across it stands the east city tower, through which Da Dong Jie runs to the Bajing Lou, a bell tower from which the 'eight views of Qingxi' can be seen. The Sichuan Online report adds that the old city stands about ten kilometres from the Tangjiahe reserve, the two of them the core of the tourist area Qingchuan county is developing. The Guangming Daily feature also recounts that during the Yuan-Ming transition, Muslim settlers of Arab and Persian descent journeyed from Central and West Asia and settled in the old city, which the essay suggests is when the city's character began to change.

What to look for

• The west city tower, hung with a plaque reading 'Throat Between Qin and Shu' and carrying armoured statues of Deng Ai and his son Deng Zhong.
• The Yinping corridor bridge, a long covered bridge over the Qingzhu river marking the entrance to the city.
• The east city tower and Da Dong Jie, the street running from it to the Bajing Lou bell tower.
• The Bajing Lou itself, from which the 'eight views of Qingxi' can be seen.

Location & getting there

Getting to Qingxi 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 青溪古城 with 广元市 and 青川县.