Iconic archways mainly serve to mark locations, guide pedestrians, and separate spaces. This type of archway can be erected at the entrance of a palace or in front of a complex of buildings such as temples, mausoleums, ancestral halls or large gardens.
As a symbol of this group of buildings, they are not only the beginning of the sequence of the entire building group, but also play a role in framing the scenery, adding a spatial layer between the entire building group.
In my country, the famous iconic archways include Hengwangfu Stone Archway in Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, Gulongzhong Archway in Nanyang City, Henan Province, Wolonggang Archway in Nanyang City, Six Dynasties Heritage Stone Archway in Wuzhen, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, The Summer Palace Archway in Beijing, the Glazed Archway of the Imperial College in Beijing, the Xiling Yinshe Stone Archway in Hangzhou, the Ancient Zhaoting Archway in Jingting Mountain in Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, the Jingshan Bridge Archway in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, the ancient Chuitai Archway in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, and Wuxi City Donglin Academy Archway, etc.
Among them, Qingzhou City Hengwangfu Shifang is located on Linglongshan South Road, Qingzhou City, Weifang, Shandong. It is the relic of Hengwangfu in the Ming Dynasty and is commonly known as the "Wuchao Gate".
Prince Heng’s Mansion was built when Zhu Youhun, the fifth son of Zhu Jianshen, Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty, was named Prince Heng. There are two stone archways in Prince Heng’s Mansion, which are the large archways in front of the main entrance of Prince Heng’s Mansion. It was also the gate through which civil and military officials came and went when they paid homage to King Heng.
The two stone archways are located in the north and face south. Both are four-column and three-door archway structures. Each square is 11.5 meters wide from east to west, 2.75 meters deep from north to south, and more than 7 meters high. The two buildings are 43.5 meters apart, have the same architectural style and the same size, and are composed of 28 huge stones.
The base is 1.2 meters high and divided into three layers. The bottom layer is 0.2 meters above the ground and is engraved with cloud head lace; the middle layer is 0.10 meters inward and is carved with lotus, peony and other floral patterns; the upper layer is level with the bottom layer and is engraved with lions and unicorns. There are 12 lions and two unicorns on each boulder.
Among them, the male and female stone lions are carved in openwork and squat, with their heads held high, their pupils bulging, and stone bells hung on their chests. The male lion's left front paw steps on the ground, and his right front paw steps on the stone ball, which is powerful and powerful; the female lion's left front paw steps on the stone ball, and her right front paw touches the back of the little lion. The shape is vivid, lifelike, and exquisitely carved.
The stone pillars are square and stand on separate bases. The two middle pillars are each 2.82 meters high; the two side pillars are each 3.95 meters high. Each column is inlaid with an openwork unicorn on the north and south sides, 1.95 meters high, squatting with its head held high, 8 in each square. There are huge stone horizontal plaques embedded above each of the four pillars, and the reliefs on the plaques are all pictures of two dragons playing with a pearl.
There are two horizontal plaques on the middle gate, with large characters engraved on them. The south square is "Legends of Loyalty and Kindness" and "Xiang Xian Eternal Reputation"; Diyang script has broad characters and smooth strokes.
"Leshan" is the nickname of Zhu Youhun. "Yifeng" is the term used after Zhu Youhun's death. Therefore, the construction date of the stone square should be during the Jiajing period when the second generation of King Heng, Zhu Houjiao, reigned.
After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Prince Heng's Mansion was razed to the ground, but these two magnificent stone squares were completely preserved. The existence of these two stone archways can naturally remind people of the former glory of the palace.
The Gurongzhong Archway in Xiangyang City is the first attraction in the Gurongzhong Scenic Area, 13 kilometers west of Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. It was established in 1893 as the symbol of the Gurongzhong Scenic Area by the then Hubei Admiral Chen Wenbing was responsible for its construction.
This archway is about 6 meters high and 10 meters long. Its construction material is bluestone assembled with tenons. According to the appearance, it has four pillars and three archways. The archway is 3 bays wide, with the middle one in the middle and secondary bays on both sides. The four pillars are buried deep in the soil. The unearthed areas around them are paved with flat stones. The front, rear and sides of the pillars are supported by 10 arsenic stones with pattern heads.
The fixed plate and the brackets of the archway are framed by the main beams. There is a flower board between the two main beams, and they are carved with flowing patterns for decoration. The ridge eaves are laid flat on the main eaves, and the eaves are forked into forks, and the corners are shaped like dove tails. Both ends of the ridge of the archway are decorated with fish and dragon kisses, and a flame bead is placed in the center.
The three characters "Gulongzhong" are engraved on the upper and lower squares in the middle of the front of the archway. The upper and lower squares are embossed with the words "Fishing, woodcutter, farming and reading" and "Two dragons playing with pearls". On the front of the door pillars on both sides It is engraved with a poem by Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty:
Three visits frequently trouble the world, and two dynasties open up the hearts of old ministers.
This poem praises Liu Bei's sincerity in visiting the thatched cottage three times and Zhuge Liang's bold loyalty in helping both dynasties.
The upper and lower arches in the second room of the archway are carved with reliefs such as "Two phoenixes facing the sun", "Deer and crane live together", "Kilin sends son", "Red tiger shares longevity", etc. The middle stele is engraved with Zhuge Liang's famous sayings ：
Be indifferent and clear your ambitions, and be tranquil and far-reaching.
This famous saying shows that when Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion in Longzhong, although he lived an ordinary life, he had lofty ambitions.
On the back of this stone archway, there are five characters "The next generation of three generations" on the top. This is a famous saying by the Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Shi, which means that Zhuge Liang is the noblest and most noble person after the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. The greatest man, no one else can compare with him.
On the two pillars on the back of the archway, there is another poem by Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty:
When brothers meet Yi Lu, the commander will definitely lose Xiao Cao.
This poem praises Zhuge Liang's outstanding political and military talents.
Nanyang City Wolong Post is located in the west of Nanyang City, Henan Province. It is another former site and commemoration place of Zhuge Liang, an outstanding statesman and military strategist during the Three Kingdoms period, who "cultivated Nanyang". There is also a saying that this is the place where Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times.
The Wollongong Archway is located in the Zhuge Liang Memorial Temple Wuhou Temple on Wollongong. There are three arches in one arch.
The first archway is located on the second floor in front of the gate of Wuhou Temple. It is the first archway into Wuhou Temple in Nanyang. It is called the "Eternal Dragon" stone archway.
This archway was first built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. It is 8.5 meters high and 13.55 meters wide, made of bluestone. The four characters "Eternal Dragon" are engraved on the middle banner, which means that Zhuge Liang is the dragon among men, and it is a metaphor that this place is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
The archway is in the form of three doors and four pillars, and the entire building is covered with carvings. The reliefs on the forehead of the archway are of auspicious clouds and auspicious animals, such as "Danfeng Chaoyang" and "Qilin Sending Treasures", etc., which are all lifelike. The left and right banners are decorated with ten pictures of Zhuge Liang's life stories, such as "Plowing in Nanyang", "Couple in a Thatched Cottage", "Talking with Confucian Confucians", etc. The characters are vivid.
The sparrows, brackets, stone tiles and stone ridges above and below the banner are all carefully carved and ingenious. The archway stands outside the door, making the entire Wuhou Temple building more spectacular.
The second archway is located on the central axis of Wuhou Temple. After the "Eternal Dragon" stone archway, it is the second archway into Wuhou Temple.
This archway has a single door and two pillars, made of bluestone, with a height of 6 meters and a width of 4.5 meters. The middle horizontal banner is engraved with the words "Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty visited the place where he visited three times", and the inscription is "Daoguang Xinmaoqiao". "Auspicious day of the month", "Wanyi later scholars Ren Shoutai, Liu Ji and Liu Xun".
"Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty" is the posthumous title of Liu Bei. He, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came to the thatched cottage three times to consult Zhuge Liang. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" calls it "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage". For this reason, this square was built to commemorate Liu Bei's three visits to Naxian.
This square, commonly known as the Three Gates, was first built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in 1831. There is a picture of "the rising sun rising over the sea" carved in the middle of the stone square. The upper lintel is engraved with "Yi Yin Mu Ye" and "Wei Bin Yu Diao", which means that Liu Bei won Zhuge Liang, just like "Shang Tang won Yi Yin, and King Wen won Jiang Shang", and the lower lintel is engraved with "Two Dragons Playing with Pearls". The yin of the square is engraved with "Eight Immortals Celebrating Their Birthdays", the middle is "True God and Man", and the bottom is engraved with "Twin Phoenixes Chaoyang" corresponding to the front.
The third stone archway in Wollongong is located on the central axis of Wuhou Temple. It is the third stone archway into Wuhou Temple.
This archway is a four-column and three-chamber stone archway with a height of 6 meters and a width of 8.5 meters. Although the columns here do not "soar to the sky", there are stone bells placed on the forehead squares corresponding to the columns. One, a stone roar standing on a lotus seat, looking at the sky and roaring. In addition, both sides of the forehead are decorated with historical figures, such as "Three visits to the thatched cottage" and so on.
The four characters "Legends of Three Generations" are engraved on the banner on the front of the memorial arch, and the inscriptions are "Kangxi Guimao Mengdong Jiri" and "Nanyang Prefecture Magistrate plus second-level Wang Weixinqian". For this reason, this archway is also called the "Three Generations of Legacy" stone archway.
On the back of the archway are engraved the four words "Master Tao Lue", and the pillars are engraved with a couplet in the main script:
Left behind the world, holding one's knees and chanting in the high wind, each has its own origin. Zhizhi;
Piananhui Han Zuo bowed and worked hard, and the sun and the moon hung together in two inscriptions.
This is a tribute to Zhuge Liang’s talent, virtue and integrity. This square was built in 1663, the Guimao year of Kangxi, under the supervision of Wang Weixin, the prefect of Nanyang. According to legend, there were only two stone arches in the Wuhou Temple in front of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. When Emperor Kangxi asked the number of archways in the Wuhou Temple, Wang Weixin mistakenly answered three. In order to avoid the crime of deceiving the emperor and neglecting his superiors, the prefect Wang Weixin used Jiu Gong to build the temple devoutly. This workshop.
The Stone Square, a heritage site of the Six Dynasties in Wuzhen, Tongxiang City, is the relic of Prince Zhaoming’s reading room on the west bank of the Wuzhen City River and at the south end of the theater.
According to the records of Wuqing Town, in 503, Prince Zhaoming, the son of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, studied here with his teacher Shen Yue and built a library. Later, the library collapsed.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Jin Tingxun, a fellow magistrate stationed in Wuzhen, built a stone square "a heritage site of the Six Dynasties" at the former site of the library in order to commemorate Prince Zhaoming's diligent study.
This stone square is located in the Xizha Scenic Area of ??Wuzhen. The stone square is made of granite, gatehouse style, about 5 meters high and 3.8 meters wide. Due to its age and incomplete weathering, the top stone of the door is engraved with the words "Heritage of the Six Dynasties" and "The Reading Place of Prince Liang Zhaoming and Shen Shangshu".
In the Summer Palace in Beijing, it has the most archways among Beijing buildings and is unique. Most of the archways in the Summer Palace are sign arches, which are used to separate space sections. But the words on the archway have strong cultural connotations.
There is an archway in front of the East Palace Gate, the main entrance of the Summer Palace, with three rooms, four columns and seven floors. It is the largest street archway preserved in the Qing Dynasty. There are 176 golden dragons and 36 golden phoenixes painted on both sides of the archway. There is a stone plaque inlaid in the middle of the archway, with the east title "Hanxu" and the west title "稨秀". These two inscriptions are from Qianlong's imperial script and are very precious.
In addition to this archway, the most attractive archway in the Summer Palace is the one in front of Paiyun Gate in the garden.
This archway stands by the lake. Its architectural form is three rooms with four columns and seven floors. Each gatehouse has a different name, including the main building, the secondary building, the mezzanine building and the side building. On the front of the archway is written "Yunhui Yuyu" and on the back is "Xinggong Yaoshu", which means that the clouds are shining on the emperor's palace and the stars are surrounding the Beidou.
This archway is the real starting point of the building complex in front of Wanshou Mountain in the Summer Palace. It embellishes the garden landscape with a gorgeous image and shows the royal style.
In addition, there are two wooden archways on Nanhu Island in the Summer Palace, with the words "Lingxiao" and "Mirroring Moon" written on them. They are tall and beautiful.
"Lingxiao" means approaching the clouds, which is a metaphor for lofty aspirations; "Mirror Moon" means the moon in the mirror, which is a metaphor for an illusory scene. Here it refers to the beautiful and elusive artistic conception of the Summer Palace.
The Guozijian Glazed Archway in Beijing is a large-scale glazed archway within the two gates of the Imperial Academy. It is the only archway in my country specifically set up for education, and is a symbol of the emphasis on literature and education in ancient my country.
This archway was built in 1783. The shape of the entire archway is a glazed archway with three four-column and seven-story verandah roofs. All exposed parts of the wooden frame that belong to the building are covered with colored glazed veneers. The upper floors are covered with yellow glazed tiles and framed with green glazed brackets.
On the front of the memorial archway banner is the word "圜 bridge Jiao Ze", which means that there are many scholars attending the lectures, and on the back is "Xuehai Jieguan", which means that because there are many scholars attending the lectures, waterways must be used to separate the students.
The entire building is colorful, exquisite and grand. It is also the only glazed archway in Beijing that is not part of a temple.
In addition to the above archways, various famous mountains in my country also have local landmark archways, such as Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Putuo, Mount Tai, etc.