Chaozhou Zhongjie Fang Historic District

At the intersection of Beimen Street and Jinshan Lane, a single stone archway bears the physical scars of five centuries. Standing five meters high and four meters wide, the Zhongjie Fang is the sole authentic survivor of the thirty-nine ancient archways that once lined Chaozhou. In 1951, demolition crews dismantled thirty-six of these structures to widen roads and remove hazards. Two more fell during the Cultural Revolution. This two-pillar, one-door monument endured.

Erected in 1537 by Prefect Zheng Zonggu, the archway honors Ma Fa, a Southern Song commander. In 1277, Ma Fa led a desperate, year-long defense against Mongol forces. When the city finally broke, he and his family chose death at nearby Jinshan over surrender. The Ming Dynasty scholar Huang Yidao immortalized this defiance in the plaque's calligraphy. His thick, forceful brushstrokes remain carved into the stone, though rough concrete from past emergency repairs now covers the lettering.

Life flows around the battered stone. A newly built stage hosts the rhythmic, stomping steps of the Yingge dance. The Zhongjie Fang stands at the center of it all. Its patched concrete and scraped pillars offer a direct, tactile link to a commander’s final stand and a city’s enduring memory.