Weishan Ancient City is a famous scenic spot in the cultural landscape of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture.
Weishan Ancient City, also called Xianghua City, is the birthplace of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom. It is located at the southern end of Laoshan Bazi and is the seat of Weishan Yi and Hui Autonomous County. The ancient city is 61 kilometers away from Dali City in the north and about 400 kilometers away from Kunming in the east.
As early as the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Xielong County was established in Weishan, which belonged to Yizhou County; in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it belonged to Yongchang County. The Shu Han, Jin and Southern Dynasties belonged to Yunnan County. Yangguazhou was established in the early Tang Dynasty. Later, the family was given an imperial edict. During the Nanzhao period, Meng Shebi was set up in Weishan. In the early period of the Dali Kingdom, Mengshe was established, and in the later period, Mengshe Town and Kainan County were established. In the early Yuan Dynasty, it was changed to the Mengshe Qianhu Office, in the Ming Dynasty it was changed to a mansion, and in the Qing Dynasty it was changed to the Menghua Zhili Hall. It was changed to Menghua County in 1913 and Weishan County in 1954. According to the "Menghua Chronicles", the existing ancient city of Weishan was built in the 22nd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1389) and has a history of more than 600 years. The shape of the ancient city is like a giant seal, and the Wenbi Building in the middle is Yinqi, which is four miles and three square. There are towers on each of the four city gates. They are called Zhongwu in the east, Weiyuan in the west, Yingfei in the south and Gongchen in the north. The building is three stories high and majestic. Due to repeated military disasters and disrepair in the ancient city, the three ancient buildings in the east, west and south of the ancient city have been demolished. Today, only the Bei Ancient Building and the Wenbi Building in the city have survived. But judging from the overall layout, the ancient city still maintains the checkerboard architectural pattern of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After liberation, the government allocated funds to restore the two ancient buildings and gave them a completely new look. However, due to the development of the county to the north, Beigu Tower became the center of the city, while Wenbi Tower, which was originally located in the center of the city, is now located in the south of the city.
Gongchen Tower is built on the 8.5-meter-high city wall. It is a Geshan-style building with double eaves, with a width of five rooms and 28 meters, a depth of 17 meters, and a height of 16 meters. The lower floor is surrounded by corridors, and the lowest For the city gate hole. On the south side of the upper eaves is a huge plaque hanging with the Six Edicts of Kuixiong, and under the northern eaves is a plaque looking up to the sky thousands of miles away. The contents of both plaques express ambitions, reflecting Nanzhao's ambition to conquer mountains and rivers. The calligraphy is majestic, powerful and integrated with the entire building, making the ancient building appear more majestic and extraordinary.
The Wenbi Tower, also known as the Star Gong Tower and the Bell and Drum Tower, was built in the 23rd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1390). It was destroyed by war in the late Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The building is 11 meters high, three rooms wide, and built in a mountain-style building with double eaves. The lower floor is surrounded by corridors, and there are brackets under the eaves of the upper and lower floors with exquisite carvings. The doors and windows are open-carved and the four corners are raised, making them look elegant, gorgeous, exquisite and beautiful. The plaques hanging on the four sides of the building are: Ruixia Huafeng, Weixia Yonghe, Yuhuan Guapu, Cangying Panlong. There is a coupon hole on the platform base downstairs, through which four streets, east, west, north and south pass. Climbing the stairs and looking around, you can see the blue bricks and green tiles of the ancient city complementing the modern high-rise buildings. The city is full of people, creating a vibrant scene. There are dozens of ancient buildings and places of interest in and around the ancient city. Rucheng ruins, large and small temples, Weibaoshan architectural complex, Yuanjue Temple, Nanzhao Mengshe City ruins, Dongjue Temple Sun Palace, White Pagoda, Baolong Temple, Fengchuan Pagoda, Confucian Temple, Sanhe Cave Cliff Inscriptions, Wenchang Palace , Wenhua Academy, Yunjing Temple, Yuebo Temple, Bei Shexue, Guifeng Temple, Xizhu Temple, Dongyue Temple, Du Wenxiu Uprising Site, Chenghuang Temple, Xiao Gongdiao, Chen Yiquanji, etc.
In recent years, the urban construction department has widened the original South Street, North Street, and the cross streets at the entrance of the county hospital and paved them with cement pavements. New streets such as Xixin Street and Dongxin Street were built, many buildings were built, and two parks were expanded and renovated, making the ancient city youthful and prosperous.
In January 1994, with the approval of the State Council, Weishan was designated as the third batch of Chinese historical and cultural cities. Outside the city, there are also cultural relics attractions such as the Weibaoshan Taoist Temple Group, Yuanjue Temple, Xuanlong Temple, Longyutu Mountain, and Tianmoye Temple.