Where is Tengzhou Iron Archway located?

Tengzhou Iron Archway was first cast in the Renxu year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1742), and was completed in the Dingmao year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1947). In 1966, due to the "Destroying the Four Olds", this iron archway, which had experienced more than 220 years, disappeared into the long river of history.

On March 29, reporters came to the home of Liu Kangshi, an elderly man who lives in Longquanyuan Community, to learn about the story of the Iron Arch. Mr. Liu took out the photos of the "Tengzhou Iron Archway" that he had collected for a long time and talked about his memories of the Iron Archway.

The original site of Tengzhou Iron Archway is located on the east side of Beimenli Street Road, and now Sifangcheng Community has been built. Tengzhou Iron Archway is in the style of a palace pavilion, with a height of 13 meters, with a high middle and two bottoms. The top is supported by eight iron pillars, and the lower part is supported by eight colored terrazzo pillars. Each iron pillar in the upper part is connected to the lower stone pillar, with cornices and brackets. There is about a cubic iron "work" shaped platform stone on both sides of the front of the iron house. On the stage, there are iron lions about two meters high. The brackets of the iron workshop are engraved with eight regular script characters: "The moon shines on the eaves and the birds return to the brackets." There are three plaques centered on the front. The top block is cast with the two characters "imperial edict" in small seal script. There is an inscription in regular script cast on the middle piece: "In the former Ming Dynasty, the governor of Huaiyang and Yangzhou was Cha Youqian, the imperial censor, and the French military pay system. Li Shi, the wife of Huang Jiarui's grandson Huang Yuliang, paid a filial visit to Huang Zhong's mother." The lower part is cast with "Qin Jing Jie Filial Piety".

Tengzhou Iron Archway is also called Jiexiao Archway. Mr. Liu explained that the owner who built the iron archway was called Huang Zhong. Huang Zhong's father Huang Yuliang died early, but his mother always abided by women's ethics and refused to marry until her death. Huang Zhong built the iron archway in memory of his mother. This iron archway is also a building that reflects the feudal ethics of ancient Chinese women.

According to Liu Kangshi, the photo of the Tengzhou Iron Arch in his hand was taken by one of his friends during the "Four Olds" movement in 1966. After that, a friend developed the photo and gave him a copy. But due to the passage of time, his friend's photos and negatives have long since disappeared, and only one of his remains. Although the iron archway was destroyed, fortunately there are photos preserved. The current iron arch model in the Luban Memorial Hall is based on this precious photo. Mr. Liu regarded the photos as treasures. Many visitors came to ask for them, but he refused. This photo is already unique in Tengzhou.

Although the iron archway has been destroyed, its cultural value is immeasurable. "Fangs" in the feudal era, such as stone squares and wooden squares, can be found all over the country, but only iron squares like Liao Ruoxingchen.