Fort Provintia Introduction
The area originally served as the dwelling place of the Dakas tribe, specifically the Fangli community of the Pengshan Eight communities. In the third year of the Xianfeng era, the Quanzhou people built a thoroughfare north of Fangli village. During its peak, the salt warehouse produced two thousand piculs annually, and the dyeing industry was also very prosperous. Due to the inconvenience of conducting commercial activities, the main streets were paved with stone slabs, and houses were equipped with awnings, creating a bustling, vibrant atmosphere often referred to as the "heavenly street." In the fifth year of the Xianfeng era, local gentry Chen Zhidong and Cai Xichou initiated fundraising for the construction of a city. The walls of Fangli City spanned roughly three miles and were built with earth and stone. There were four city gates located in the east, west, south, and north. Outside the city, thorny bamboo was planted, and a moat surrounded it, with barrels of stakes spread across the bottom of the moat, showcasing significant development momentum. However, good times did not last. In the second year of the Guangxu era, the city suffered from a disastrous flood, leading to the abandonment of the marketplace. As commercial activities shifted due to the establishment of a railway station on Yuanshe Street, Fangli Street gradually declined. Today, the city walls have completely disappeared, but remnants of the large drainage ditch in the north vaguely suggest the former glory of Fangli City. Although Fangli City has become a part of history, the village still retains a wealth of historical artifacts such as Shuntian Temple, the Fangli Stream Yidu Monument, and Cai’s ancient residence, all of which are well worth exploring for visitors.
