Fangli Old Fort Introduction
The area originally served as the home of the Dakas tribe's Fongli community in the Pangshan Eight Villages. In the third year of the Xianfeng era, residents built a street north of Fongli village, and at its peak, the salt warehouse produced 2,000 shi annually, with the dyeing industry also thriving. The residents of Fongli were not able to engage in commercial activities conveniently, with the main street paved with stone slabs and houses equipped with awnings, creating a bustling scene often referred to as the "street without a roof." In the fifth year of the Xianfeng era, local gentry Chen Zhidong and Cai Xichou initiated fundraising to build a city. The perimeter of Fongli City was about three li, with walls made of earth and stone, featuring four city gates in the east, west, south, and north. Outside the city, thorny bamboo was planted, and there was a moat filled with wooden stakes, showcasing its development potential. However, good times did not last. In the second year of the Guangxu era, a catastrophe struck, leading to the abandonment of the marketplace. With the establishment of a railway station on the Yuanli street, commercial activities shifted, and Fongli Street gradually declined. Today, the city walls have completely disappeared, and only remnants of the large ditch to the north faintly suggest the former grandeur of Fongli City. Although Fongli City has become history, the village still possesses a wealth of historical artifacts worth exploring, such as Shuntian Temple, the Fongli Stream Yidu Stele, and the Cai Family's old residence, all of which are highly recommended for visitors.
