Zhukuan Castle Yingxi Gate (East Gate of Zhukuan Castle) Introduction
The Yingxi Gate of Zhucheng is located in the East District of Hsinchu City. Zhucheng (the ancient name of Hsinchu) is the first brick city in northern Taiwan and was once the political and economic center north of the Dajia River. In 1733, Xu Zhimin, the administrator of Tamsui, established the city using bamboo as the main material. After the completion of the brick city in the ninth year of the Daoguang era (1829), there were four city gates: Yingxi Gate (East Gate) to the east, Yishuang Gate to the west, Gexun Gate to the south, and Gongchen Gate to the north. Due to urban planning during the Japanese occupation, the city walls and towers were demolished in 1902, leaving only the east gate, Yingxi Gate, which has been designated as a national historic site. The semi-circular arched gate is constructed from white stone from Quanzhou, and the double-eaved, hip-and-gable roof structure of the gate tower, along with the moat, protects Zhucheng. In 1999, the Yingxi Gate Plaza was renovated into a civic square with funding from the Cultural Construction Commission's historical space beautification project, and Yingxi Gate was named the Heart of Hsinchu, serving as a spiritual fortress for the people of Hsinchu City. The suspension bridge is approximately 8.3 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, visible at both ends corresponding to Xinyi Road. Since Yingxi Gate is located within the inner ring of the roundabout, the government designed the Yingxi Gate Plaza to bring the public closer to it. The elongated plaza utilizes stairs to guide visitors and connects the pathways on both sides of the moat with urban streets. Neon lights embedded under the glass pavement make the Yingxi Gate Plaza even more enchanting at night, while the oval-shaped city-walk allows people to stroll and connects the Yingxi Gate Plaza with the pedestrian underpass along the moat, enabling visitors to appreciate Yingxi Gate from different angles.
