Yueheng Gate Introduction
Yueheng Gate is located to the west of Heping Township and faces the Dajia River. Its structure and scale are similar to that of the "Rising Sun Gate." Above it, there is a couplet that reads: "Behind is the Gui direction; In front is the Ding facing, both are auspicious." In the Heavenly Stems, the Gui direction refers to the north, while the Ding direction refers to the south, indicating that Yueheng Gate faces south. On either side above Yueheng Gate, there is a circular gun port, and below the couplet, there are two square gun holes, which serve significant defensive purposes. The Rising Sun and Yueheng Gates are closely related to the history of Kaizhuang in the lower town. According to existing historical records, the establishment of Kaizhuang in the lower town started in the fifth year of the Daoguang era, when the villagers began land reclamation, building stone walls to demarcate bamboo fields, and constructed houses to live together, primarily focusing on agriculture, and named it "Hexing Township." After the Daiseng uprising, the villagers of Hexing Township built two gates, east and west, equipped with gun holes to prepare for defense against invaders, and planted bamboo around the village to prevent robbery. Following the 921 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999, Yueheng Gate suffered damage. The Cultural Bureau registered it as a historical building and conducted restoration and preservation work.
