Yueheng Gate Introduction
Yueheng Gate is located in the eastern district of Dongshi, west of Heqing Village, facing the Dajia River. Its shape and scale are similar to that of the "Rising Sun Gate." Above it, there is a couplet in blue characters that reads "Behind leans to the north, in front faces south," indicating that the Yueheng Gate is oriented north-south. Directly above the gate, there are circular gun ports on both the left and right sides, and below the couplet, there are two square gun holes, which are very useful for defense. The Rising Sun Gate and Yueheng Gate are closely related to the history of Kaizhuang in the lower city. According to existing historical records, the development of Kaizhuang in the lower city started in the fifth year of the Daoguang era during the Qing Dynasty, when the villagers began to cultivate the land, using stone walls to mark the boundaries for bamboo planting, and built houses with cooperative farming as their main activity, naming it "Hexing Village." After the uprising of Dai Wansheng, the villagers of Hexing built gates to the east and west for protection against outsiders, with gun holes for preparedness, and planted thorny bamboo around the village to prevent robbery. After the 921 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999, Yueheng Gate suffered damage from the quake. The Cultural Bureau has since registered it as a historical building and conducted restoration and preservation efforts.
