Yueheng Gate Introduction
Yueheng Gate is located to the west of Hsing Chuang in Dongshi District, facing the Dajia River. Its design and scale are similar to those of the "Rising Sun Gate," and there is a blue couplet above that says, "Behind supports the north, and in front faces the south." In the Ten Heavenly Stems, the northern direction corresponds to the "Gui" stem while the southern direction corresponds to the "Ding" stem, indicating that Yueheng Gate faces south. On both sides above the Yueheng Gate, there are circular gun holes, and below the couplet, there are two square shooting holes, which are very useful for defense. The Rising Sun and Yueheng Gate towers are closely related to the history of the village below, known as Hsing Chuang. According to existing historical materials, the establishment of Hsing Chuang began in the fifth year of the Daoguang era during the Qing Dynasty, when the villagers began land reclamation, using stone walls to mark boundaries for bamboo planting, and constructed houses to live together, working collectively in agriculture, hence the name "Hsing Chuang." After the Tai-wan War, the villagers of Hsing Chuang built the eastern and western gates with gun holes for defense against external threats and planted bamboo around the village to prevent theft. In 1999, Yueheng Gate was damaged during the 921 earthquake, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau registered it as a historic building and carried out restoration work to preserve it.
