aeeble

The Yueheng Gate is located to the west of Dongshi District and Xihang Village, facing the Dajia River. Its size and shape are similar to those of the Risheng Gate, and it bears the couplet in blue characters: “後倚癸方其悉合；前朝丁向總咸宜.” In the celestial stems, 癸方 refers to the north, while 丁向 refers to the south, indicating that the Yueheng Gate faces northward and opens to the south. Above the gate, on either side, there are circular gun ports; below the couplet, there are two square gun holes, which are very useful for defense. The Yueheng and Risheng gate towers are closely related to the history of the Kaizhuang Village in Xincheng. According to existing historical records, Kaizhuang in Xincheng was established in the fifth year of Daoguang during the Qing dynasty. The villagers cleared the land, used stone walls to demarcate the bamboo grove boundaries, and divided the plots to build homes. They worked together primarily in farming and were known as “Hexing Village.” After the revolt of Dai Wansheng, the people of Hexing Village, to defend against external attacks, built gates to the east and west, each with gun holes for combat readiness, and planted bamboo around the village to prevent robbery. During the 921 Central Taiwan earthquake in the 88th year of the Republic of China, the Yueheng Gate suffered damage. The Cultural Bureau recorded it as a historical building and undertook restoration and preservation.