Ancient City of the State of Teng

8:00 – 18:00

3 RMB per person

Tel: 0632-5020053 Address: Duke Wen Platform, Tengcheng, Jiangtun Town, Tengzhou City

Suitable for visits all year round

0632-3350123

Take Bus No.8 and get off at its terminal stop.

The Ancient City of the State of Teng lies about 5 kilometers southwest of downtown Tengzhou. Historical records state: "Within the twenty-li perimeter of the outer city stood an inner sub-city." The remnants of the ancient city walls can still be faintly seen today.

The outer city roughly takes a square shape, stretching horizontally from east to west. Southward along the western outer wall runs a section of moat, commonly known as the West Sea, which served as the city’s ancient defensive water barrier. Two low-lying ponds sit at the southeast and northeast corners inside the outer city. Filled with water, they were once fully planted with lotus flowers, giving rise to the ancient praise: "Two ponds of lotus blooms, a whole city draped in lotus blossoms."

The inner sub-city stands at the center of the outer city, also roughly square, with a perimeter of over ten li. Over the past century, local villagers built earthen stockades atop the original city foundations to ward off wars and floods. Today, the inner sub-city rises 3 to 4 meters above the surrounding ground. Its wall tops are lined with pagoda trees, forming lush green canopies that exude delicate floral fragrance. Tengcheng Village sits within the inner city, encircled by verdant orchards and farmlands brimming with vitality.

A tall platform stands at the northeastern corner of the inner city — Duke Wen Platform, also called the Spirit Platform. Beneath the platform lies a pond known as the Spirit Pond. Mencius · King Liang Hui I records: "King Wen built a platform and a pond with the people, and the people rejoiced with him. They named the platform the Spirit Platform and the pond the Spirit Pond." Duke Wen of Teng followed King Wen’s example to erect the Spirit Platform and dig the Spirit Pond, embodying the wish to share joy with his people.

During the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zhenwu Temple was constructed on the platform. Flanking the left side gate of the temple are brick-carved couplets inscribed by Wei Jicha, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty with a red-listed academic title: "Near the Jing River lie these ancient ruins; once upon this high platform, men mourned the lord’s heir. This fief was first granted to Shu Xiu; do not mistake this lofty pavilion for Prince Teng’s Tower."

This serves as solid historical evidence. Ancient buildings once lined the eastern side of the platform, including the Wenchang Pavilion, Lü Zu Pavilion, Merit Shrine and Rest Shrine. A merit stone carved with a touching legendary tale also remains here. A huge boulder rests on the platform surface, bearing the two large characters "Magnificent Sight" handwritten by Li Bai. Two ancient pagoda trees stand symmetrically in front of the platform, rugged and time-honored with luxuriant foliage. Said to have been planted during the Zhenguan reign of the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago, they are revered as sacred trees by local residents.

In 1992, the People’s Government of Tengzhou City fully renovated Duke Wen Platform. Palaces and winding corridors with carved beams and painted rafters, blue bricks and green tiles now stand atop the platform, restoring its former grandeur. Wax figures depicting "Duke Wen Consulting on Governance" are displayed inside the halls, vividly recreating the scene where Duke Wen sought statecraft counsel from Mencius, alongside lifelike statues of Ran You, Bi Zhan and other figures.

A newly built stele gallery on the eastern side of the platform houses a collection of stone tablets and epitaphs collected over the years, including the Tang Dynasty stone statue tablet of Wang Shiquan, the Xingguo Temple Tablet of the Tang Dynasty, the Liangshan Parents Tablet of the Tang Dynasty, the Taiping Courtyard Tablet and Dading Period Tablet of the Jin Dynasty, the Imperial Edict Tablet of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty, the Daqing Tablet of the Yuan Dynasty, as well as calligraphy stone carvings by Hua Shikui and other masters for visitors to appreciate.

Boasting the long-standing splendid history and culture of the State of Teng and the picturesque scenery of its ancient capital, the Ancient City of Teng remains a cultural sacred site cherished and yearned for by generations.