Cicheng is a famous historical and cultural town of Zhejiang Province near the East Sea and beside the Yaojiang River. With a historical accumulation of over thousand years, Cicheng has very deep details in culture. In an area of about five square kilometers, there are 33 cultural relics protecting units of different grades of the state, province, city and region. Meanwhile, Cicheng has been rich in celebrities. From Tang and Song Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties there had been 519 Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations or Presented Scholars). In modern and contemporary times, celebrities as Zhou Xinfang, Qin Runqing, Ying Changqi, Tan Jiazhen, and Feng Jicai are from Cicheng.

    The cultural value of the ancient county of Cicheng is not only because of its long history of humanity, but also because of its unique natural beauty. Hills and streams enhance each other and make the town more beautiful.

    If you want to witness the thousand-year vicissitudes and experience the thick Confucian style and customs and water country atmosphere, come to the thousand-year Cicheng, The First Ancient County of South China!

Although, today it is considered a town, Cicheng was an old county founded in B.C. 473, was recognized as an Official County in the Tang dynasty. Today, it is the only one ancient county seat in Changjiang delta which had been protected well for over two millennia. Whether through the features of the city¡¯s structure or the features of Feng Shui, vast information about Cicheng from ancient time to present typify an ancient Chinese city.

A. Elements of the Ancient County Structure:

County Government (County yamen),
Civil University (Confucian temple)
Martial University (King Guan temple)
Public Event Location (Chenghuang temple)
Xiaoshiguan (place of Examination)
College (Academy of Classical Learning)
City Gate
City Wall
Moat
Lake (Cihu)
Pengshan Tower

B. Feng Shui as it Applies to the Environment and the City:
1. The Geographic Environment:
The south edge of Cicheng faces a river and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. This special landscape configuration signifies the King's position; with a black dragon on the left, white tiger on the right, and the mountains around Cicheng, all figuring on a "nine dragons play a pearl" in Feng Shui concepts.

2. Feng Shui Theory about The City's Structure:
All the features typify Cicheng was an Official County, particular The Double Chessboard form. It means the form of Cicheng like a chessboard by bird-eyes, which was the standard form of ancient city (Right figure):
The County yamen in the center, Civilization (Confucius temple) on the left, Military (Guandi temple) on the right, and the northern lake (Cihu) all bring balance for Cicheng's Feng Shui; The entire landform of Cicheng is a tortoiseshell, and all the streets are in north-south and east-west directions. Consequently, Cicheng is a good and rare extant example of traditional Chinese thinking for city planning and Feng Shui.

As an Official County, Cicheng also was well known for its rich filial piety culture. On one hand, the name of Cicheng in Chinese means City of Kindness; the other hand the stories about the three filial sons had been praised from generations to generations. One of them named Dongan, an Official approval filial son in Han Dynasty who cared his mother kindly all her life. Meanwhile, he never give up study for the Emperor Examination until succeed pass.

Filial piety culture in Cicheng, have not only a lot of historical symbols from the relation of regality to the relation of family, but also many live symbols from the people to the tradition in Cicheng today.