A traditional village in Zhejiang was discovered, hiding a representative of architecture
I believe that many people don’t know much about “Chinese traditional villages”. This refers to villages built before the Republic of China. In September 2012, the first meeting of the Traditional Village Protection and Development Expert Committee decided to change the customary name “ancient villages” to “traditional villages”.
Why should we pay attention to “traditional villages”? That’s because traditional villages contain rich historical information and cultural landscapes. They are indispensable “living” civilizations and heritage that need to be protected and maintained! As of October 25, 2023, there are 8,155 traditional Chinese villages across the country.
Next, I will introduce to you a "traditional village" in Zhejiang. It not only has many folk customs, but also hides representative architectures. You can come and visit it when you have free time!
What I want to talk about is Sanmenyuan Village, formerly known as "Xinghua Village". Later, in order to prevent bandits, the villagers built a city wall at the entrance of the village, and opened a mountain gate in the east, west and middle. A stream of clear water flowed under the mountain gate, and the name "Sanmenyuan" came from this [some say it came from the three surnames Ji, Weng and Ye, which will be discussed later].
On December 17, 2012, Sanmenyuan Village was announced as the first batch of traditional Chinese villages by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Finance. The village not only has natural landscapes such as Fanzeng Mountain and Baifoyan Waterfall, but also has folk customs such as Wu opera singing troupe, Taoist opera, dragon dance, lion dance, tea picking lanterns, horse lanterns, and stepping on Gaoqiao!
Looking through history, we can see that Sanmenyuan Village was originally inhabited by the Ji family from Jiangxi. Later, the population became increasingly sparse and now no longer exists. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Weng family moved to Sanmenyuan, Longqiu to avoid the Fang La uprising. In the blink of an eye, in the sixth year of Xianchun in the Southern Song Dynasty (1270), the Ye family also migrated here and gradually developed into today's pattern.
After entering the ancient village, you will see that it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with Fanzeng Mountain as the most representative mountain on its back, and a clear mountain stream runs through the village. Looking to the south of the village, there is a hilly basin, and to the north behind the village is the remnant of the Senrigang Mountains. This terrain has protected the development of the ancient village and also provided the premise for the preservation of the village.
As we continued our tour, we saw that the entire ancient village was arranged in a narrow strip, divided into two by the Bi Creek. The west of the creek was the Ye family, and the east of the creek was the Weng family. Each of them had their own ancestral hall as the center, and the residential buildings of each household as the spatial unit, which were surrounded by layers to form the entire village.
Interestingly, nearly half of Xidong’s territory was occupied by the Ye family.
At this time, careful friends will find something different. That is, the layout of the ancient village is close to the mountains and rivers, which makes the air here particularly fresh. It has a comfortable and pleasant microclimate with warm winters and cool summers, which is amazing! The ancient dams and canals still control the amount of stream water and are part of the irrigation system. The canals also serve as flood discharges, effectively reducing the harm of mountain torrents to residential areas. It is truly eye-opening!
If you like to see ancient buildings, you must take a look at the group of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are as many as 60 buildings. Most of them are from the Ming Dynasty. They are so exquisite that they will make you dizzy. The delicate brick carvings and gorgeous wood carvings, as well as the white walls, black tiles and tall wind and fire walls all reveal the owner's luxury and extraordinary aesthetics.
If you like watching real fireworks, you can walk through the alleys paved with mossy stone slabs, as if you are passing by a graceful woman from hundreds of years ago. The area where the fireworks are rising is the woman’s home!
If you like to watch ancient folk customs, it is recommended to go to the stage, where there will be Wu Opera, Yue Opera and other dramas that reflect the emperors and generals. In addition, Mu Opera, puppet show and lantern show are also popular in Sanmenyuan Village. Of course, activities such as dragon dances, lion dances, tea-picking lanterns, horse lanterns, and stilt walking will be restored during the Spring Festival, but not every year.
After communicating with fellow tourists, everyone felt that Sanmenyuan Village is worthy of being called a "traditional village". The villagers live in ancient buildings that are hundreds of years old. They take their children for a walk and do laundry in this century-old village. It is a modern "living" paradise. In the local people's houses, you can see exquisitely carved decorative patterns on the roofs, and a strong sense of history is everywhere.
Tips for visiting Sanmenyuan Village:
The ticket price is 0 yuan. It is located in Sanmenyuan Village, Longyou County, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Take Longyou Bus 252 and get off at [Sanmenyuan Intersection] Station. Self-driving is recommended.
There are highlights in the ancient village such as the Sanmenyuan ancient building complex, the Weng clan ancestral hall, the Ye clan ancestral hall, the Li clan's Qing Dynasty building, and the Ye clan's ancient building complex. If you are interested, you can take a closer look.
Have you ever been to this attraction? Welcome to leave a message to communicate and discuss!