Scenic spots in Tangkou Town

The long-standing overseas Chinese culture has endowed Tangkou with rich tourism resources and cultural landscapes. There are more than 600 watchtowers of various types in the town, the largest number in Kaiping. Its architectural style is unique and blends the essence of Chinese and Western cultures. , of great ornamental value. Famous attractions include Liyuan Garden, one of the new eight scenic spots in Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Township, an AAAA-level scenic spot and one of the most unique overseas Chinese gardens in China, and the Zili Village Diaolou Group, a major project in the world cultural heritage application of "Kaiping Diaolou and Residential Residences".

Since 2001, the Kaiping Municipal Government has held the "China Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourism Festival" in Tangkou every year, which has greatly improved the tourism image of Tangkou, attracted many tourists to come for sightseeing, and promoted the second The development of three industries.

Zili Village Diaolou Group

Diaolou—it originated in the late Ming Dynasty and flourished in the 1920s and 1930s with the development of overseas Chinese culture. It combines the exquisite and romantic elements of European and American architecture. Perfectly combined with the simplicity and simplicity of oriental architecture, it is a flood-proof and bandit-proof residence. It is scattered in various villages in Kaiping like guards, loyally guarding the overseas Chinese and their families, fulfilling the overseas Chinese's ambition to build their families and businesses, and also witnessing a sad history. Its standing figure is the nostalgia of a wanderer in a foreign land that is out of reach. Most of the buildings with Western characteristics on Chinese territory are transplanted by Western colonists, but the Kaiping Diaolou fully embodies the confident, open and inclusive mentality of overseas Chinese who actively absorb foreign advanced culture. They put their own Based on what he saw and heard, combined with his own aesthetic taste, he devoted himself to the construction of watchtowers. Different places of residence and different aesthetics have created various forms and eclectic forms of Kaiping Diaolou. It has achieved unique and unique artistic culture in the history of architecture.

There are four villages selected as world heritage sites: Jinjiangli, Majianglong, Zili Village and Sanmenli.

Zili Village is located in Tangkou Town, Kaiping, Guangdong Province. It is commonly known as Huangniling. It originally had nine natural villages with surnames. In the later period of the land reform, the three villages were collectively called Zili Tree, which means self-reliance. The watchtowers in the village, with their exquisite architecture, harmonious layout, and well-proportioned layout, have become representatives of the Kaiping watchtowers’ prosperous period. There are 63 households with 175 people in Zili Village, but there are 248 overseas Chinese, Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, mainly distributed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau and other countries and regions. Overseas remittances are the main source of livelihood in this village. one. The watchtowers and residences in Zili Village are exquisitely constructed and well-preserved, with a harmonious and well-proportioned layout. They are surrounded by vast hectares of fertile fields and smell of rice. Walking along the field path and passing through green trees and bamboos directly into the village, you will suddenly feel like a paradise. Time seems to go back more than a hundred years ago. There are fifteen watchtowers and cottages in the village. According to the construction period, they are: Longsheng Tower (1917), Yangxian Villa (1919), Qiu'an Julu (1920), Yunhuan Building (1921), Ju'an Building (1922), Yaoguang Villa (1923), Zhulin Building (1924), Zhen'an Building (1924), Mingshi Building (1925), Anlu (1926) Year), Yinong Building (1929), Ye Sheng's Residence (1930), Guansheng's Residence (1934), Lansheng's Residence (1935), Zhan Residence (1948).

Fang's Lamp Tower

Fang's Lamp Tower is located on the hillside to the north of Tangkou Market, Tangkou Town, Kaiping City, 11 kilometers east of Kaiping City. Today, the Fang family from Zhaiqun and Qiangya villages jointly raised funds to build it in 1920. It was originally called "Guxi Tower". Creek naming. The building is 5 stories high and 18.43 meters high. It has a reinforced concrete structure. The 3rd floor and below are the accommodation for the on-duty staff, the 4th floor is a balcony and the fifth floor is a pavilion with a Western-style dome roof. The building is equipped with on-duty warnings. The early Western generators, searchlights, firearms, etc. are typical examples. The building is perfectly sited and offers wide views, while also becoming the centerpiece of the surrounding countryside. Fang's lantern tower has historically played an active role in early warning and defense for the Fang people in Guzhai Township against bandit attacks in the Magang area to the north. The current condition of the building remains intact.

Liyuan

Liyuan - a shining pearl among overseas Chinese gardens, integrates traditional gardening and the characteristics of Jiangnan water towns, and its unique architectural art style that combines Western and Western styles. It is unique among Chinese gardens and is comparable to the four famous gardens in Guangdong. Located in Genghua Village, Beiyi Township, Tangkou Town, Kaiping, a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in Guangdong, it is a garden villa built in the early 20th century by the late Mr. Xie Weili, an overseas Chinese in the United States. The construction of the park took ten years, and the entire project was completed in 1936. The garden is based on the Grand View Garden described in "A Dream of Red Mansions". It incorporates an eclectic mix of classical Chinese garden architectural art, and integrates the architectural features of villas that were popular in Europe and the United States at that time. It achieves a combination of Chinese and Western styles, and thus has the reputation of a small view garden.

The artistic conception of the garden is small bridges, flowing water, and people's homes. The layout of the garden can be roughly divided into three parts: villa area, large garden area, and small garden area. The three areas are separated by artificial rivers or walls, and are cleverly connected by bridges, pavilions or sky-wide corridors, making people feel that there is a garden in the garden, a scene in the scene, pavilions, terraces and pavilions, the layout is elegant and original. It gives people a sense of ingenuity.

The Liyuan Garden not only has the charm of Chinese gardens, but also absorbs the Western sentiment of European and American architecture, and skillfully blends them together. It is the first-class private garden built by overseas Chinese in China, and it is also the most complete one discovered in China. A famous garden that combines Chinese and Western styles.

The main entrance of Liyuan is at the south corner of the villa area. Next to the door (to the south) is the Liyuan Canal.

The word "Li Yuan" above the center of the gate is soft yet strong, free and smooth. It was written by the calligrapher Wu Daorong in the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934).

Enter from the main entrance, go west along the canal corridor for about 100 meters, and then enter the villa area. There are six villas and one ancient watchtower in the villa area. Among them, the two villas Panli and Panwen are the most magnificent. Their roofs are built in the ancient Chinese double-eaves style, covered with green glazed tiles and cleverly elevated to become practical partitions. Thermosphere. The indoor floors and stairs are paved with colorful Italian stones, which are still dazzling after more than sixty years. This is the pinnacle of skill of skilled craftsmen, which is breathtaking. The indoor walls are decorated with large-scale colorful murals, reliefs and large-scale gold-painted wood carvings based on stories about ancient Chinese characters; the colorful reliefs are of Liu Bei visiting the thatched cottage three times, and the gold-coated wood carvings are the seals of the Six Kingdoms. The characters are realistic, lifelike, and exquisitely carved. , the composition is unique. Western-style fireplaces are installed on the walls of each floor; mosquito screens are installed on all windows; antique lighting is suspended from the ceiling; rosewood furniture with exquisite craftsmanship is displayed on each floor, making it look simple, elegant, noble and antique. Water and bathroom facilities, such as water pumps, bathtubs, toilets, water tanks, etc., are all purchased from abroad. The heavy door and deep lock at the door make people feel more mysterious - this is evident from the home anti-theft facilities at that time. The fourth floor is where the ancestor shrines of Mr. This shows that the owner’s spirit of loving the nation and the country is indeed admirable!

To the west of the villa area is the large garden. Its layout is north-south (that is, sitting north to south). It is mainly laid out with the Liyuan Archway and Benli Daosheng Archway as the axis.

The Liyuan Archway is across the canal to the south, facing Hushan Mountain in the distance. To the left and right of the archway, there are two round iron tiger whips 20 meters high and 30 centimeters in diameter, standing majestically towards Hushan Mountain, like It was to suppress the power of the "tiger", to straighten out people's belief in Feng Shui at that time, and to make the archway more solemn and magnificent. When you step into the archway, you can see a finely carved granite stone lion squatting symmetrically on both sides, a male on the right and a female on the left, showing the majesty of the male and the subduing tiger. Follow the goldfish ponds on both sides of the cement road directly to the Xiu Shen Li Ben Archway. Behind the archway is a large tic-tac-shaped flower auxiliary. There is a group of buildings on the east side of the archway. The first one is a Roman building made of steel plate, cement and stone, with unique craftsmanship, and is called the Bird's Nest; the later one is a beige cement building with flowers all over it, with unique craftsmanship, shaped like a birdcage, and built at the bottom. The goldfish pond is said to be a birdcage and a flower vine pavilion. There is a tower villa named Yupei in the southwest corner of the large garden. The villa is small and exquisite, and the construction craftsmanship is top-notch. There are four-story buildings inside, which were ingeniously conceived by the owner of the garden. Some of them imitate ancient Chinese, Japanese sleeping styles, Italian Tibetan style, and Roman palace style. The patterns on each floor are carefully selected, and four red hearts are cleverly connected together. The circular pattern is uniquely loving, and is inlaid with colorful Italian stones in the center of each hall and room. It is speculated that it is the garden owner's love for the four hearts. The lady's heart-to-heart feelings. This villa was built by the owner in memory of his beloved concubine, and it can be described as a masterpiece of ingenuity.

Underground in the large garden is a basement built with reinforced concrete, with secret passages connecting the inside and outside. The large garden is surrounded by winding corridors, which connect the entire garden building into one, making people feel more natural and comfortable.

The "Small Garden" is located south of the "Big Garden" and the villa area, separated by the canal. A "Hong Kong Bridge" is built to connect the villa area and the small garden. An evening fragrance pavilion is built on the bridge. Visitors can enter the pavilion and climb the tower to enjoy the garden scenery, which is a unique pleasure. The small garden has a unique composition and is in the shape of "Sichuan". The park is divided by a Wu-shaped canal, connected by a "Water Playing" bridge on the east, with a "Changchun" pavilion built on the bridge; connected by a "Guanlan" bridge on the west, with a *** music pavilion built on the bridge. The small garden is mainly composed of three pavilions: Yicui Pavilion, Changchun Pavilion and Leshan Pavilion. On the top of the "Yicui" pavilion, there are several gray carvings of figures depicting the Eight Immortals crossing the sea in ancient times. The colors are bright and the figures are vivid. There is a golden dragon entwined on the top. The hanging lamp is like a pearl spitting out from it, which is lifelike and amazing. Absolutely. These three pavilions are all built in a unique style, exquisite and beautiful.

The five-story white pagoda next to the Changchun Pavilion is also very exquisite in workmanship, exquisite and clear, small but unique, and endearing. It is said that Bingding Zhurong, the god of fire in the south, is used to suppress the intrusion of fireworks and protect the safety of the garden. There are six villas and a watchtower in the villa area, including Panwen and Panli, which combine Chinese and Western architectural styles. The exterior is majestic with yellow walls and green tiles, cornices and brackets, and is unique in the ancient style of Chinese palaces; the interior design is elegant and comfortable, antique, and the hall It is decorated with screen murals, mahogany tables and chairs, crystal palace lanterns, flower shelves and bookcases, ocean basins and bathtubs, Western fireplaces, Hunan embroidery tide carvings, wells to divert water, and hand-cranked water supplies. The halls and rooms are elegant, comfortable, quiet and warm, and have the charm of a paradise. The large garden is surrounded by green trees, birds singing, flowers fragrant, towering ancient trees, and winding corridors, making people relaxed and happy. In short, the entire garden not only has unique architectural compositions, but also unique and innovative ideas for planting flowers, plants, and trees. It adapts to the trend of the times and is planned and arranged skillfully. Various famous flowers and exotic plants, landscape trees, and timber trees are planted here and there. , fruit trees, etc., all available, a dazzling array. Nowadays, the ancient trees are towering, the green trees are shady, the garden pavilions are green, the garden is full of flowers, the flowers are fragrant and the birds are chirping. Being in the center of the garden is relaxing and joyful, and tourists linger here forever. Unfortunately, the Anti-Japanese War broke out, and the owner of the park, Wei Li, moved his family to the United States. Therefore, all the planned projects for the park had to be stopped, which is a pity.