Anhui’s amazing ancient village, known as “Little Hangzhou”, once home to 80,000 people, has picturesque scenery

The earliest impression about Huizhou comes from the poem "I have never dreamed of going to Huizhou." I was still young at that time, and I yearned for Huizhou just because I heard the poem was quite literary and artistic. . When I set foot on this land many years later, I realized that it is really difficult for me to describe Huizhou in one sentence because it is so rich.

It is said that "there is no town without Huizhou" and "Huizhou merchants are everywhere", so when you travel in southern Anhui now, the ancient Huizhou villages that have been preserved to this day still show its former glory. Jiangcun in Jingde, Xuancheng, Anhui Province is such a profound ancient village.

Jiangcun was built in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties. It has a history of more than 1,300 years. It was once prosperous in the long history, and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with a permanent population of 80,000. , becoming a veritable “Little Hangzhou”.

In fact, long before tourism in Hongcun and Xidi next door became popular, Jiangcun in Jingde was already a famous ancient village attraction at that time. Unfortunately, Hongcun Xidi, which came from behind, relied on its World Heritage status The number and relatively mature publicity model make today's Jiangcun look a lot more deserted.

However, in my opinion, this situation is just right. It is a little less noisy and commercial than Hongcun Xidi. The natural smoke of fireworks makes the journey feel like having a dialogue with thousands of years of Huizhou culture.

The No. 1 specialty of Jiangcun - Ancestral Hall Culture

It can be said that clan culture occupies an important position in Huizhou culture. As early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Huizhou clans compiled genealogies and built ancestral halls. Activities such as festivals and sacrifices closely connected the tribesmen. The growing growth of Huizhou merchants was also closely related to the clan culture.

These clan activities are often concentrated in a place called the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall culture in Jiangcun is also extremely rich. According to records, there were once 8 ancestral halls built in the village, and 3 complete ancient ancestral halls are still preserved today.

These three ancestral halls are "Jiang's Ancestral Hall", "Pugong Ancestral Hall" and "Ming Filial Son Wenchang Ancestral Hall". Walking in these ancestral halls, you will be pleasantly surprised to find the bricks created by skilled craftsmen. The three carvings of , wood and stone show the charm of Huizhou architecture.

The Jiang family tree, one of the three major genealogies displayed in the cabinet, has become one of the three world-renowned family trees, recording the Jiang family's reproduction.

Time is passing, and many glorious past events have long gone. However, the sunlight shining on these century-old buildings makes the ancient buildings in Jiangcun still look shining, telling everything that happened in the ancestral hall.

The second best thing in Jiangcun - the Father and Son Jinshi Memorial Archway

It can be said that we have seen many archways, but in the Jiangcun Scenic Area, the father and son each have an archway, and the father and son archways are side by side. But it was also the first time I saw it.

Back in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, two archways were erected to commemorate the 48th generation of Jiang Han and the 49th generation of Jiang Wenmin and his son as Jinshi. Father's Arch is also the Jinshi Archway in Jianghan. It is an 8-meter-high stone archway with two columns and three floors. The "double phoenix" in the middle of the arch means that the father and son were officials in the same dynasty. There are two lions playing with beads at the bottom. Although the whole arch is After more than 500 years, the carvings are still well preserved.

Zifang is also the Jinshi Square of Jiang Wenmin. It is also an 8-meter-high stone archway with two pillars and three floors. On both sides of the forehead are engraved with "Qingyun Zhishang", "Jinbang Chuanfang" and "Enrong" respectively. ” and other words highlight its great achievements.

It can be said that in the long history of Jiangcun, celebrities have emerged in large numbers. There are 18 archways, 16 "Imperial Edict" archways, and 2 "Enrong" archways. Through these archways, we can see that the people of Jiangcun have made outstanding achievements in business and officialdom. The only two remaining archways also show us the charm of architecture in Huizhou culture.

The third wonder of Jiangcun - fireworks

Ancient Chinese buildings with vast land and abundant resources are not uncommon. What is commendable is that Jiangcun thousands of years later, in addition to the ancient architectural style services, the entire village still retains There is a strong smell of fireworks.

In the early morning, I like to hike to a high place to see the smoky morning view of Jiangcun. The smoke is from Jiangcun people making fires and cooking porridge, and the crowds are from Jiangcun people gathering in the market to chat in the morning. Scene;

At night, I like to go for a walk in Shishan Mountain and visit the only Mazu temple in the interior; I also like to walk in the old streets and watch the people hurriedly go home and the shops paying their bills. The scene of the closing shop;

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Jiangcun gradually became quiet. The night in Jiangcun in early October was still a bit sultry as a summer night, but a gust of breeze suddenly felt refreshed. .

Jiangcun Travel Tips:

How to get there: Take the high-speed rail from Hangzhou East for two and a half hours to Jingde Station, and then take bus No. 107 to the Jiangcun Scenic Area.

Tourist attractions: In addition to the several scenic spots just mentioned, you should not miss the Shuikou Juxiu Lake in Jiangcun when traveling to Jiangcun; you can see the exquisite Qing Dynasty Huizhou architecture in the former residence of Jiang Zehan, the master of mathematics; the Forest of Steles You can see many stone steles from the Ming and Qing Dynasties that have been preserved to this day.