Impression of Hongcun~

On March 17, 2021, the spring rain continued, and we arrived at Hongcun, Yixian County, Anhui Province at four o'clock in the afternoon. A landscape painting unfolded in front of us, with houses, people, red lanterns, trees, and white clouds in the sky. All are reflected in the lake. With the breeze and drizzle, the scenery in the water slightly moves and ripples, tempting people to rush into the village to see what's going on.

Enter the village along the stone bridge. It is said that the lake entering the village is called Nanhu. Village, you can’t go wrong if you enter the village against the current.

Hongcun was built in the Southern Song Dynasty and has a history of more than 800 years. It is the largest settlement place for descendants of the Wang family in Huizhou. The entire village covers an area of ​​30 hectares, leaning on Leigang and facing Nanhu Lake. It has beautiful mountains and rivers and enjoys the reputation of "the countryside in Chinese paintings".

In the first year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, Wang Yanji, the founder of Hongcun, suffered from a fire. His family moved up the stream from Qishu Village in Yi County and built a 13-room house in the Leigang Mountain area. It is the beginning of Hongcun.

The current Wang Family Ancestral Hall is the largest house in Hongcun.

Hongcun as a whole looks like a "cow" shape, the "cow head" under Leigang Mountain, the South Lake that looks like an arrow that is drawn but not fired is the "cow stomach", and the moon marsh dug next to the spring is the "cow stomach" Shuizhen, with its nine twists and turns, is the "ox intestine", the ancient buildings on both sides of the "ox intestine" are the "ox body", the two ancient trees, the ginkgo tree and the red poplar tree at the entrance of the village, are the "ox horns", and the four wooden buildings beside the village are The bridge is the "corbel". There are more than 140 well-preserved ancient residences from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The beautiful scenery of Nanhu Lake, the unique cow-shaped villages, and the magnificent former folk residences have conquered the experts of UNESCO. At the end of 2000, it was listed as a world cultural heritage together with Xidi Village.

Hongcun is famous for its "Eastern earth Taoist system (Longpai Temple), southern earth water system (red poplar, ginkgo), northern earth system (Leifu Hazelnut Forest) and western earth Buddhist system (Guanyin Pavilion). For the Shuikou layout (Feng Shui barrier), ancestral halls and temples such as Lexu Hall, Taizi Temple, and Zhengyi Hall were built, and Hongcun gradually formed a residential community of the same clan and surname based on blood and geographical relationships.

Qing Dynasty. From the first year of Kangxi to the third year of Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty, Hongcun Nanhu Academy, Shurentang, Sanlitang, Lexiantang, Chengzhitang and other large academies and residences were built one after another.

As of the end of 2015, there were 6,018 households, with a total population of 18,600.

We followed the tour guide to the Wang Ancestral Hall first.

The ancestral hall hangs a plaque "Kuanhe Hall", which means that people should be tolerant, tolerant and reciprocal. Only by doing so can it last.

There are various carvings on the beams, all of which are short stories that educate people and show respect to others. I forgot when the tour guide told them. They are the education, guidance and expectations of the elders to the younger ones.

While listening to the tour guide’s explanation, some were meditating, some were recording, and some were looking up.

There is a school and a kindergarten in the ancestral hall. While the Huizhou merchants focus on business, they worship reading in their hearts. I hope that my descendants will be able to gain fame and honor their ancestors, even if they fail to pass the exam, they will still spend money to buy an official title.

The Tang Dynasty granted the Yue Kingdom the first family in Jiangnan, which shows the past glory of the Wang family. /p>

Wechat merchants pay more attention to the construction of the front door. In the past, there was a saying that "a thousand taels build a door and a four tael build a house." There are two big trees, one ginkgo tree and one red poplar tree. The villagers hold weddings and weddings here.

When you see the two trees, you will almost reach the "cow stomach", where photographers gather. The location of "Moonnuma".

As night falls, this place becomes even more beautiful.

There is no need to worry about food and drink in the village. Along the way, all kinds of food are delivered to hand for free tasting, which makes people full. , that’s how it is with a tour group. I don’t have time to buy it and take it home. It’s a pity. I remember that the kudzu root cake is particularly delicious.

The lanterns are not lit yet, and the Huizhou style buildings are concentrated and dense. , the reflection is floating, the water is sparkling, it is so comfortable to sit on the shore drinking tea and chatting!

There are more than a hundred alleys in Hongcun. If you accidentally go wrong, it doesn’t matter if you get lost, just follow the water! The villages here all choose to live in groups, which shows that people here value family ties and unity.

The houses where the elders live have the word "Shou" carved under them.

Zhu Xi’s family motto is hung in Wang’s ancestral hall

When I came out of the village, I looked back, reluctant to leave. The time was too short and I didn’t read enough. I hope to come to Hongcun next time to spend time slowly and enjoy it. The tranquility and comfort.

Chen Xiaoqin is a member of the China Photographic Copyright Association, a member of the Chinese Women Photographers Association, a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Photographers Association, and a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Folklore Photographers Association. He is the author of a photography collection "Old Streets of Shiquan Ancient City" published by China Photography Publishing House. Many of his photographic works have won provincial and municipal awards. Welcome to follow Illustrated Daqin. Please leave a message to purchase books.