The geographical environment of Liantan Town

Liantan Town is rich in tourism resources. Cultural relics and historic sites include the Wenguang Temple built in the Song Dynasty to commemorate the "Pingnan Pioneer" Yang Wenguang; Zhanggong Temple; known as the "Four Wonders of the Temple", was built in the Tianchi Ancient Temple during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty; it is highly praised by famous ancient architectural archaeological experts in the province and is called the "No. 1 House in Guangdong" or the "Qing Dynasty Castle" Guang Er House, a provincial cultural relic protection unit; there are Dafu House, Zhu Family House, Ruichang House, Lin Clan Ancestral Hall, Ming and Qing Commercial Ancient Street East, which are unique Lingnan style, outstanding architectural art and typical ancient residential buildings in western Guangdong. Historical districts and private houses such as Shengjie Street and Weixin Road; "graptolites", an extinct ancient marine group biological fossil with a history of 400 million years. The natural scenery is magnificent and varied, including the Tianchi Tianchi in Tiantang Mountain, where "mountains are high and dragons cross the ridges and touch the sky", and the Bamboo Sea and Silver Beach are full of Nanjiang characteristics.

Guang Er Big House

In Shiqiaotou Village, Xiba Village Committee, Liantan Town, Yunan County, there is a famous ancient residential building - Guang Er Big House. The whole big house is square in shape. There is also a tall and strong wall. In addition to a large gate, the wall also has a lookout. The roof has a phoenix tail, the screen wall has wok ears, the tile ridges are inlaid with various patterns, and the eaves are decorated with wood-carved flowers, plants, fish and insects. , full of national style. Guang Er House was built during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, more than 200 years ago. Because of its large building scale, covering an area of ​​6,667 square meters, and having rare flood prevention, fire prevention, and anti-theft functions in China, it has been hailed as the "No. 1 House in Guangdong" by experts on ancient architecture. Professor Wu Qingzhou, a famous architectural archaeologist and dean of the School of Architecture of South China University of Technology, said after the inspection: “Although there are similar large enclosed houses in Chaozhou and Meizhou, Guangdong, their walls can only prevent fire and theft, but not floods. There are very few large enclosed houses in China that have the functions of anti-theft and flood control.” The founder’s surname was Qiu, his first name was Runfang, and his alias was Guang Er, so it was called “Guang Er Big House”. In 2009, Guang Er House was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Guangdong Province.

Zhanggong Temple

Zhanggong Temple is located on the right side of Liantan Middle School in Liantan Town. It was first built in the Wanli Year of the Ming Dynasty (1587). The temple has been renovated five times, the earliest It was rebuilt in the twenty-seventh year of Wanli Year (1599), and the Qing Dynasty also carried out various degrees of construction and expansion many times. The temple is located from the west to the northeast. It was originally an architectural group composed of internal and external buildings. The main buildings include the front hall, main hall, four-corner pavilion, side hall and cloister. There are ancillary buildings such as a stage, a fort, a hexagonal pavilion, a gray brick lion and a fence in the front and back yards. The temple is arranged vertically and horizontally, with the front hall in front, the four-corner pavilion in the middle, the main hall in the back, and the side halls and cloisters on both sides. The layout is balanced and symmetrical, with a square plan. In front of the temple gate, there are two granite pillars supporting the flying heads and covered with green glazed tiles. The main hall has six lattice wooden columns to support the weight, with column foundations and brackets underneath. The pillars are arranged in vertical and horizontal rows and arranged regularly, forming a bright room and the secondary room is particularly spacious. Painted pillars and carved beams are magnificent. In 1985, it was listed as the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Yunan County. In 1986, it was repaired with donations from Hong Kong and Macao compatriots and the public, and it was gradually restored to its original appearance. The folk customs of Liantan are simple and honest, and the folk art, folk customs and traditional customs have a long history and are colorful, including martial arts, dragon and lion dances, folk songs and eight tones, handicrafts, finger paintings, folk arts, character decorations, colorful shapes, etc. . It is the only town in Yunfu City that has been rated as a national-level "Hometown of Folk Art".

In 2001, the 10,000-square-meter Zhanggong Temple Cultural Tourism Plaza was built. The mass culture is active, with activities such as folk art, music, dragon and lion dance, martial arts, paper crafts and so on.

In February 1999, it was designated as the "Hometown of Ethnic Folk Art (Folk Song Art) in Guangdong Province" by the Provincial Department of Culture.

In 2000, it was designated as the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art (Folk Songs)" by the Ministry of Culture and the Director of the Social and Cultural Library. According to the "Xining County Chronicle", Liantan folk songs began during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty and were named after their origins in Liantan Town, Yunan County. It is mainly spread in the neighboring rural areas of Guangdong and Guangxi. It is deeply loved by the people. It is a folk song for the people to entertain themselves and express their emotions. It is a folk song with unique local characteristics in Yunfu City.

Liantan folk songs have a profound mass foundation and have the characteristics of profound meaning, vivid images, vivid language, refined sentence structure, rich charm, easy to understand and remember, and the ability to communicate emotions. They are the long-term favorites of the people in Nanjiang area. The artistic crystallization and historical products in production and life are the concentrated expression of the spiritual beliefs of the local people and have certain historical, academic and artistic value.

Helou dance is said to have originated from Liantan Town, Yunan County. It is a sacrificial dance of the ancient Baiyue people. The dance movements of Helou dance are primitive and rough. The dancers dress up as women, wearing black shirts and skirts, black hats, scarves around their waists, and hemp shoes. The lead dancers hold the ears of grain in their hands respectively, and while singing the Helou song, they swing their bodies, wave their hands, and step on their feet, and dance toward the southeast, northwest, and northwest. The melody of Helou song is fixed and melodious.

He Lou Dance is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. He Lou Dance plays a certain role in the study of Lingnan folk culture. The dance is endangered. The Nanjiang Culture (Liantan) Art Festival is said to have begun during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, spread to the Qing Dynasty, and reached its peak during the Republic of China. Every year on the 20th day of the first lunar month, Zhang Yuanxun's birthday is celebrated as a festival, also known as a "temple fair." Zhang Yuanxun once led his troops to quell the "Yao Rebellion" in the Liantan area. The local people built the Zhanggong Temple to commemorate his achievements, and designated the 20th day of the first lunar month as his "temple fair", which later developed into the "Temple Festival" and "Art Festival." The art festival lasts for six days from the 15th to the 20th of the first lunar month. During this period, there are grand theatrical evenings such as dragon and lion dance, movies, folk arts, singing and dancing, etc. On the 20th day of the first lunar month, large-scale performances and parades with folk characteristics are also held, such as He Lou Dance and Floating Colors on the Beach.

Liantan Town has held folk art festivals from the 15th to the 20th of the first lunar month every year since 1991. It strives to innovate on the basis of inheriting the excellent traditional national culture, so as to achieve "the past serves the present". It also reflects the characteristics of the times of folk art.