Shijiazhuang’s Magnificent Seven Ancient Villages

Liangjiacun Village

Built on a mountain side, tranquil Liangjiacun Village is scantly populated because most of its working-age inhabitants have left to find work in urban centers. The village’s courtyard homes, distinctive for their prominently ridged roofs, line the flagstone paths that separate them into alleyways. They give the impression of having stood for centuries.

The village residents maintain age-old hospitable customs. As we strolled along the alleys more than one senior gentleman invited us to their home for a cup of tea.

In the depths of one alley I came upon an ornately carved door to a building with an overhanging gable roof. A local neighbor told me that it was once an ancestral temple. Although the courtyard walls were covered with weeds and cobwebs, I could still make out the screens and carved wooden doors of the wooden structure and its stout wooden eaves. Ornamental fish tinkled in the breeze, and I could see the calligraphic carving of the character for bat, considered propitious because it is the homonym for that meaning happiness.

On the opposite side of the alley stood a small courtyard dwelling whose beauty has faded into dilapidation since its owner moved away. Hearing us, at our request the neighbor let us in to the courtyard to take a look. It contained a wooden two-story house, an architectural style seldom seen in North China’s countryside. The small courtyard and ancient house with its carved window frames brought to my mind the old Chinese poem: “I listen to the rain on a quiet night in a storied house.”

Having heard that all Liangjiacun villagers are adept at martial arts I asked a small boy to demonstrate. After some encouragement from his grandfather he showed us his skill before being overcome with shyness when we applauded and hiding behind grandfather.

Tianchangzhen Town

Before going to Liangjiacun we had visited the old town of Tianchangzhen, near National Highway 307. In contrast to peaceful Liangjiacun, Tianchangzhen, formerly the commercial hub of Jingxing County, bustles with markets, shops and small restaurants. It is enclosed by an old city wall with gates on three sides. One has been completely rebuilt and another is badly in need of repair. The third, which dates back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has been well preserved in its original state. On the parapet stands a small temple with a colorful traditional Chinese roof. The town also houses the ruins of the city god temple, an architectural feature that signifies major municipalities.

As we left the market area and approached the town center, the surroundings simplified. Strikingly historical houses lined either side of the street, among them the former residence of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Minister of State. We saw many courtyard dwellings with carved beams and painted rafters where government officials had lived; also an old college, temples, and national key protected ancient kiln sites. From the overlooking Barbican tower we had a panoramic view of the neighborhood’s old courtyards. The town is separated from National Highway 307 by a river spanned by an ancient bridge, guarded by weathered but still fierce-looking lion statues at either end.

Xiaolongwo Village

National Highway 307 bisects Xiaolongwo Village. The old town, located at the southern end, covers about one third of its area, and complements the contours of its environs. Houses are built of stone from the Taihang Mountains in the traditional North China style. Built on hillsides and downs, their features include vertical walls and sheds, used as barns or outhouses, and stone walls that form a three-dimensional housing compound layout.

Although not big, the village’s asymmetrical layout makes it a maze in which newcomers are likely to get lost. During our walk, I wandered away from the group and while temporarily lost came upon an old theater. Through the locked gate I caught a glimpse in the yard of trunks full of costumes and props.

Another place to see in the nearby mountains is a group of grottoes containing Buddhist statutes. None has any distinguishing marks, and all are unprotected and so prey to wind, weather and traffic. In one small grotto that must have originally housed dozens of figurines, only about 10 remained. Those in a few caves near the top of the cliff, however, were relatively intact, notably a statue of the boddhisattva Guanyin. We were intrigued as to how these striking ancient stone statues had survived the ravages of history.

Daliangjiang Village

Daliangjiang is considered the most beautiful of these seven ancient villages. The village’s charm derives both from its ancient architectural scale and layout. It presents a scenario one would expect of a north Chinese village – squawking chickens, yapping dogs, smoking chimneys, seniors basking in the sun as they chat, and children play-acting fights on the old theater stage.

At the village entrance – an arched doorway–stands a stele dating from the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor Yongzheng. The village gate was originally intended to be its tallest structure, but as the Daliangjiang village gate is at the foot of mountain, stone houses gradually ascend on the mountain slopes above it, giving the impression that the village stands on its walls.

This village has a long history, as the polished cobblestones on its winding streets, trodden and ridden for centuries, testify. The theater stage is also of stone and includes a small arched door that gives access to the backstage area.

The residence of a top imperial military examination scholar, which includes several interconnecting courtyards, is open to visitors. Unfortunately it was closed while I was there.

Each of these houses on the mountainside is higher than the last, creating a cascade effect. From the yard of one house is a plain view of the roof of the neighbor below.

Lüjiacun Village

Lüjiacun Village is in a valley tucked between the mountain slopes. It is consequently the most peaceful of the seven. Most of its dwellings are centuries old. The Lü brothers, who gave their name to the village, lived in a house at the village entrance. The oldest in the village, it dates back to the Ming Dynasty. A dug out cave once housed an oil mill that has long since fallen into disuse.

As quiet as the Taihang Mountains, the village’s houses, where seniors sit and chat on the stone doorsteps as children play, and its surroundings of rocks and trees evoke a traditional Chinese painting.

The village was not always so tranquil. In February 1938, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Political Commissar Deng Xiao-ping and Commander Liu Bocheng of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army were stationed in Lüjiacun. It was from one of its courtyards that they commanded the ambush of 180 Japanese soldiers. Many young people in the area joined the Eighth Route Army, some of whom lost their lives in battle.

Diducun Village

Diducun Village borders Niangziguan, known as the ninth pass of the Great Wall due to its strategic position relative to Beijing, and is the most remote of the seven ancient villages. There are three gates in the village walls surrounding the village square. Roads and lanes are well-defined in the village. A local resident invited me to his home which, although old, seemed sturdy enough to stand for another century at least.

Inside the courtyard, a hospitable and urbane gentleman who appeared not to be a farmer told me stories of Diducun. Unlike other locals I’d chatted with, he was articulate in Putonghua, which he spoke with a Beijing accent. His niece, the householder, told me that he had worked in Beijing during his youth and returned to the village upon retiring.

Diducun actually means “the village where the emperor crossed the river.” Legend has it that Emperor Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) crossed the Weishui River nearby. An old Goddess of Mercy Temple stands to the east of the village, but is in a state of disrepair. Some say the old temple can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty (581-619), but its architectural style is typical of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Most ancient houses in the village have been abandoned. A local woman asked my help in deciphering the three calligraphic characters inscribed on the inside of her courtyard door. The inscription that several people had been unable to make out seemed to me to be the seal script for “Health and Longevity.”

Yujiacun Village

The common feature of houses in these ancient villages in the Taihang Mountains is the stone of which they are built. This architectural style is particularly noticeable in Yujiacun.

This is the sole village that requires an entrance ticket. It was built by the descendants of Yu Qian, an officer loyal to the Ming Dynasty and also a poet. He wrote: “I’m not afraid of anything, even being burned, because I want to be an honest man.” He was true to his word, and heroically protected the Forbidden City during a siege by the Oirat Mongols in the 16th century.

Yu Qian’s eldest grandson left the capital with his family during the reign of Ming Emperor Chenghua and moved to what is now the village of Yujiacun. So far, 24 generations of Yu have lived here. Yu Qian’s descendants dug quarries and used the local stone to build their homes, build terraced fields, and carve stone tools.

The Cool and Refreshing Pavilion at the village entrance is a stone replica of a wooden pavilion. Two storied, the pavilion’s exterior and interior columns, beams and brackets are all of stone, giving it an extraordinarily elegant ambience. It is classified as a key cultural relic under state protection.

The village constitutes a museum of stone art. In this village, of a 0.25 square kilometer area, run 3,500 meters of stone paths, and more than 4,000 stone houses, a thousand of which still retain their original Ming and Qing dynasty structures. Ninety percent of its inhabitants are descendants of the Yu family. Their traditional lifestyle, far from the big city hustle, has been well preserved.