Shanxi

shanxi

Shanxi Province, with the short abbreviation of Jin, is located in North China, not far from the capital Beijing. The Chinese meaning of Shanxi is “west of the mountains”, where “the mountains” means Mount Taihang.

The Yellow river forms its western border with Shaanxi Province. There are two tributaries of the Yellow river – Fen River and Qin River, run from north to south through the province. In the north of the province there are some tributaries of the Hai River. However, even though so many rivers in Shanxi, the field there is barren because most of the areas in Shanxi belong to the Loess Plateau. There is a large natural salt lake in the south of Shanxi, which made Shanxi people wealth in the history.

shanxi locationShanxi is called “the museum of Chinese ancient architecture”.  It has more than 70% old buildings constructed during or before Song Dynasty (960-1279). Apart from this, there also have Yungang Grottoes, Mount Wutai that is one of the four Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. Mount Hengshan is one of the “Five Great Peaks” in China. The Ancient City of Pingyao is a well-preserved old town prosperous in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties.

Shanxi has various traditional cultures and arts. Paper cutting and dough modelling are the two most distinctive crafts.

Yaodong (loess cave house) is the very typical traditional residence in the Loess Plateau. There are still many villages in Shanxi Province formed by this kind of house caves.

 

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Jin Merchants

Jin Merchants photo

“Jin” is the shortened name used to refer to Shanxi Province. Thus the term “Jin merchant” is the general appellation used for merchants from Shanxi Province. The Jin Merchants were prominent businessmen from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) through to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Han imperial court built military defences along the Great Wall to guard against the Mongolian army. The biggest problem for those large garrisons was supplying them with sufficient food. So the imperial court commissioned a division of the police force, named Kaizhongfa, whose primary responsibility was to supervise the salt trade. The Kaizhongfa then allowed merchants to do business in salt in certain areas if they, in exchange, sent food to the frontier.  In the south of Shanxi, there used to be a large salt mine. However, the fields in Shanxi were too barren to support a successful agricultural industry. In order to fulfil the agreement with the imperial court, the salt merchants from Shanxi had to purchase food from their neighbouring provinces, Henan Province and Shandong Province. This was the first step taken by the Jin merchants’, which eventually led to their future success.

When the Qing Dynasty began, the astute Emperor Shunzhi (1638-1661) bestowed his honour onto the Jin merchants. He added some of the Jin merchants to the ‘imperial merchants’ list. The Jin merchants improved their social position and the salt market was flourishing then, so they decided to make a contribution to this new imperial court. During the reign of the Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735), the Qinghai Rebellion broke out outside of the Great Wall. The battle was far away and thus caused the same problems as before with regards to supplying food to the battlements. A Jin merchant named Fan Yubin volunteered to take on the mission. However, once he had transported the supplies to the frontier, all of it was stolen by the rebel army. Fan Yubin spent almost all of his earnings re-purchasing the stolen goods and sending them to the frontier once again. His actions were greatly appreciated by the Emperor Yongzheng. Thus Yongzheng gave Fan Yubin the privilege to do business in the Mongolian area.

In 1727, the Qing imperial court signed the “Treaty of Kyakhta”1 with the Russian Empire, which meant that Kyakhta was opened up as an international business market between China and Russia. Tea was the most popular product among the Russian purchasing agents, and the business generated by their custom helped the Jin merchants and led to their most prosperous era. From then on, the Jin merchants were able to open up a much larger market and the merchant cartel grew stronger and stronger. The merchant trade attracted more and more people, thus allowing it to grow stronger and stronger

There is a famous Shanxi folk tale named “Westbound”, which indicates in its story that it was common for Shanxi people to find a way to survive in western areas. Shanxi is a long way away from Mongolia. In fact, many people died on the way to Mongolia because of the bandits, the cold and even from starvation.

piaohao

With the merchants’ business developing and prospering, the demand for silver rose higher and higher, as silver was the main form of trade currency at the time. It was dangerous to transport large amounts of silver as part of a merchant convoy. Thanks to these merchant convoys, bandits and other criminal gangs were rife and made an enviable living off of their stolen spoils during those days. In 1820, the first ‘Chinese bank’ was set up in Pingyao, Shanxi, and was called Rishengchang. This solved the issues merchants had once had with transporting silver, as clients could now bring postal orders from the bank on their business trips rather than large amounts of silver.

The appearance of this early form of “bank”, named “Piaohao” in Chinese, lead the Jin merchants into their second era of prosperity. During the late Qing Dynasty, there were eight large Piaohao that were owned by Jin merchants, which together had almost a stranglehold on the financial industry in China at the time. However, their overwhelming success only lasted for a hundred years.

The Jin merchants had close relationships with the imperial court. The imperial court gave them several privileges when it came to doing business and, in exchange, they had to help the imperial court with its financial problems. However, in 1905, the Trans-Siberian Railway was put into use. It reduced the transport fee required to import tea from Vladivostok. This meant that the Jin merchants lost their market. After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, debt began to rise and the merchants faced insurmountable competition from international banks. With the advent of these international banks, business in the Piaohao of Shanxi declined quickly. Finally, when China entered an era of political unrest, the Jin merchants faced further unrecoupable losses and gradually disappeared altogether.

The controversy surrounding the Jin merchants

The Jin merchants built up a legitimate and prosperous market in China and reaped a great amount of wealth from it. However, many historical records suggest that during the late Ming Dynasty the Jin merchants may have also profited from traitorous activities.

The Houjin regime (1616-1636), which was the predecessor to the Qing Dynasty, waged many wars against the Ming regime during the late Ming Dynasty. The Houjin regime was not rich enough to support the cost incurred by these numerous wars, but they did have luxury goods such as ginseng, deer antlers and furs. The Jin merchants supposedly committed treason by exchanging such luxury goods with the Houjin regime for food, clothes and other goods that were necessary for war. They received a huge amount of profit from this kind of business. Some historians theorise that the Jin merchants may have even sold military information to the Houjin regime.

Qiao's family compound 02

The wealthy Jin merchants built many fabulous mansions for their families. Some of them have been well preserved and are still in almost their original condition today. All of these huge courtyards exhibit the art of northern Chinese architecture perfectly. (Read more about Shanxi Grand Compound)

 

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Hui Merchants

 

Like the Wall Street stockbrokers of today, the Hui merchants were once renowned as some of the savviest businessmen in China. The term “Hui merchants” typically refers to any businessmen that hailed from the six counties of She, Xiuning, Qimen, Yixian, Jixi, and Wuyuan, which belonged to an ancient region known as Huizhou. Their rise to prosperity began during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when the imperial capital was relocated from northern Kaifeng to the southern city of Lin’an (modern-day Hangzhou) in Zhejiang province. Since Huizhou was located in a focal place between the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, this meant that trade via road or river to the imperial capital was suddenly far more viable for the local people. In short, it was the capital that gave them capital!

The shortage of fertile land in the region and the overabundance of manpower meant that many farmers in Huizhou simply became merchants because they needed to make ends meet. Little did they know that their legacy would echo through the ages! They were not skilled merchants and thus their success is all the more admirable, as it was primarily due to their painstaking efforts. Initially they engaged in the trade of almost any product they felt was profitable, including tea, grain, salt, silk, wood, and paint. Fortunately for them, Huizhou boasted the ideal climate for growing and producing several famous teas, including Huangshan Maofeng and Qimen Black Tea. By the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), over 70 per cent of the population in Huizhou was made up of merchants!

After they had amassed a substantial fortune, they were able to open teahouses, restaurants, hotels, and pawnshops. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), it was even rumoured that there wasn’t a single pawnbroker in China who wasn’t from Huizhou and that there was no place too far for Hui merchants to expand their business. They also began concentrating their efforts on manufacturing high quality goods, such as the “Four Treasures of the Study”. These four treasures, known as the writing brush, the Huizhou ink stick, the She ink slab, and Xuan paper, are still widely sold throughout the provinces of Anhui and Jiangxi to this day.

At the peak of their prosperity, they extended their influence east towards Jiangsu province, west to the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Gansu, north towards Liaoning province, and south to the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong. Once they had established their mercantile empire in China, they sailed forth to Japan, Thailand, and numerous Southeast Asian countries. It was said that their footsteps were left on almost half of the globe!

During this time, it was common for children of Hui merchants to begin their career as apprentices at the tender age of 13 and be doing business all over China by the age of 17. Talk about starting them young! They had achieved an almost mythical status, with the Hui Chronicle describing the average Hui merchant as “properly dressed, well-spoken, fully aware of price, knowing when is the good time to buy and sell, and getting extra profits from selling local goods in other places”. Unfortunately, there was one major downside to this otherwise profitable profession. According to traditional Confucian principles, merchants ranked as one of the lowest occupations in the social hierarchy.

In order to improve their social standing, many Hui merchant families invested in a good education for their children, so as to increase the possibility of them becoming scholars or government officials. Thanks to these venerable efforts, over 2,000 people from Huizhou passed the imperial examination and were able to obtain an official position during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This gave rise to a number of local sayings, such as “both father and son as ministers” or “three generations of imperial courtiers”. While these high ranking positions improved the social standing of the Hui merchant families, they also allowed these families to exert a considerable amount of political influence over the imperial government. After all, the long-term strategy of these families was to “provide funds for academic pursuits with business profits, get political positions through academic pursuits, and ensure business profits from the political positions”.

This may sound rather Machiavellian, but the Hui merchants were actually renowned for their strict moral code. They valued honesty and felt that cheating their customers would only damage profits in the long-term, as they would develop an unfavourable reputation. They ensured that their products were always of the best quality and refused to buy anything that they thought fell short of their exceptionally high standards. Once their wealth and fame had been established, many Hui merchants returned home to construct glorious mansions, ancestral temples, flourishing academies, decorative bridges, and towering archways to honour their ancestors. Yet these elegant constructions also proved to be part of their downfall.

As the Qing Dynasty collapsed and imperial rule in China came to an end, the Hui merchants lost their monopoly on the salt trade, as this had been enforced by the imperial government. Instead of investing their money in improving their other business ventures, the Hui merchants had spent it on their lavish mansions, meaning they were unable to compete with foreign factories that had adopted new technologies and become more streamlined. While China began to embrace modernity, this tragically sounded the death knell for the Hui merchants. Nowadays, all that remains of their illustrious legacy are the stunning works of architecture that they left behind.

 

Join a travel with us to discover more stories about Hui MerchantsExplore the Ancient Chinese Villages in the Huizhou Region and Explore Chinese Culture through the Ages

Mount Huang (黄山)

Mount Huang is located in the southern part of Anhui Province. It is undoubtedly the most popular mountain among tourists in China because of its grandeur and beautiful scenery. It was called “Yi Mountain” in the past. In ancient times people believed that Huang Di (a King in Chinese legend) had come here to make pills of immortality. So it was given the name “Mount Huang” in AD 747.

Mount Huang towers majestically over the hilly regions of southern Anhui and takes up an area of 1,200 square kilometres (40 kilometres from north to south and 30 kilometres from east to west), however, 154 kilometres makes up the area of most significance on the mountain. It incorporates almost all of the finest features found in the famous mountains of China: the majesty of Mount Tai, the precipitous shape of Mount Hua, the cloud and mist of Mount Heng, the flying waterfalls of Mount Lu, the fantastic rocks of Mount Yandang and the quietness and coolness of Mount Ermei. Its fascinating appearance has drawn many distinguished travellers, including poets, writers, and painters, to travel to Anhui and contemplate its majesty. Xu Xiake, a well-known geographer from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), extolled the beauty of Mt. Huangshan using the following words: “It is not worth seeing other mountains if you have been to the Five Great Mountains; and it is not worth seeing the Five Great Mountains (Mount Hua 华山, Mount Heng 衡山, Mount Tai 泰山, Mount Heng 恒山 and Mount Song 嵩山) if you have been to Mount Huang.” “After climbing Mount Huangs, a trip to any other mountain would not be worthwhile.”

The mountain has 72 famous peaks. The shape of each is thought to resemble a human or animal figure, such as “A Celestial Being”, “A Monkey Watching the Sea” and “A Golden Cock Crowing at the Gate of Heaven”. The three major peaks of Mount Huang are the Lotus Peak, the Heavenly Capital Peak and the Bright Summit. They are all over 1,800 metres above sea level. The Lotus peak is the highest one, the Heavenly Capital peak is the steepest, and the Bright Summit is the flattest. The highest peak, the Lotus Peak (1,864.8 metres), towers over the central part of Mount Huang. The mountain is a body of granite, often with vertical joints. When it is cloudy, the peaks loom in the mist as if they were an illusion. When the sun shines, they appear in all their majesty and splendour.

Mount Huang is consistently both beautiful and peculiar all year round. The queer pines, the misshapen rocks, the sea of clouds and the hot springs are reputed to be the four major natural wonders without equal.

Mount Huang is one of the many wonderful stops on our tour: Explore Chinese Culture through the Ages

Chengkan

With its labyrinthine streets and elegant architecture, the ancient village of Chengkan is endowed with an air of mystery. Surrounded by eight mountains and halved by the S-shaped Longxi River, the village’s location is no accident. Its layout and placement were designed to replicate a traditional Chinese pattern known as Bagua or the Eight Diagrams, which is derived from a classical text known as the I-Ching or Book of Changes and contains the famous Yin-Yang symbol. The Yin part of the village is represented by the fields, while the Yang part is made up of residential buildings, with the river separating the two. According to traditional feng shui[1] principles, its unique design is particularly auspicious and is thought to bring the villagers good fortune. In a place as picturesque as Chengkan, most people would think you were lucky just to live there!

The village was built over 1,800 years ago and was originally known as Longxi, but its name was changed towards the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when it was occupied by the Luo family. The Luo brothers were great believers in feng shui theory and, after they recognised the importance of the village’s location, they decided to settle there in a bid to improve their family’s fortunes. In fact, Chengkan is widely believed to be one of the best examples of feng shui theory in practice! Unlike the villages of Hongcun and Xidi, Chengkan has yet to become a popular tourist attraction, in spite of the fact that it is located just 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Mount Huang.

The village itself is a veritable maze, with three main streets and ninety lanes crisscrossing one another in a hectic mesh. In its heyday, it originally consisted of ninety-nine lanes, making it even more complex to navigate! While the village may have been established in ancient times, its oldest remaining buildings actually date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). With their white-washed walls, black tile roofs, artistic woodcut panels, and elaborate stone carvings, the mansions and temples of Chengkan are said to exemplify the intricate beauty of Hui-style architecture. There are over 150 ancient residences in Chengkan and 21 major historic sites, which are currently under state protection.

The entrance to the village is marked by the Shuikou or “Water Gap”, where a pond full of blossoming lotus flowers entices people in. From there, its most iconic attraction is Baolun Hall, which is part of Luo Dongshu’s Ancestral Temple. Luo Dongshu was an accomplished scholar, as well as a hermit, who lived during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and who greatly contributed to the fine reputation of the Luo family in Chengkan. The temple was constructed by his descendants so that they may honour his memory and worship him. So remember, next time you have to help your parents with something, at least they’re not asking you to build them a temple!

Once you’ve passed through the first three entrances of the temple, you’ll arrive at the magnificent Baolun Hall. It was originally built in 1542, during the Ming Dynasty, and is famed for its stunning murals, which have barely faded in spite of the fact that they are over 500 years old! Vivid sculptures of lions, clouds, and lotuses grace the façades of bluestone parapets, wooden eaves, and crossbeams. Ascending the wooden staircase to the attic, you’ll be treated with a breath-taking panoramic view of the village below and the lofty Mount Huang in the distance.

While Baolun Hall is one of the most impressive features in Chengkan, it is by no means the most important. Since the village is split by a river, it should come as no surprise that the oldest and arguably most significant structure is Huanxiu Bridge, which dates all the way back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). You could almost say it bridges the gap between the past and the present! Another major attraction in the village is Luo Chunfu’s Residence, which was constructed in 1730. From the granite slabs and black bricks that make up its gate to the elegant reliefs on its eaves, its unusual décor makes it stand out from other mansions in the village. After all, the Luo family were nothing if not extravagant!

Alongside Luo Dongshu’s Ancestral Temple, Changchun Temple is the other main house of worship in Chengkan. In ancient times, this was the place where the Luo family and neighbouring villagers would worship the God of Earth. In spring, they would pray for favourable weather so that their crops would grow, while in autumn they would thank the gods for a bumper harvest. The beauty and prosperity of Chengkan itself is evidence enough that the gods were clearly listening to the Luo family’s prayers!

[1] Feng Shui: This theory is based on the premise that the specific placement of certain buildings or objects will bring good luck.

Chengkan is one of the many wonderful stops on our tour: Explore the Ancient Chinese Villages in the Huizhou Region

Hongcun Village

Hongcun Village

 

With its startling whitewashed walls and ornate black roofs, the village of Hongcun looks like a backdrop torn straight from a martial arts epic. If you feel like you recognise the place, then you probably do! Several scenes from Ang Lee’s Kung-Fu masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were filmed on location in this very village, sky-rocketing it from isolated rural paradise to local superstar. Alongside the nearby village of Xidi, its unparalleled beauty and historical importance meant it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The village itself is located in Yi County of southern Anhui province, in an ancient region once known as Huizhou. In accordance with feng shui[1] theory, it was founded at the foot of a hill next to a stream. A network of canals throughout the village channels water from the stream, culminating in the Moon Pond at its centre and the South Lake at its southern edge. The emphasis on harmony between man and nature is palpable throughout Hongcun, from the tranquil alleyways lined with potted plants to the picturesque gardens and soft rippling of water as it trickles through the many tiny canals.

01Among the ancient villages of Anhui province, its most unique feature is its unusual layout. The village was arranged to resemble the shape of an ox, with nearby Leigang Hill as its head and the two trees standing on it as its horns. The four bridges that span the Jiyin stream at its front and rear can be interpreted as its legs, while the houses form its torso. The canals are its intestines, the Moon Pond is its stomach, and the larger South Lake represents its abdomen. So, if you decide to visit Hongcun, you could say you’re walking into the belly of the beast!

The village was originally established by the Wang clan during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), although most of its buildings date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties. It was during these latter two dynasties that it flourished as a centre for trade, meaning its locals were able to construct the exquisite houses that you see today. However, there was a slight catch!

According to Confucian principles, merchants were considered one of the lowest social classes and therefore it was deemed improper for them to build the kind of grand mansions associated with scholars or the aristocracy. Although they were staunch followers of Confucianism, many of the locals in Hongcun were also merchants and were keen to show off the fortune that they had amassed through trade. Being the savvy businessmen that they were, they soon found a loophole! They decorated their humble homes with the finest woodcuttings, brick sculptures, and stone engravings that money could buy. From the outside, they may look like simple cottages but, on the inside, they are furnished like palaces!

While many of the houses in Hongcun are still privately owned, some of them have been opened to the public. Roughly 150 buildings are scattered throughout the village, the largest and most spectacular of which is Chengzhi Hall. This grand mansion, known locally as the “Folk Imperial Palace”, consists of over 60 rooms and was originally constructed by a wealthy salt merchant to accommodate his two wives. Judging by the sheer size of the place, they obviously didn’t get along!

Nowadays the hall has been converted into a small museum, where visitors can marvel at its intricate woodcuttings depicting scenes from nature, Chinese mythology, or daily life in the Qing Dynasty. According to local records, over five kilograms (11 lbs.) of gold was used to gild these wood-carvings! If you look closely, you may still see a few faded yellow slogans on the walls that read “Long Live Mao”. These were left behind by soldiers from the Red Army, who used the hall as a temporary base during the Long March[2].

06On the north bank of South Lake, you’ll find another one of the village’s historic gems: the South Lake Academy. It was constructed in 1814 as the result of combining six existing “family schools”. These “family schools” were built by individual clans to educate their descendants in the hopes that they would succeed in the imperial examinations and achieve a high-ranking government office. The South Lake Academy is beautifully preserved, and is archetypal of the family academies that became popular throughout the Huizhou region during the Qing Dynasty.

Yet arguably Hongcun’s most outstanding feature is its preservation of not only its historical buildings, but also its ancient customs and way of life. Stylish boutique hotels with heated brick beds, stores tucked away in small alleys selling traditional ink-brush paintings, and restaurants offering sumptuous regional specialities are all sure to give you the feeling of having been transported back in time.

 

 

[1] Feng Shui: This theory is based on the premise that the specific placement of certain buildings or objects will bring good luck.

[2] The Long March (1934-1935): The famous path that the Red Army of the Communist Party took to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party). Mao Zedong led the retreat and his participation was instrumental in his subsequent rise to power.

 

Make your dream trip to Hongcun Village come true on our travel: Explore Traditional Culture in Picturesque Ancient Villages

Xidi

Xidi Village was built during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). At that time, people lived together based on clanship and consanguinity. Xidi was occupied by the Hu clan. There are more than 300 buildings in Xidi, which were mainly built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, among which there are 124 residential houses and three Ancestral Halls1 that have been preserved in their original state. The layout of Xidi is well designed. It looks like a sailing boat. Most of the houses are composed of three rooms and a square yard. The presence of elaborate brick-sculpture, woodcut and stone carvings on these ancient residences make them typical examples of the Hui style of architecture.

Walking into any of these houses, you will find art everywhere. Stone carvings of flowers, birds and beasts are usually on the doorframe. Brick carvings and woodcuts decorate the windows.

As a famous village in Huizhou, Xidi was once occupied by many rich Hui merchants. They wanted to build luxury houses to show off their wealth. But the strict hierarchy of society had restrictions on construction which specifically affected people of a lower social class. So the merchants were only able to choose the best materials and utilize the most sophisticated workmanship when building their place of residence. The memorial archway—built in 1578 by Hu Wenguang, who was a high-ranking official during the Ming Dynasty—is a good representation of the Hui-style of stone carving. The best example of Hui brick sculpture is in the house of another Ming official, which is in a place called the West Garden.

Xidi is considered to be at its most beautiful in the spring. The fields outside the village are covered in yellow canola flowers and there are hundreds of peach trees in the village, which all blossom together in April.

Note:
Ancestral Hall: It is a kind of temple where families can worship their ancestors.

Shexian

huizhou

With the lofty Mount Huang and the Xin’an River running through it, the unmatched beauty of Shexian made it a fitting capital for the ancient state of Huizhou, a region marked by its picturesque scenery. The county of Shexian was founded during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and it is widely considered to be the birthplace of Hui culture. Over 100 structures in Shexian date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and thousands date back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), making it a veritable treasure trove of traditional Hui-style architecture. The most acclaimed are typically referred to by experts as the Three Wonders of Ancient Huizhou Architecture: the residential houses, the ancestral temples, and the stone archways. When it comes to these elaborate constructions, three truly is the magic number!

The Hui-style residential houses are characterised not by their size, but by their white-washed walls, black tile roofs, elegant woodcut panels, and intricately carved stone reliefs. They may not be as large as the average mansion, but the Hui merchants more than made up for it by hiring the finest artisans to decorate both their exterior and interior. After all, as the old saying goes, you should always choose quality over quantity! The ancestral temples are similar to these houses in their grandeur, but they originally served an entirely different purpose.

Each ancestral temple belonged to a specific clan or family and represented a holy place where they could pray to their ancestors. It was believed that the living could communicate spiritually with their deceased ancestors in these temples, and would frequently make sacrificial offerings to them. The deeply personal nature of these temples meant they were also used for family meetings, weddings, funerals, and any other significant ceremony related to the family. Nowadays these temples provide an invaluable insight into the history and development of specific families in the Huizhou area. They are delicate works of art, imbued with all of the love and respect that the clan members once had for their venerated ancestors.

Located in the centre of Bei’an Village, the Wu Family Ancestral Temple is regarded as one of the county’s finest and most emblematic ancestral temples. This temple was originally founded by Wu Shidu in 1826, during the Qing Dynasty, and supposedly cost approximately 12,000 kilograms of silver to build. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly the weight of 24 grand pianos! From sophisticated tile engravings to ornate stone carvings, the temple is bedecked with all the finery money could buy. It is renowned for two wood carvings in particular: one of West Lake in Hangzhou; and the other of one hundred deer, all in different poses, grazing in the woods. The cost of all those deer must have been quite dear indeed!

Memorial Archways

tangyue

While the residential houses and ancestral temples of Shexian are undeniably magnificent, many people consider the stone archways to be the county’s crowning jewel. There are over 250 of these archways scattered throughout the county, the most famous of which are the Xuguo Stone Arch and the Tangyue Memorial Archways. In ancient times, the building of a special archway or “paifang” had to be formally approved by the Emperor himself! This was because these archways signified that the individual or group being honoured had made great contributions to or were viewed as positive role models by the imperial court.

They could be built from tile, wood, or stone, and were typically placed at the entrance to a village, street, or tomb. The number of pillars and the patterns engraved on the archways were also imbued with a deep significance and usually denoted the status of the person or group being honoured. For example, patterns incorporating the dragon or the phoenix signified that the person was either a member of or close to the royal family, since these mythical creatures were the symbols of the Emperor and the Empress respectively.

According to local legend, the Xuguo Stone Arch was the great exception to this rule! Xuguo was a renowned scholar during the Ming Dynasty who originated from Shexian and served as a teacher to three princes. When he discovered he was to be graced with an archway of his own, he took advantage of the Emperor’s vague instructions and constructed an archway of eight pillars, in spite of the fact that such an honour was reserved only for royal family members. Talk about pushing your luck!

If that seemed excessive, the Tangyue Memorial Archways consist of not one, but seven separate arches! They were designed to praise the local Bao family for their virtues, in particular their loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and charity. Among these seven, there are three archways dedicated to filial affection, two venerating chaste wives, one devoted to charity, and one to honor an honest and upright official. These archways are prime examples of Hui culture, which prized familial love and respect above anything else. So if you thought your family had high expectations of you, imagine what it must have been like to be born a Bao! (Read more about the Huizhou Culture)

Nowadays, traveling through the county of Shexian is the ideal way to engage with ancient Hui culture. Along Doushan Street in the old city of Shexian, there are a plethora of time-honoured shops dealing in ancient wares, such as locally grown Huangshan Maofeng tea and Xin’an paintings. The Hui-style ink sticks and famed She ink slabs that are sold in Shexian are widely considered to be the best in the Huizhou region. Some stores even sell Chengxintang paper, which was considered to be the finest quality paper during the Qing Dynasty. So if you’re in need of some school supplies, Shexian is the place to be!

 

 

Make your dream trip to Shexian come true on our travel: Explore Traditional Culture in Picturesque Ancient Villages

Anhui

Anhui Province, called Wan for short, is located in the southeast of China. With the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River running eastwards, Anhui has a mild climate and plenty of rainfall, which is conducive to the growth and prosperity of various species of plants, which flourish in this beautiful land, and is also favourable to forest growth.

Anhui is widely recognised as one of the provinces endowed with the most precious natural tourist attractions. There are famous mountains, beautiful rivers, and other scenic spots. These natural beauties blend seamlessly with Anhui provinces’ long and brilliant history.  Thus, Anhui not only has charming natural scenery but also possesses an equally rich and fascinating culture. The most distinctive of these local cultures is the Hui Culture, which is visibly prevalent in the historic buildings and heritage sites of Anhui, as well as the intricate and stunning local folklore. Anhui has brought forth numerous celebrities who have occupied important positions in Chinese history , including Lao Zi (philosopher), Zhuang Zi (philosopher), Cao Cao (military expert or a king), Hua Tuo (doctor), Zhu Yuanzhang (the first emperor of the Ming dynasty), Li Hongzhang (the most important official in the Qing Dynasty), and Hu Shi (scholar of philosophy and literature) to name but a few.

anhui locationThis long history has left behind a great number of cultural relics and historic sites. There are five state-level historic and cultural towns in Anhui – Bozhou, Shouxian, Shexian, Anqing and Jixi. Many historic sites are listed as national treasures, such as the Tangyue Archway (in Shexian), Xuguo’s Stone Archway (in Shexian), the Fengyang Royal Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty (in Fengyang), the ancient villages with ancient houses (such as Hongcun) and so on.

Hui cuisine and tea are famous and definitely worthwhile trying. Anhui has had a good reputation for producing the Four Treasures of the Study in the past. The Hui ink stick is still the best Chinese ink in production to this day.

Anhui was also an opera-producing province. The Nuo Opera is known as “the living fossil of the Chinese opera”. The Beijing Opera, which is the most popular opera in China, was actually developed from the Hui Opera. Huangmei Opera is one of the five main styles of opera in China.

Visit some of Huizhou villages in the tour: Explore the Ancient Chinese Villages in the Huizhou Region,  including Tunxi, Chengkan, Shexian, Nanping, Xidi, Hongcun and Lucun.

The Forbidden City

Chinese people prefer to call it the Purple Forbidden City. This is because in Chinese legend the King of Heaven, the Jade Emperor (the Supreme Deity of Taoism), supposedly lived in a Purple palace. Each emperor believed that they were the “son of heaven” (i.e. the son of the King of Heaven) so therefore they felt that they should have the same kind of palace as their father.  The Forbidden City was the imperial palace during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Construction of the Forbidden City began during the early 15th century and was masterminded by Emperor Yongle. 100,000 artisans and one million labourers were involved in the construction of this huge monument. It took 14 years to build and was finished in 1420. 24 successive emperors from both the Ming and Qing dynasties lived there over a period of 491 years.

From the picture, you can see that there are many red walls and yellow glazed-tile roofs all over the Forbidden City. In China, the colour red has long been a symbol of honour, wealth, happiness and solemnity. For example, a bride and her bridegroom will wear red for their wedding ceremony; when a baby is born, its family dye eggs red and send them to relatives and neighbours; during the Chinese New Year, gifts of cash are placed in small red envelopes to give to children; and, in modern Chinese history, Chairman Mao established the Red Regime. Yellow was used extensively by emperors alone. Their special clothes, called Dragon Pao, were yellow and were so-named because emperors were regarded as the sons of heaven and were thus destined to rule the world.

There is only one building in the Forbidden City with a black roof – Wenyuange. Wenyuange is the royal library. According to the Chinese theory of the “five elements”, the colour black symbolises water so, symbolically speaking, Chinese people believe that a black roof should protect the library from fire.

Why are there 9,999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City and not 10,000?

It was believed that the Jade Emperor had 10,000 rooms in his Purple Palace. As his sons, the mortal emperors could not have more rooms in their palace than their immortal father. What is more, in China the number 9 symbolises a long life and thus a long reign for the emperor.

The “half room” was constructed on the ground floor of Wenyuange. It is just a staircase, and was built purely for aesthetic purposes.

Note: there are now only 8707 rooms remaining in the Forbidden City.

The Meridian Gate is the main gate into the Forbidden City. It is 37.95 metres tall. In the past it was nicknamed the “Five Phoenix Tower”. Drums were installed on the east side and bells were installed on the west. They would ring the bells whenever the emperor went to visit the Temple of Heaven.

The gate is made up of five openings. The emperor was the only one who had the right to use the central passage. The queen was given one opportunity to use this central passage, and that was on her wedding day. High-ranking officials went in through the east side-passage and the royal family members used the west side one.

During the Ming Dynasty, it was commonplace for emperors to punish high officials. The offending officials were usually taken outside of the gate and beaten with sticks. During the Qing Dynasty, the officials would wait on the inside of the Meridian Gate every morning to report and discuss state affairs with the emperor inside the palace. On these occasions, the drums and bells announced the emperor’s arrival.

The Gate of Supreme Harmony

During the Ming and early Qing Dynasties, a throne was placed near the Gate of Supreme Harmony for the emperor to sit on whilst he listened to reports from high officials which required his judgement. In the Qing Dynasty, during the Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1662-1722), this throne was moved to the Gate of Heavenly Purity.

Other important gates in the Forbidden City include:

The Gate of Divine Pride (Military Prowess)

 

Taihe Hall is known as the “Hall of the Golden Throne”. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was used for ceremonies that marked national events of the utmost importance, such as the enthronement of an emperor.

It is the largest surviving wooden palace in China. 72 wooden pillars support the entire building. Four of them are in the centre, with large dragons carved into each one in such a way that they appear to be curling around each pillar. These dragons symbolise imperial authority. The length to width ratio of the building is 9 to 5, which signifies imperial dignity. The hall’s double-layer arched roof slopes down slightly towards the four eaves. There are nine animals and one phoenix on each of these four ridges. It was believed that they would protect the building from evil spirits.

Other important halls in the Forbidden City include:

The Hall of Military Prowess

Zhonghe Hall

Baohe Hall

The Hall of Mental Cultivation

The Hall of Union and Peace

The Hall of Imperial Zenith

The Palace of Heavenly Purity was commonly used by emperors as a place to rest and relax. The Qing emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi lived there and also handled state affairs from this palace. But the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yongzheng, moved his base of operations to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Other important palaces in the Forbidden City include:

The Palace of Earthly Tranquillity

Peace and Longevity Palace

Jingyang Palace

Other important places in the Forbidden City include:

The Office of the Privy Council

The Nine-Dragon Screen

The Imperial Garden

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Explore the Forbidden City on the tour: Explore Chinese Culture through the Ages