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Quaint village provides a simple glimpse of how life once was
By Xu Wenwen |
January 16, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE Lunar New Year is only one week away and visitors can see how Chinese celebrate the festival traditionally at Xinye Village in Jiande, a town that retains its look and customs that date back 800 years.
Lying southwest of Hangzhou, Xinye Village is a remote community that has been dubbed an "open-air museum of buildings from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911)."
Of note are the more than 230 white-washed southern China-style buildings including residences, pagodas, temples and ancestral halls. They are remarkably well preserved.
Basically Xinye is a village where most people are farmers. Still, this tranquil countryside nook has been featured in numerous travel and photography magazines for its nicely retained buildings as well as its "undisturbed" traditions.
It is because Xinye, which is nestled in the mountains, has seldom had a war, and the villagers, who almost all have the surname Ye, have a strong sense of clan. They do not allow people to tear down ancestral buildings.
Even during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), villagers prevented their old buildings from being destroyed by plastering lime on exquisite sculptures and carvings, and posting papers with Mao's quotes.
China's modernization drive seemingly has not influenced the village.
Villagers smile at tourists and during festivals, visitors may even be invited to dinner by a local. A village tradition states that the family with the most guests during a festival is the household with the best character.
The Lunar New Year atmosphere is prevalent in the village now as men make wines and women are preparing food for the coming Spring Festival.
Another tradition is, from time to time before and during the festival, rich families hire local troupes to perform traditional Chinese operas. The best part is everybody is welcome to watch.
The small town is like a maze, with hundreds of lanes crisscrossing each other, among which some lanes are less than 1 meter wide.
The "maze" is actually built according to feng shui, and the center is the Youxu Ancestral Hall, of which there is an arch pond in front. A reflection of a mountain peak can be seen in the pond.
In feng shui, the peak belongs to the "fire" element while the pond belongs to "water." The pond was dug to keep a balance in the village.
Youxu Ancestral Hall hosts the village's most important activities, including the annual sacrifice on the third day of the third lunar month (March 24 this year) and opera shows.
It was built by the third generation of the Ye family.
After its establishment, all constructions were built beside Youxu Ancestral Hall. As the village expanded, by the eighth generation of the Ye family, more ancestral halls were built along with newly established residences.
The hall has four tablets hanging above, including two bestowed by emperors. One says "Jin Shi" (a candidate entering the palace examination), which was to award a scholar in the village, and the other, "Guo Qi Di" (meaning it is home to one emperor's relative), was given by an emperor's son-in-law, who married a princess.
Chongren Ancestral Hall is the largest at a length of 26 meters - most are only half that length.
It features lots of exquisite wood carvings on windows, tables and chairs. Most of them are in relief and have meaning. For example, lions are a symbol of power, deer pray for peace and bats mean luck.
Also, Tuanyun Pagoda, Wenchang Pavilion and Tudi Temple are at the village's entrance.
Tuanyun Pagoda was built in the Ming Dynasty after a scholar from the village married a princess, and Wenchang Pavilion was founded 300 years later, enshrining Wenquxing, a god mastering exams in Chinese legends. Both are places where people go to pray when they or a family member is taking an important examination. The Tudi Temple enshrines Tudi gods, who mastered farming in Chinese myths.
These three places are symbols of the village's ancestral motto: Geng Du Chuan Jia, which literally means farming and studying extend the family.
Admission: Free to enter the village, but 68 yuan (US$11) per person to visit the halls and temples.
Tips: There are simple inns and restaurants set up by local farmers.
Lying southwest of Hangzhou, Xinye Village is a remote community that has been dubbed an "open-air museum of buildings from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911)."
Of note are the more than 230 white-washed southern China-style buildings including residences, pagodas, temples and ancestral halls. They are remarkably well preserved.
Basically Xinye is a village where most people are farmers. Still, this tranquil countryside nook has been featured in numerous travel and photography magazines for its nicely retained buildings as well as its "undisturbed" traditions.
It is because Xinye, which is nestled in the mountains, has seldom had a war, and the villagers, who almost all have the surname Ye, have a strong sense of clan. They do not allow people to tear down ancestral buildings.
Even during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), villagers prevented their old buildings from being destroyed by plastering lime on exquisite sculptures and carvings, and posting papers with Mao's quotes.
China's modernization drive seemingly has not influenced the village.
Villagers smile at tourists and during festivals, visitors may even be invited to dinner by a local. A village tradition states that the family with the most guests during a festival is the household with the best character.
The Lunar New Year atmosphere is prevalent in the village now as men make wines and women are preparing food for the coming Spring Festival.
Another tradition is, from time to time before and during the festival, rich families hire local troupes to perform traditional Chinese operas. The best part is everybody is welcome to watch.
The small town is like a maze, with hundreds of lanes crisscrossing each other, among which some lanes are less than 1 meter wide.
The "maze" is actually built according to feng shui, and the center is the Youxu Ancestral Hall, of which there is an arch pond in front. A reflection of a mountain peak can be seen in the pond.
In feng shui, the peak belongs to the "fire" element while the pond belongs to "water." The pond was dug to keep a balance in the village.
Youxu Ancestral Hall hosts the village's most important activities, including the annual sacrifice on the third day of the third lunar month (March 24 this year) and opera shows.
It was built by the third generation of the Ye family.
After its establishment, all constructions were built beside Youxu Ancestral Hall. As the village expanded, by the eighth generation of the Ye family, more ancestral halls were built along with newly established residences.
The hall has four tablets hanging above, including two bestowed by emperors. One says "Jin Shi" (a candidate entering the palace examination), which was to award a scholar in the village, and the other, "Guo Qi Di" (meaning it is home to one emperor's relative), was given by an emperor's son-in-law, who married a princess.
Chongren Ancestral Hall is the largest at a length of 26 meters - most are only half that length.
It features lots of exquisite wood carvings on windows, tables and chairs. Most of them are in relief and have meaning. For example, lions are a symbol of power, deer pray for peace and bats mean luck.
Also, Tuanyun Pagoda, Wenchang Pavilion and Tudi Temple are at the village's entrance.
Tuanyun Pagoda was built in the Ming Dynasty after a scholar from the village married a princess, and Wenchang Pavilion was founded 300 years later, enshrining Wenquxing, a god mastering exams in Chinese legends. Both are places where people go to pray when they or a family member is taking an important examination. The Tudi Temple enshrines Tudi gods, who mastered farming in Chinese myths.
These three places are symbols of the village's ancestral motto: Geng Du Chuan Jia, which literally means farming and studying extend the family.
Admission: Free to enter the village, but 68 yuan (US$11) per person to visit the halls and temples.
Tips: There are simple inns and restaurants set up by local farmers.
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