Shuiyu Village

Shuiyu Village

Shuiyu Village serves as a patriotic education base.

Shuiyu Village is a mountainous settlement, situated along a northwest-southeast valley. The terrain slopes from higher in the southwest to lower in the northeast, with an average elevation of 500–800 meters. A 100,000-cubic-meter reservoir has been built south of the village, which retains water year-round; there are also three wells with ample water supply; tap water runs through the streets, providing drinking water for humans and livestock. Over 4,500 meters of water pipes have been laid around the mountains to channel reservoir water for irrigating young trees. The village maintains good natural ecology. Particularly valuable is the presence of 600 rooms across more than 100 sets of quadrangle courtyard homes from the Ming and Qing dynasties, located on the gentle eastern slope of the village, most of which are relatively well-preserved. An S-shaped ancient stone-paved path runs through the entire village. The settlement is circular, facing south and backed by mountains, built along the slopes to create a unique architectural style. Among its most representative structures are the Yang Family Courtyard, the Weng Gate, and the Niangniang Temple.

Shuiyu Village boasts 128 stone mills, a number that has set a Guinness World Record. Based on these mills, a distinctive performance art known as Zhongfan (Chinese flagpole acrobatics) has been developed. Centuries of historical accumulation have also given rise to a temple fair culture centered around Zhongfan, large drums, and yangge (folk dance). The tradition of Zhongfan in Shuiyu Village can be traced back to the Hongwu and Yongle eras of the Ming Dynasty, flourishing during the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty. Initially, it was performed as a spontaneous community event for villagers’ own entertainment. During temple fairs and major folk festivals, villagers had the custom of performing with the flagpoles to pray for rain and blessings, which later evolved into group performances passed down to this day.

Shuiyu Village is located in Nanzao Township, Fangshan District, approximately 80 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It lies 8 kilometers from National Highway 108, 52 kilometers from Liangxiang, the seat of the district government...

A corner of Shuiyu Village... It is 10 kilometers from the Yingu Cave area of the Shihua Cave National Geological Park. The village currently has 436 households and a population of 1,031. Of these, 141 households are non-agricultural residents, totaling 295 people. The village Party branch consists of 5 members; the village committee has 3 members; and the economic cooperative union has 3 members. The three leadership groups share overlapping membership, with an average age of 48. There are 57 Party members in the village, with an average age of 61. In 2003, the village’s total economic income was 16.19 million yuan, including 290,000 yuan in collective income, 15.9 million yuan in self-operated income, and an average per capita labor income of 3,980 yuan. The village has 1,714 mu of arable land, of which 1,528 mu have been returned to forest, mainly planted with chestnut and persimmon trees. A total of 45,840 young trees have been planted, alongside 19,730 mature fruit trees, including 8,000 persimmon trees, 11,500 walnut trees, and 230 chestnut trees. In addition, there are 4,380 mu of ecological forest, among which the Shuiquanbei ecological forest remains in its primitive state and holds certain potential for tourism development.

Shuiyu Village is a mountainous settlement, situated along a northwest-southeast valley. The terrain slopes from higher in the southwest to lower in the northeast, with an average elevation of 500–800 meters. A 100,000-cubic-meter reservoir has been built south of the village, which retains water year-round; there are also three wells with ample water supply; tap water runs through the streets, providing drinking water for humans and livestock. Over 4,500 meters of water pipes have been laid around the mountains to channel reservoir water for irrigating young trees. The village maintains good natural ecology. Particularly valuable is the presence of 600 rooms across more than 100 sets of quadrangle courtyard homes from the Ming and Qing dynasties, located on the gentle eastern slope of the village, most of which are relatively well-preserved. An S-shaped ancient stone-paved path runs through the entire village. The settlement is circular, facing south and backed by mountains, built along the slopes to create a unique architectural style. Among its most representative structures are the Yang Family Courtyard, the Weng Gate, and the Niangniang Temple.

The Yang Family Courtyard is located on the western hillside of Shuiyu and was first built during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Its main structure follows northern Chinese architectural styles, built with stone, and features a four-courtyard layout. The gate tower is uniquely designed, resembling a coiled dragon cresting a ridge, with carved stone flowers clustered beneath the eaves and two Qing-style stone drums standing on either side. The Weng Gate refers to the arched bridge opening of the Dongweng Bridge in the village, atop which a white stone slab is engraved with the characters “Ning Shui” (Calming Waters), signifying the bridge’s role in soothing water flow and calming floods.

In addition, the village has been designated as a Folk Culture Tourism Village by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism. The widely renowned “Shuiyu Zhongfan” and “Drum Performance” originate here. This year, to boost tourism, the village invested over 500,000 yuan to place 128 stone mills throughout the village, recreating the ancient folk culture of the mountain hamlet.

Based on existing conditions, the village’s development priorities are two-fold: First, to continue building the folk tourism village—first by securing greater support from higher authorities, then by increasing investment in key attractions and environmental improvements, accelerating construction to meet both software and hardware standards for folk tourism; second, to intensify the development of millions of cubic meters of slate resources, primarily through attracting investment, aiming to establish an integrated slate industry covering mining, processing, and sales, thereby fundamentally transforming the traditional reliance on single-crop agriculture.

Address: Nanzao Township, Fangshan District, Beijing, 8 kilometers from National Highway 108

Type: Ancient Town / Ancient Village