Nanxun Digang Scenic Area

Nanxun Digang Scenic Area

Nanxun Digang Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Digang got its name from the crisscrossing river ports and the lush reeds growing in the water. Historically, it produced many notable figures, with traditional blue-brick houses built along the riverbanks. Surrounded by mulberry trees and fishponds, with small bridges, flowing streams, and winding streets and covered walkways, the area forms a unique landscape of a water town.

The Digang Scenic Area centers around a well-preserved ancient village that has stood for a thousand years and includes the national leisure tourism demonstration base — Digang Fish Farm. It integrates traditional residences, covered streets and alleys, ancient bridges and temples, stone bridges and river docks, water scenery, local customs, and historical figures, covering a total area of 0.7 square kilometers. The scenic area retains its classic water town features such as small bridges over flowing water and white walls with black tiles. The management of historical and cultural relics is solid and effective, making it a "living fossil" among the ancient villages of the Jiangnan water towns and playing a leading role in rural tourism across the district and even the entire city.

Stepping into the Jiangnan water town of Digang is like opening a long-sealed memory. From the Yanjiao Chan Temple bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun to the Taoist shrine Nantiaoshengjing, which was bestowed the golden plaque “Yuqing Zanhua” by Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty, from the long, winding covered corridors along the river to the still-visible Octagonal Liberation Pond at Jichuan Shu Academy — all subtly carry on the ancient charm and legacy of Digang. Authentic and full of local flavor, talented people have emerged from this water town through the ages, always exuding a rich sense of history and culture. “Celebrity culture” is the foundation of its history, and Digang has never lacked talent, having produced over fifty scholars who passed the highest imperial examinations, numerous top imperial examination candidates, as well as more than a hundred tribute students and successful candidates in the imperial provincial examinations.

The Digang Scenic Area is located in Hefu Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is a typical ancient water town village in northern Zhejiang, named for being “situated by the port with reeds growing densely along the stream.” Since the Song Dynasty, it has been known as the “Hermitage by the Tiaoxi River,” and has been recognized as a National Civilized Village, a Traditional Chinese Ancient Village, and a Famous Historical and Cultural Village of China.

The Digang Scenic Area showcases its ancient charm with an image of being “more primitive, more perfect, and more elegant,” and displays an idyllic paradise that is “suitable for living, working, and traveling” through inheritance and development.

Covering an area of 6.3 square kilometers, the Digang Scenic Area is just over ten kilometers from downtown Huzhou. It integrates traditional residences, covered streets and alleys, ancient bridges and temples, stone bridges and river docks, water scenery, local customs, and historical figures. The Yanjiao Temple within the scenic area pioneered the concept of “Buddhism and Taoism united” in Jiangnan. The 36 historic halls left by the three prominent families — Zhang, Zhu, and Wu — still retain their ancient charm. The 23 ancient bridges vary in form, each with its own story. The covered street built along the river is long and winding. The well-preserved mulberry-based fishpond system is an important agricultural heritage in China. The deep-rooted farming and scholarly culture has nurtured two top imperial examination candidates, 57 successful imperial examination scholars, over 200 tribute students, more than 110 poets (who left behind over 1,600 classical poems), and numerous notable figures in modern times. The millennia-old fishing culture of the water town shines with unique brilliance today, and the resort destination Digang Fish Farm is ingeniously designed.

Digang carries forward the millennia-old fish culture. The annual Fish Culture Festival promotes the inheritance and celebration of fish-related folk traditions. The mulberry-based fishpond system, recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, has been successfully included in the second batch of China’s Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage. There are also intangible cultural heritages such as the musical performance “Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo,” the “Chen Family Cuisine” at Digang Fish Farm, and the folk mountain song “Ten Daughters-in-Law.”

Recommended Attractions in the Digang Scenic Area

One-Yuan Teahouse

The One-Yuan Teahouse was historically a century-old teahouse in the ancient village of Digang called “Ju Huayuan,” established during the Qing Dynasty. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Pan Pingfu, have inherited the characteristics of a water town teahouse, offering early morning tea (starting at 3 a.m.) and mealtime tea. The tea only costs one yuan. The famous calligrapher Wang Sifeng was so moved that he inscribed the plaque “One-Yuan Teahouse” in its honor. This traditional teahouse, with its authentic local water town flavor, is another cultural heritage of the ancient village of Digang.

Celebrity Museum

The Digang Celebrity Museum was built in 2010, designed in the style of a Qing-style pavilion hall with steps on the east and west sides, verandas on all four sides, and a second-floor structure of beams, bricks, and tiles. With a construction area completed in 2012, it displays exhibits on historical figures from Digang across various dynasties. The plaque of the Digang Celebrity Museum was inscribed by Mr. Zhang Kaiyuan, former president of Central China Normal University and a renowned modern historian. The couplets on both sides were written by the contemporary master calligrapher Wu Pu.

Yanjiao Temple

Originally named “Xingfu Temple,” Yanjiao Temple was first built in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period (955 AD), rebuilt in the first year of the Song Jianlong era (960 AD), and officially named “Yanjiao Temple” in the second year of the Song Zhiping era (1065 AD). Covering a construction area of over 3,000 square meters, it includes the Mountain Gate (Wenjin Pavilion), the Heavenly King Hall, and the Mahavira Hall. The original plaque of the Mahavira Hall was personally inscribed by Yan Song. The main hall once housed statues of the “Eight Immortals,” representing the Song Dynasty’s unique nationwide initiative of “Buddhism and Taoism united,” and served as a center for Buddhist activities. In front of the gate stand two steles from the Ming Chongzhen and Qing Kangxi eras bearing public security warnings. In 1999, it was reopened upon approval by the Huzhou Municipal Religious Affairs Bureau.

The Thousand-Year-Old Stone Lion That Sneaked to Eat Noodles

During the Song Dynasty, a pair of stone lions in Jushangbao of Digang Town would sneak to Shangbao at night to steal noodles. Once, they returned at dawn and were spotted by the abbot of Yanjiao Temple. As a punishment, the lion’s face was smeared with ink, and since then, the lion has had a black face. The stone lions are still placed in front of the temple.

Nantiaoshengjing

Nantiaoshengjing was established during the Qianlong era (1769–1778), funded by local descendants of Zhu Xi, Zhu Chunyang, and the prominent Zhang family. It features the Qianlong-imperial-inscribed “Yuqing Zanhua” Stele Pavilion, the “Jichuan Shu Academy Record” stele pavilion by Zhu ?, and the imperial inscription stele. With its pavilions, corridors, ponds, bridges, unique rocks, clear streams, plum groves, and flower-bamboo shadows, its main structures are the Jichuan Shu Academy and the Ancestral Master Shrine. The Jichuan Shu Academy housed lecture halls and the Shishihouse Library, nurturing over 200 individuals including top imperial examination candidates, successful imperial examination scholars, tribute students, and others. The Ancestral Master Shrine (commonly called the Ancestral Master Hall) is a Taoist blessed land. Historically, the Qianlong-era Ministry of Rites mandated that local officials and citizens not only maintain offerings themselves but also conduct seasonal sacrifices in spring and autumn. Nantiaoshengjing has suffered multiple damages but has now been restored to its original appearance. The Bagua Pond and five-arch bridge built during the Qianlong era are rare in China: “Walk across the five-arch bridge, and you’ll live past ninety-nine.”

Address: Digang Village, Hefu Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City

Admission: Free