Dongping Ancient Village

Dongping Ancient Village

Dongping Ancient Village is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Dongping is a historic village, said to have been the hermitage of Li Ye, a royal member of the Tang Dynasty, boasting a history of over 1,300 years. The ancient stone path with its 1,118 steps, towering sweetgum trees, and persimmon trees in the village are living fossils of history. In earlier years, the "Well-off Project" paved a cement road all the way to the entrance of Dongping Village, drawing the attention of self-driving enthusiasts.

Dongping Village has a profound cultural heritage. The Li clan in Dongping are descendants of royalty, offspring of the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty, and the village still preserves an intact "Genealogy of the Li Family." Dongping Village boasts a series of ancient cultural relics such as the millennia-old "Dongping Ancient Tree Group" and "Dongping Ancient Path," making it a place of remarkable talent and spiritual energy.

During the Song Dynasty, Yang Wanli once wrote: “Five li before reaching Quzhou, orchards stretch as far as the riverbanks. Yellow tangerines, green oranges, deep red persimmons — fruits fall from branches without wind.” This shows that the beauty of Quzhou and its persimmons have enjoyed fame since ancient times. From downtown Qujiang, drive along country roads for just over half an hour to reach the foot of Dongping Mountain. Following the ancient stone path paved with bluestone slabs deep in the mountains, and climbing up 1,118 stone steps, you will arrive at this small village perched over 500 meters above sea level — Dongping Village.

Gazing up at the bold and vigorous characters “Dongping Ancient Path” on the archway at the mountain pass, one can’t help but feel deeply moved. Entering this ancient path, said to date back a thousand years to the Tang Dynasty, and heading toward the mountain village, one is destined to begin experiencing the influence of Tang-era charm. Passing through the archway and starting to climb the steps, you’ll see dense ancient tree groves lining both sides of the path. Among these towering trees are 108 species including yew, camphor, osmanthus, sandalwood, red maple, and ginkgo, all over 800 years old — truly a marvel in northern Quzhou.

Although there are no records of the construction of this ancient path even in the yellowed genealogies of Dongping Village, historical materials such as the "Qu County Annals" provide indirect evidence. During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, to avoid persecution, some members of the imperial clan were relocated. Li Ye, the seventh son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (Li Zhi), fled from Chang’an to Machuan’s Changhe Matuan Ridge in Fujian. During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (705–709), he moved again from Matuan Ridge to Dongping in Xiaochuan. Later, he constructed Dongping Ridge, also known as the “Dongping Ancient Path.” It is believed that the “Dongping Ancient Path” has a history of at least 1,300 years.

The ancient path winds from the foot of the mountain all the way to the top, paved with bluestone slabs two meters wide. Over time, the edges of the stones have been smoothed by the footsteps of villagers. Lining the path are ancient tree groves that have stood for a thousand years, along with massive rocks on the cliffs. Time seems woven here — a day in the mountains feels like a thousand years in the world. In autumn, red maples carpet the path, and Dongping’s persimmons ripen. Find a bluestone slab in the tranquil old village, sit down, and savor the sweetness accumulated over the year.

Specialties:

In front of every household in the village, strips of red-and-yellow dried fruit are hung out to dry, creating a scenic view on the mountain. The Dongping specialty — red persimmons, once offered as tribute to the imperial court and praised as “Ancient Persimmons of Noble Blessing” — are actually a remnant of the agricultural culture of the Tang Dynasty, where mulberry trees were planted in front of houses and persimmon trees behind. Due to the high altitude, large temperature variations, abundant sunlight, and unpolluted environment of Dongping Village, its persimmons are large, sweet, and highly nutritious.