She Ethnic Residential Houses in Chemu Mountain Village

She Ethnic Residential Houses in Chemu Mountain Village

The She Ethnic residential houses in Chemu Mountain Village are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

The She Ethnic residential houses in Chemu Mountain Village are located in Hexi Town, Jingning She Autonomous County, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Legend has it that during Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty’s southern migration, the mountain goddess Tang Xiannu displayed her divine power by transporting timber to the capital to support national needs. Delighted, the emperor issued an imperial decree to honor and enfeoff her. The mountain was thus named after the decree, and the village took its name from the mountain, hence “Chemu Mountain Village.” The village is built along the mountain, with buildings arranged in a terraced formation. The residential architecture is simple and unadorned, with low and mostly earthen walls at the base, inner walls made of thin wooden planks, and cramped living spaces—representing the traditional architectural style of the She ethnic group.

Today, Chemu Mountain Village is mainly inhabited by the She people with the surnames Lan and Lei. In the second year of the Yongtai era of the Tang Dynasty, the Lei family She people migrated to Yeshantou Village in Jingning. In the fortieth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, the Lan family She people moved from Luoyuan in Fujian to Chengzhao Township, and then relocated to Chemu Mountain Village during the mid-Qing Dynasty, making it a representative village where She ethnic customs and traditions are well preserved.

On January 7, 2011, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of cultural heritage sites protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected at the Provincial Level in Zhejiang Province