The Ancient Architectural Complex of Furong Village

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Furong Village

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Furong Village is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Furong Village is located in Yongjia County, Zhejiang Province.

It is said that Furong Village was first built in the late Tang Dynasty, when a couple surnamed Chen moved from Fujian to Zhejiang to escape war and settled here. The village layout is said to follow the symbolic arrangement of "Seven Stars and Eight Pools." Nearly fifty ancient buildings are preserved to this day. The architectural complex includes fortress walls, gates, residences, ancestral halls, memorial archways, temples, academies, and pavilions. The village has a slightly rectangular layout, being narrower from east to west and longer from north to south. The fortress walls are built from irregularly shaped stone blocks. There are seven fortress gates, among which the eastern gate is a two-story wooden structure with three bays. Most of the village's buildings were constructed during the Qing Dynasty. The ancestral hall, represented by the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, features a five-bay front hall with one bay on each side, and a main hall with thirteen rafters across five bays, along with five-bay side chambers. In front of the ancestral hall, there is a pond and a side gate, creating an open space. Furong Pavilion is situated in the middle of Furong Pond and is connected to the shore by a small bridge. It has three bays and double eaves, with railing seats around and straight upturned eaves, exuding an ancient charm. Other structures in the village, including residences and temples, retain the simple and traditional style characteristic of ancient houses along the Nanxi River.

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Furong Village provides an important example for the study of ancient village architecture. In 2006, it was included by the State Council in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units as a representative ancient building from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Furong Village: Furong Village is located on the west side of the Yongxian Highway, south of Yantou Town. Legend has it that there is a high mountain to the southwest of the village with three peaks rising abruptly, white with hints of red, resembling an unopened hibiscus flower, hence the name Furong Peak. A large pond in the village reflects the image of Furong Peak every evening, from which the village gets its name.

According to the *Chen Clan Genealogy* from the 10th year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1497): "In the late Tang Dynasty, to escape the chaos of war, a couple surnamed Chen migrated from the north of Yongjia County along the Nanxi River into the deep mountain valley. Upon reaching the foot of Furong Peak, they found the area fronted by a meandering river like a sash and backed by a rocky peak resembling a gauze hat, with three dragons competing for a pearl and four streams converging into a pond. They thus built their home and settled here. … More detailed information about Furong Village ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units