Cao Village

Cao Village

Cao Village is located in Rui'an City, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. It is a typical mountain-surrounded village, bordered by Pingyang, Mayu, Xianjiang, and other areas.

No. 1 Village of Jinshi

The Chinese No. 1 Village of Jinshi is located in Cao Town, Rui'an, Wenzhou. Cao Village is 18.7 km from downtown Rui'an, 64 km from downtown Wenzhou, and 34 km from Pingyang County. It is situated on the southern bank of the lower reaches of the Feiyun River. During the Later Jin Dynasty (936–947), three brothers—Cao Ai, Cao [unknown character], and Cao Changyi, the 11th-generation descendants of the Cao family—migrated from Changxi in Fujian to Xufeng to escape the turmoil in Fujian. After more than 200 years of growth, they developed into a large clan, and thus Xufeng came to be called Cao Village. In the 27th year of the Shaoxing era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1157), Cao Fengshi became the first person from the village to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. From then on, the literary culture of Cao Village flourished, producing many talented individuals. According to the "Genealogy of the Cao Clan," “29 people passed the highest level of the imperial examination (Jinshi), 6 became military Jinshi, 21 were specially appointed Jinshi, 38 were Imperial College Jinshi, 6 were Military School Jinshi, 9 were township tribute Jinshi, 35 were noble tribute Jinshi, and 16 were transport tribute Jinshi.”

It is truly rare in Chinese cultural history for one village to produce so many Jinshi. The reasons are as follows: 1. Cao Village has superior geographical conditions that created an ideal environment for cultural development. The village is rich in resources, producing abundant rice, beans, wheat, oranges, waxberries, chestnuts, loquats, bamboo, timber, and ancient celadon and blue-and-white porcelain bowls. It also had workshops for brewing, silk reeling, dyeing, water-powered mills, oil presses, tofu production, vegetarian noodles, and more, giving it strong economic power. Located on a key transportation route between Guangdong and Zhejiang, Cao Village was a major commercial hub in Rui'an, with thriving commerce and a prosperous economy. 2. Wenzhou has long had a strong literary tradition with numerous academies. During the Southern Song Dynasty, just within the city there were academies such as Dongshan, Fubing, Yongjia, Chengnan, and Chengbei. Rui'an had Xianyan Academy, as well as Tang'ao and Meitan private schools. In Cao Village, Cao Jiang founded the Fenggang Private School, and Cao Bin established the Huxiu Academy. These two academies hired renowned teachers to educate the clan’s children, producing a large number of talented individuals useful to the nation. 3. The Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Lin’an (modern-day Hangzhou), shifting the political and cultural center southward, which made it easier for the youth of Cao Village to study at the Imperial College in the capital and take the imperial examinations. Before the Southern Song, most Chinese feudal dynasties had their capitals in the north, which were far away. Traveling to Xi’an or Kaifeng for exams was very difficult for people from the south, hence few became Jinshi. According to the "Wenzhou Annals," during the Tang Dynasty, only 8 people from the Wenzhou area became Jinshi; in the Northern Song, 25; but by the Southern Song, this number surged to 1,346. This shows that the distance to the capital had a significant impact on the number of Jinshi produced in various regions. 4. The villagers of Cao have simple customs and value both farming and studying. To promote a culture of farming and scholarship, the Cao family set up fields for education and achievement, used to hire teachers, encourage academic success, and support students traveling to the capital for exams. As the Cao clan strongly advocated the Confucian ideal that “studying leads to honor,” the idea of becoming an official through learning had a positive influence within the family.

The 800-Year Lantern Festival

Cao Village has a rich literary culture and diverse forms of entertainment. Dragon dances and lantern festivals emerged as a result and have been passed down for 800 years to this day, becoming a valuable item in Wenzhou’s bid for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

During the Song Dynasty, Cao Ren Gui, an ancestor of the Cao family, served as the Commandant of the Military in Wenzhou. His grandson, Cao Fengshi, was intelligent, studious, and eager to learn, “with great potential for cultivation.” To encourage his grandson to “study hard and pursue an official career,” and to achieve success early, Cao Ren Gui searched far and wide, eventually finding a renowned Confucian scholar in Yueqing. He sent his grandson to study under this master in a private school in Yueqing and rented a quiet house for him nearby. Cao Fengshi studied diligently, often staying at the private school until midnight before returning to his lodging. The journey to and from the school was long, and at night, when it was pitch black, how could he find his way? Miraculously, whenever Cao Fengshi stepped out of the school gate, an old man would appear holding a lantern to light his way home, preventing him from stumbling. It was said that the lantern was “as red as the sun, as bright as lightning, and as light as a cicada’s wing.” When Cao Fengshi safely returned to his lodging and turned to bow in gratitude, the old man and the red lantern would always suddenly disappear. Cao Fengshi was amazed.

This was actually a beautiful legend created by the ancestors of the Cao clan. Aside from expressing reverence for their ancestor Cao Fengshi, it also aimed to inspire future generations to study diligently and strive for success. Because the word “lantern” (灯, dēng) sounds like “ascend” (登, dēng), it is homophonous with “pass the imperial examination” (登科, dēng kē). Additionally, since the Cao family migrated from Fujian, “lantern” (灯, dēng) also sounds like the Min dialect word for “child” (丁, dīng). Making many lanterns symbolized having many children. A thriving population meant many sons and much happiness. Therefore, the Cao Village Lantern Festival has thrived for 800 years.

Elders say that during the lantern festival, every household hangs colorful lanterns, filling the air with laughter and joy. Over 600 exquisitely crafted lanterns—featuring birds, beasts, poetry, riddles, stories, pavilions, and figures—attract over 100,000 visitors to the town to view them. Since then, Cao Village has shone as a golden name card for folk displays, culture, and tourism, promoting great development in its economy, society, culture, and education.

There is also a saying that as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Ming promoted Buddhism and “lit lamps to honor the Buddha” on the Shangyuan Night in palace temples, ordering both nobles and commoners to hang lanterns. This Buddhist ritual later evolved into an important event. According to villagers in Cao Village, the annual large-scale Lantern Festival during the Yuanxiao (Lantern) Festival has been held here since Cao Shuyuan, who passed the imperial examination during the Southern Song Shaoxi era, hung the Fortune Star Lantern. It has a history of over 800 years. On the night of the Yuanxiao Festival, residents from nearby towns and villages gather here to celebrate with lanterns, praying for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest. The streets and alleys of Cao Village become a scene of deafening drums and crowded excitement.

Religious Culture

Shengjing Mountain is located between Dankou and Cao Town, with an elevation of 749 meters. It is a religious sacred site in southern Zhejiang, featuring main attractions such as the Stone Temple, Baochang Temple, Tongji Temple, Jingfu Temple, Tiger Mountain, Eagle Mountain, Tiger Cave, and Qiaosi Cave.

Among these, the Shengjing Mountain Stone Temple is the earliest, largest, and best-preserved stone structure complex in southern Zhejiang, and is a national key cultural relics protection unit. The temple was initially built in the first year of the Jingding era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1260) and the current structures date from the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty to the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty. Inside the stone temple is a well, no more than a foot deep, with clear and sweet water that neither overflows nor dries up throughout the year. It is called the “Sacred Well.”