Shuiduikeng Village

Shuiduikeng Village

Shuiduikeng Village is located in Zeya Town, Ouhai District, Wenzhou. The architectural style of the village predominantly features residences from the Qing Dynasty in the Jiangnan region. Its rational layout and simple, natural clusters of buildings serve as tangible evidence for studying the village culture of the Jiangnan area during the Ming and Qing periods. The village also preserves numerous ancient papermaking technologies, including water-powered trip hammers, pulp vats, and soaking pits, especially the Ming Dynasty papermaking site Siliankan, which holds significant research value. It is regarded as a "living fossil" of Chinese papermaking and a representative of physical remnants of ancient papermaking techniques.

Historical records indicate that the ancestors of Zeya mostly migrated from Nanping in Fujian to settle here, fleeing turmoil. After relocating, they discovered that the Zeya area, rich in water and bamboo, was ideal for papermaking. Thus, they resumed their traditional trade, producing Nanping paper and establishing the papermaking techniques of Nanping, Fujian, in Zeya. Shuiduikeng Village is situated within Zeya Town, covering a total area of 756 acres. Nestled among mountains and near flowing water, the village is surrounded by lush bamboo forests. With limited farmland, it is described as having “seven parts mountain, two parts water, and one part field.” All residents belong to the Pan family clan, whose ancestors migrated from nearby Yanzhang Village during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. They have lived here and thrived for over 200 years.

Crossing the stone bridge outside the village, you’ll see a chimney over ten meters high, with a row of paper-dipping workshops beneath it. Beside the black-tiled stone houses, the clustered dwellings contrast beautifully with the surrounding green hills. "Shuidui" means a water-powered trip hammer, and "keng" refers to a watery place. In Shuiduikeng Village, 2 chimneys, 3 water-powered trip hammers, 27 pulp vats, and 39 soaking pits—precious historical remains—are well preserved, making it a rare "living fossil" of ancient handmade papermaking. In the past, every household made paper, and on sunny days, each family would spread their pressed paper out to dry on the hillsides, creating a golden-yellow landscape that gave rise to the name "Paper Mountain."

To the north of Shuiduikeng Village, a small stream flows past the front of the village. The residences are mainly built on the southern side of the stream, terraced along the hillside and rising step by step in a well-arranged layout. Along both banks of the stream, there are numerous papermaking workshops, preserving a relatively intact paper culture village form. Most residences face northeast and were built mostly in the mid-Qing Dynasty, with many being original structures. Within the village, three stone-paved paths wind uphill along the mountain slope, naturally dividing the residential area into three sections. The streams alongside the paths form a natural drainage system. All residences are two-story buildings, with only one featuring nine bays, while the rest have seven bays. The architectural style can be classified as part of the Qing Dynasty Jiangnan residential form but also possesses distinct local characteristics.

Currently, there are more than 20 ancient residential buildings, all two-story houses. With the exception of one building that has nine bays, the rest all have seven bays. The architectural style falls under the Qing Dynasty Jiangnan residential form and features distinctive local elements. Their rational layout and simple, natural clusters of buildings serve as tangible evidence for studying the architectural technology, artistry, and concepts of Jiangnan villages during the Ming and Qing periods.

The village also has 3 water-powered trip hammers, 27 pulp vats, and 39 soaking pits. Their formation and development fully reflect the local socio-economic conditions centered around papermaking and serve as a microcosm of the Zeya Paper Mountain culture. Studying them helps reveal the fundamental social conditions of Zeya’s Paper Mountain during the Ming and Qing periods. In 2006, Shuiduikeng Village was designated as one of the third batch of Zhejiang Province’s Historical and Cultural Villages and Towns.