Zoumatang Village

Zoumatang Village

The thousand-year-old village of Zoumatang is located in Jiangshan Town, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. Situated on the Yongnan Plain and adjacent to the Dongjiang River, a tributary of the Fenghua River, the village consists of two natural settlements, covering an area of 2 square kilometers with 2,200 acres of cultivated land. It has been described as “an ancient town of Siming, a land of literature and history, blessed with scenic landscapes and abundant water and land resources.” The village boasts numerous ancient Ming and Qing buildings, a simple and sincere folk culture, and many historical relics. Throughout the dynasties, 76 scholars who achieved the title of Jinshi (advanced scholars) came from this village, earning it the reputation as the “No.1 Jinshi Village in China.”

Historical records indicate that the village was first built during the Duan'gong era of the Northern Song Dynasty (988 AD), when the Chen family migrated here from Changzhou, Jiangsu, to settle temporarily. It has been over a thousand years since then. At that time, Chen Jin, a Jinshi scholar from Changzhou, served as the prefect of Mingzhou and was later buried on Maoshan Mountain. His son stayed to guard the tomb and settled in Zoumatang with his family, becoming the ancestors of today’s villagers, whose lineage has continued for 38 generations. The Chen family genealogy preserved at Ningbo’s Tianyi Pavilion provides a detailed and clear account of the family’s thousand-year history.

Eight Ming Dynasty structures remain in the village, while Qing Dynasty architecture is widespread. Additionally, there are three buildings from the Republican period featuring Western architectural elements, which are also highly distinctive. The ancient village’s architecture is especially noted for its upturned eaves and stone windows. The carved stone lattice windows showcase astonishing artistry. The various patterns on the windows include figures such as Zhang Guolao, Lan Caihe, and Lü Dongbin from the Eight Immortals, as well as characters symbolizing blessings and prosperity. The most exquisite stone windows in the village are found in a small alley behind the New Ancestral Hall, which have been termed “Southern Zhejiang Stone Windows” in historical architecture literature. These windows are intricately carved and can open and close smoothly, functioning just like wooden windows.

The unique water system of Zoumatang is another highlight. The entire village is surrounded by four rivers, connected by bridges such as Zilai Bridge, Xishen Bridge, and Qingfeng Bridge. Nearby are channels named Donglin, Shaojia Channel, Crab Belly, Houwang Channel, and Xu Family Channel, scattered throughout the area. Moreover, more than ten ponds of varying sizes and shapes are dug within the village. The ancient water system constructed by the early inhabitants of Zoumatang was designed to both drain and discharge water, forming a comprehensive river defense network that enabled villagers to better withstand droughts, floods, and fires.

Attraction Location

Jiangshan Town