Zoumatang Scenic Area

Zoumatang Scenic Area

The thousand-year-old ancient village of Zoumatang is located in Jiangshan Town, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. Situated on the southern plain of Yinzhou and adjacent to the Dongjiang River, a tributary of the Fenghua River, it is known as “an ancient town of Siming, a land of literature, blessed with scenic landscapes and abundant water and land resources.” The village boasts numerous ancient Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, a simple and honest folk culture, and a wealth of cultural relics and historic sites. Throughout the dynasties, it has produced 76 imperial examination scholars, earning it the title “China’s No. 1 Village of Imperial Scholars.”

According to historical records, the village was first built during the Duan'gong era of the Northern Song Dynasty (988 AD), when the Chen family migrated from Changzhou in Jiangsu and settled here temporarily. It has now been over a thousand years. At that time, Chen Jin, an imperial scholar from Changzhou, served as the prefect of Mingzhou and was buried on Maoshan Mountain after his death. His son stayed behind to guard the tomb and relocated the family to Zoumatang, becoming the ancestors of today’s villagers. The lineage has been passed down through 38 generations. The Chen family genealogy preserved at Ningbo’s Tianyi Pavilion provides a clear and detailed record of the family’s thousand-year history.

In the village, eight Ming dynasty structures remain to this day, while Qing dynasty buildings are even more widespread. There are also three highly typical Republican-era buildings with Western architectural influences. The ancient village’s architecture is most distinguished by its upturned eaves and stone windows. The stone-carved lattice windows showcase astonishing craftsmanship. The various designs embellishing the windows include figures such as Zhang Guolao, Lan Caihe, and Lü Dongbin from the “Eight Immortals,” as well as characters like “Fu” (blessing) and “Qian” (Heaven), all rich in symbolism and meaning. The most exquisite stone windows in the village are found in an alley behind the New Ancestral Hall, referred to in ancient architectural literature as “Southern Zhejiang Stone Windows.” These windows feature intricate carvings and can open and close just like wooden windows. The unique water system of Zoumatang is another remarkable feature. The entire village is embraced by four rivers, connected by bridges such as Zilai Bridge, Xishen Bridge, and Qingfeng Bridge that link the various waterways. To the east are channels such as Caoliao, Shaojia Chao, Crab Belly, Houwang Chao, and Xujiachao scattered throughout, along with over ten ponds of varying sizes and shapes dug within the village. The water system constructed by the early inhabitants of Zoumatang was designed to both drain and discharge water, forming a comprehensive river defense network that helped villagers resist droughts, floods, and fires to the greatest extent possible.

Jiangshan Town: Jiangshan Town is located in the southern suburbs of Ningbo City, south of the new urban area of Yinzhou District, only 9.2 kilometers from downtown. It borders Fenghua County to the south, Zhonggongmiao Town to the north, Yunlong Town and Hengxi Town to the east, and Shiqi Town to the west, with the Fenghua River flowing along the western edge of the town. The distances to Ningbo Lishe International Airport and Ningbo Railway Station are both within 12 kilometers. The “Tongsan” Expressway has an interchange on the western side of the town’s built-up area, and it takes only 30 minutes to reach the deep-water port of Beilun Port via the expressway. The town currently covers an area of 85 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 83,000, and administers 55 administrative villages, one improved seed farm, … Jiangshan Town Detailed Information++