Xinye Ancient Village

Xinye Ancient Village

Xinye Village is located in the southern part of Jiande City, Zhejiang Province. The layout of the ancient village was designed based on the principles of Yin-Yang and the Nine Palaces, reflecting the philosophy of harmony between man and nature. Following the concept of "unity of all things," nearly 100 lanes and houses in the village are crisscrossed and interconnected into a cohesive community. In addition, the area boasts rich cultural heritage, including two intangible cultural heritages of Zhejiang Province: "Xinye Kunqu Opera" and "Xinye March 3rd Festival."

During the Jiading era of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty, the founding ancestor of Xinye Village, Ye Kun, migrated from the Central Plains to Jiande, Zhejiang, along with the relocating imperial family of the Song Dynasty. Over the course of more than 700 years through the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, and the Republican period, the descendants of the Ye family flourished into a large clan settlement spanning 29 generations and numbering over 3,000 people. Nestled in a remote mountain valley, on land that is not particularly fertile, they tenaciously preserved their bloodline and carried forward their traditions.

Xinye Village was established in the 12th year of the Jiading reign during the Southern Song Dynasty (1219 AD). As the village takes Yuhua Mountain behind it as its main mountain, the Xinye lineage is known as the Yuhua Ye Clan. Since the first generation of the Yuhua Ye Clan settled here, the village has a history of over 780 years through the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, the Republican era, and up to the present day. Despite wars, even typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and flash floods, 16 ancient ancestral halls, grand halls, pagodas, temples, and over 200 traditional residential buildings have been remarkably well-preserved, earning it the title of an “open-air museum of Ming and Qing architecture in China.”

The old residences in Xinye Village bear a striking resemblance to those in southern Anhui and northern Jiangxi. The overall architectural layout follows the Five Elements and Nine Palaces pattern, embodying the traditional philosophy of harmony between man and nature. Stepping into Xinye Village feels like entering a maze. There are over a hundred lanes and alleys in the village—some as wide as nearly 3 meters, others as narrow as just 80 centimeters. The houses on both sides are tall and enclosed, while the lanes are narrow and deep. Tall firewall walls divide each house into individual courtyards. The labyrinth of streets and alleys connects every household into an organic and orderly whole. The most expressive feature is the gable walls. The stepped-style gables are not only found at the ends of the main houses but also on the wing rooms. As a result, the village is filled with high and low gables, giving the entire settlement a lively, layered, and dynamic skyline.

It is said that unless a house collapses naturally, the people of Xinye never demolish their ancestral homes, making the entire village a museum of Ming and Qing ancient architecture. The Ye family, who have lived here for over seven centuries, have similarly preserved the traditions of their ancestors.

Daciyang Town: Daciyang Town is located in the southern part of Jiande City, at the junction of Jiande, Lanxi, and Longyou cities (counties), along the tourism route connecting Daciyang Mountain, Zhuge Bagua Village, and Longyou Grottoes. It is traversed by the Jin-Qian Railway and National Highway 330, offering convenient transportation. The town covers an administrative area of 93.1 square kilometers, with a population of 23,000, and administers 33 administrative villages and one neighborhood committee. In 2005, the town's gross domestic product reached 354 million yuan, with industrial output valued at 264 million yuan, agricultural output at 84 million yuan, total fiscal revenue at 10 million yuan, and an average per capita income of 4,188 yuan for farmers. Daciyang Town is...... More detailed information about Daciyang Town++