Pingshan Scenic Area

Pingshan Scenic Area

Pingshan Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Pingshan Village is located at the foot of Pingshan Mountain and Jiyang Mountain, about 4 kilometers northeast of Yicounty.

The Jiyang Stream meanders through the village, with the rhythmic sounds of washerwomen’s laundry paddles echoing from the stone weirs and water splashing from the reservoir weirs. Along the banks are houses with grey bricks and tiles, ancestral halls, and shops with stores in the front and storage in the back. Over ten uniquely styled stone bridges cross the stream, creating the quintessential charm of a Jiangnan water town — “small bridges, flowing water, and rustic homes.” Pingshan is also known as Changningli or Shucun. The Shu clan, which has lived here communally for over 1,100 years, is the main resident family. Eight ancestral halls, including Guangyutang and Chengyitang, are well-preserved in the village, among which Shu Qingyutang is an extremely rare example of Ming Dynasty architecture on the mainland. Pingshan Village values righteousness and scholarship, with a tradition of passing down poetry and rituals through generations, producing many talented individuals. Shu Rongdu, a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, was persecuted and killed for his uprightness and opposition to Wei Zhongxian. After he was posthumously vindicated, a nine-eave gatehouse and the memorial archway “Wangzhong Bai Tai” were erected in his honor. Shu Shihu, a successful candidate in the late Qing Dynasty, had a granddaughter named Shu Xiuwen, who became renowned for her leading roles in classic films such as “The Spring River Flows East” and was honored as a People’s Performing Artist. Her former residence, “Shugu Hall,” has recently been developed into a tourist attraction. To the north of Pingshan lies the Three Sisters Peak, associated with the legend of “three sisters who turned into immortal carp after eating a peach.” At the entrance of the village is Changning Lake, linked to the tale of “a pair of lovers who drowned themselves in the lake and turned into mandarin ducks,” symbolizing undying love. These myths and legends reflect the local people’s timeless pursuit of a better life and faithful romance. Pingshan was also one of the earliest areas where progressive ideas were spread and where the underground Communist organization of Yixian County carried out its initial activities.

During the May Fourth Movement, Shu Yaizong and others from Pingshan who were studying at Peking University organized the Yilu Academic Society and founded the magazine “Gu Yi Xin Yu” to disseminate progressive ideas. In the spring of 1932, Wang Xizhi, Shu Zhenghai, and others established one of the earliest underground Communist Party branches in Yixian County in Pingshan, carrying out revolutionary activities.