Guanshe Village

Guanshe Village

Located in Xinxu Town, Hua'an County, Guanshe Village is a She ethnic minority settlement built halfway up a mountainside. With its pristine natural scenery and diverse She ethnic culture, this small village has carved out a unique charm. Nestled amidst green mountains and clear waters, experiencing the She culture here offers a truly otherworldly feeling. However, a series of recent events have shattered the tranquility of this remote mountain village, propelling this beautiful and enchanting She settlement into the spotlight.

The Origins of Guanshe Village

Guanshe Village dates back over 300 years to the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty. A group of She people traveled upstream from Taikou in Hua'an, settling near the ancient ferry of Xinxu. Later, they spotted a spiral-shaped piece of land halfway up the mountain, where a Han Chinese family was already living. The head of this household had just passed the imperial examinations and was preparing to move to Zhangzhou Prefecture to take up an official post, so he handed his home over to the She people.

“A Han official lived here before, and now She people reside here.” Thus, the name “Guanshe” (官畲, meaning “Official She”) has been passed down to this day.

Unique Culture – The Vibrant “Fire-Inviting Festival”

Every year on the 12th day of the first lunar month, Guanshe Village holds its annual “Fire-Inviting Festival.”

On that day, a procession of She villagers, after inviting the sacred fire from the mountaintop, forms a long dragon-like line and parades through the village accompanied by drums and music. The celebration includes various rituals such as “Treading the Altar,” “Stepping on Fire,” and “Seizing the Fire.” The highlight comes at the Phoenix Terrace, where She men, barefoot, dash across a waist-high pile of blazing charcoal while carrying divine statues, sending sparks flying and drawing cheers from the crowd.

Finally, villagers of all ages rush to grab shovels and spades to scoop up a bit of the live charcoal to take home and place in their stoves. This act symbolizes bringing home the seeds of hope, good fortune, and prosperity, with wishes for a flourishing new year.

Sea of Clouds Tea Terraces

Just a few years ago, Guanshe was one of the poorest ethnic minority villages in Hua'an. But thanks to tea cultivation, the village—now home to over 400 residents—has become one of the county’s most prosperous, ranking high in per capita income.

“Fragrant tea enriches farmers, beautifies She villages.” During the tea-making season, the refreshing aroma of tea fills the entire She settlement. From National Day until Cold Dew, as the weather cools, the autumn fragrance of Guanshe tea wafts far and wide. Every day, tea merchants from Xiamen, Quanzhou, Guangdong, Hubei, Beijing, and other parts of China flock to the village to buy fresh tea. Prices of 300–500 yuan per jin of rough tea are common, while premium tea fetching 800 or even 1,000 yuan per jin is highly sought-after, often leading to bidding or rationing. Some place deposits in advance, while others wait early in line, afraid someone else might snatch their favorite batch. The booming tea trade and rising prices year after year have put broad smiles on the faces of the She tea farmers.

The Charming She Village – Ancestral Shrine of the Founding Clan

Guanshe Village still preserves the ancestral shrine of its founding clan. Originally, homes were built around the ancestral house, with structures on both sides. In front of the ancestral house was a pond featuring representations of the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, paper, and inkstone). In the upper left corner of the pond stood a stone chair, which, if restored, would make a lovely spot for visitors. The site also retains traditional folk songs and ancestral portraits. Before liberation, the entire village had only about 50 houses, more than 20 of which were thatched cottages. To guard against bandit raids, the whole village was enclosed by fences, sometimes even double-layered, with self-closing gates that required careful passage lest one’s heel get caught. On either side of the ancestral house stood two- to three-story towers. When bandits attacked, residents would lock their doors and retreat into these towers for defense and resistance. The towers were outfitted with gun ports on all sides for firing matchlock guns at intruders. The bamboo fencing was a distinctive feature of Guanshe’s anti-bandit defenses.

Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission