Guanshan Village

Guanshan Village

There is an old saying in southern Fujian: “One may have the wealth of Guanshan, but not the houses of Guanshan; one may have the houses of Guanshan, but not the wealth of Guanshan.” Guanshan Village is recognized as “China’s Most Beautiful Leisure Village” and is also known as “Nan’an’s No. 1 Overseas Chinese Village.”

Guanshan Village has a rich and diverse range of humanistic tourism resources. In its early days, the village was hidden deep in the mountains, shielded from external influences, which allowed its cultural assets to be well preserved. Its overseas Chinese culture, southern Fujian culture, farming culture, “Fan” (foreign) culture, and tea culture are long-standing and have blended together, forming the village’s unique cultural landscape. This cultural fusion is primarily reflected in its architecture.

The overall architectural style of Guanshan Village is a new synthesis that combines traditional southern Fujian-style ancient houses, Nanyang (Southeast Asian)-style buildings, and Soviet-style structures. The village has over 20 buildings that are more than 100 years old, with the oldest dating back over 500 years. There are more than 20 ancient houses that serve as carriers of southern Fujian culture, with over 10 well-preserved ones; 3 buildings feature a Nanyang style, 2 of which are in good condition; and there is 1 Soviet-style building that remains relatively intact. Many of these constructions are exquisitely built and elaborately decorated, commonly featuring elements such as flower screens, flying lattices, decorative windows, brick carvings, stone carvings, wood carvings, and lime reliefs. Numerous stone and wood components are rare and unique, with many incorporating Southeast Asian architectural styles. This distinctive architectural style is rare across China and holds profound cultural significance and research value.

At the entrance of the village stands a mountain olive tree that is over 800 years old. These houses blend harmoniously with the green mountains, clear waters, terraced fields, and ancient trees, creating a magical, simple, and beautiful picture. That’s why the village is called a “Grand Garden of Ancient Houses.”

(1) The Fanzi Building — With a history of over 100 years, this is one of the main iconic buildings in Guanshan Village. It was built in the late Qing Dynasty by the renowned overseas Chinese Mr. Li Gongcang, covering a land area of 800 square meters and a construction area of 500 square meters. At the time, Li Gongcang spent a full 100,000 taels of silver to build this house. “Every wall brick and column stone was hand-polished, and the floor tiles were transported all the way from Nanyang,” and the entire structure remains well preserved today. The reason Li Gongcang chose the “Western exterior, Chinese interior” architectural style is closely related to his business experiences in Indonesia. It is also reported that Li Gongcang once renovated and restored an antique archway called “Yangong” in Quanzhou.

(2) The Shiyin House — The “Shiyin House” in Guanshan Village is a rare Soviet-style old building in southern Fujian. It was built in imitation of Soviet architecture but incorporates many elements of southern Fujian design. Overall, the “Shiyin House” features left-right symmetry along a central axis, a regular layout with three sections, and higher rear sections than front. The corridors are wide and gently extending, and the red-painted windows are tall and simple, blending elegance with solemnity.

(3) The Fengjian Grand House — Built in the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), it is a typical southern Fujian red-brick mansion. Its exterior walls are made of white stones and red bricks, forming a palace-style ten-room mansion with side wing rooms, covering an area of over one acre. The front features a red-brick wall, while the back is constructed of stone, including a decorative earth wall, courtyard, patio, and drainage ditches—all paved with hand-processed white stone slabs. The floor tiles of the mansion were all shipped from Indonesia, and the wooden craftsmanship in the main hall is exquisite, using as much as five catties of gold leaf for decoration. The main gate features an intricately hand-carved green stone couplet. The front also includes a single green stone window, entirely carved and processed from one piece of green stone, showcasing unparalleled craftsmanship.

Guanshan Village is located at the foot of Damuzhai Mountain. The village is traversed southeastward by the Lianmei rural road, with numerous paths extending in all directions, making transportation convenient. The village is dominated by traditional “old mansions,” supplemented by modern buildings. Surrounded by mountains, the village enjoys high forest coverage and a rich diversity of flora and fauna, offering beautiful natural scenery. The area is filled with lush trees, winding streams, birdsong in quiet mountains, and intoxicating tea aromas. The air is rich in negative ions, allowing visitors to experience pristine natural beauty and return to a spiritual home far from the hustle and bustle. Within the village lies a 1,400-acre Tieguanyin tea plantation, where terraced tea fields stretch along the hills, filling the air with a delicate tea fragrance.

Mist shrouds the mountains like a fairyland. The Xiakeng Stream and Zhongxincuo Stream flow through the village with crystal-clear waters. The riverbanks are covered with abundant broadleaf forests, providing excellent natural ecological resources. Inside Guanshan Village stands Huangqi Peak, a famous mountain in southern Fujian, known for its scenic beauty, rugged rocks, splashing mountain springs, lush greenery, soaring eagles, partridges, singing thrushes, and bubbling springs. Birdsong and floral scents are everywhere. Watch the sunrise and sea of clouds in the morning, gaze at the sunset and cooking smoke in the evening, climb to high vantage points, and enjoy the azure sky, distant mountains, nearby waters, beautiful scenery, and famous tea—this is truly a refreshing and unforgettable experience.

Huangqi Jian Ecological Tea Garden — Guanshan Village has a long history of tea development. The Huangqi Jian Ecological Organic Tea Garden covers 859 acres and originated from the Meifeng Tea Farm established during the Republic of China period by Li Chunxi and managed by tea master Li Zhaofeng. It is located within the Meishan Ecological Forest Reserve, often enveloped in mist.

The Huangqi Jian Tea Garden is surrounded by mountains, with thousands of acres of tea terraces climbing up the slopes. Species such as yew, pine, cinnamon, acacia, Michelia, persimmon, and willow are widespread. Deep within the mountainous surroundings, a lake glistens like a bright piece of jade embedded in a ring. During the spring tea harvest season around April and May, the fragrance of tea fills the mountains, captivating visitors. Here, you can not only try your hand at making Tieguanyin tea but also hike to the top of Huangqi Jian to watch the sunrise, or even gaze far into the distance toward the East and West Pagodas in downtown Quanzhou.

Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission