Chaole Village

Chaole Village

Chaole Village is located in the renowned Chongwu Ancient Town on the Chongwu Peninsula. Originally a traditional and underdeveloped fishing village, it now comprises three natural villages, ten villager groups, a population of 5,905, and 1,626 households, with nearly a thousand migrant workers residing year-round. Chaole Village has been recognized as an advanced grassroots Party organization in Fujian Province and has been named a “Civilized Village” for seven consecutive terms. It is also a model village for building a new socialist countryside and a pilot site for rural communities at both municipal and county levels.

Walking across the ancient and weathered land within the Water Pass of the village, one can find historical traces of the Maritime Silk Road everywhere: the Ancient Moat Old House, Xian’s Ancestral Hall, the Former Residence of Huang Wuye, Lin Guangji, the Dyeing Silk Well… These sites bear witness to the splendid history of East Asian cultural exchange and each holds its own moving story.

Shuiguan Gate

About 100 meters north of the entrance to the Chongwu Ancient Town Scenic Area, the first thing that catches your eye is what is hailed as the “Fifth Gate” of Chongwu Ancient Town — the Shuiguan Gate. Standing 2.1 meters high and 1.3 meters wide, it guards a key transportation pass and is the smallest of the seven existing ancient city gates in China. The highest point in Chongwu Ancient Town is Lotus Peak in the town center, while the lowest is the Shuiguan. Outside the gate lies an inlet, and during spring tides, seawater rushes in through culverts beneath the city walls. In the event of typhoons and heavy rains, without the Shuiguan to drain the water, the “Shuiguan Fishing Homes” would quickly turn into “homes underwater.”

Standing by the “Shuiguan Well” at the gate, one must also recount the tale of another nearby sister well just outside — the “Shiijiu Well” (Wine-Testing Well). Legend has it that during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, there was a kind-hearted young woman who was very filial to her father-in-law, serving him wine every day. Later, when the father-in-law suddenly passed away, rumors spread that she had poisoned him with the wine. In anger, she threw herself into the well, and her vengeful spirit refused to rest, often appearing at night by the well’s edge, holding a bowl of well water and offering it to passersby to “taste the wine.” From then on, no one dared walk that path alone at night. Later, the captain of a foreign merchant ship, drunk after a banquet, passed by the well and took a sip of the “wine,” praising it as excellent. Ever since, the woman’s spirit vanished. People thus named the well “Shiijiu Well” in memory of the wronged woman.

Guhao Old House

Guhao Old House is the site of the former residence of the Jing family, who held the title of “Qianhu” (a military official rank) during the Ming Dynasty. The Jing family’s ancestral hall bore the name “Xunjiu” (meaning “meritorious and longstanding”), and their ancestors came from Linhuai in Anhui to serve as a “Baihu” (a lower military rank) in Chongwu during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. Later, during the Longqing reign, descendants distinguished themselves by capturing and killing wokou (Japanese pirates) in Dazuo, earning a promotion to “Fu Qianhu” (Deputy Qianhu). By the Chongzhen reign, they were further promoted to “Zheng Qianhu” (Full Qianhu) and built the Qianhu Official Residence. During the early Qing Dynasty’s boundary relocation, the residence was burned down, but the left stone gate and three-tier stone courtyard remain, offering a glimpse into the grandeur of the original Qianhu residence. Linhuai was also known as Haozhou, hence the stone gate was inscribed with “Guhao Old House” to commemorate the family’s ancestral origins.

Guhao Old House bears witness to the East Asian diplomatic history of ancient Quanzhou. According to the “Chongwu Annals,” a Jing-family Baihu once followed imperial orders to present a warship to the King of Zhongshan of the Ryukyu Kingdom. For the Ryukyu people, whose maritime technology was still at the stage of “tying bamboo into rafts and not using boats,” this act was, at the time, equivalent to “giving them high technology.” In the 1980s, when Quanzhou became a sister city with Urasoe in Japan, this centuries-old gift of a ship was still celebrated as a cherished historical anecdote by both sides.

Today, Guhao Old House stands like an elder from another time, telling stories of the wisdom of the Chinese nation and the rise and glory of a family.

Xian’s Ancestral Hall

This Xian’s Ancestral Hall has a fascinating history. According to the “Quanzhou Personalities,” Zhang Xian, an ancestor from Jianhu in Chongwu, was demoted and exiled for opposing the treacherous Qin Hui faction. Later, he changed his name to Zhang Xian and made a living in Chongwu through silk printing and dyeing, contributing to Quanzhou’s silk exports. He dug the Xiawu Well, used for silk dyeing, which came to be known as the “First Well of Chongwu.” This suggests that even before the construction of Chongwu City, there was already a silk dyeing industry. The site served as an important processing and trade hub for silk and stands as further evidence of Quanzhou’s role as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road.

The pair of flagpole stones in front of the ancestral hall indicate that this place produced many talented individuals. They serve as proof of the flourishing literary culture in Chongwu, as living records of the ancient imperial examination system, and as symbols reflecting the humanistic character of the Water Pass area.

Huang Wuye’s Former Residence

In Chaole Village lived Huang Wuye, a renowned commoner poet of the Ming Dynasty. Even as a child, Huang spoke with remarkable insight, and as he grew older, he developed a deep passion for classical literature and the teachings of various schools of thought, achieving ever-greater mastery. Following in the footsteps of Sima Qian, he traveled across China’s famous mountains and rivers, gathering rich material for his creative works. He authored several collections, including “Jinling Manuscripts,” “Kuanglu Collection,” “Northern Travels Grass,” and “Jizhou Verses.” His poetry and prose were described as “emotion arising from scenery, words uniquely forged, spirit full and mind composed, color deep and flavor enduring.”

It is recorded that at age 51, Huang Wuye went to the capital, where his poetry, calligraphy, and paintings caused a sensation and earned him an audience with the emperor. However, he firmly declined any official position and remained a commoner for life. Huang Wuye left behind 70 volumes of poetry containing over 1,400 poems, many of which are patriotic and people-focused masterpieces. His poem “Seeing Off a Ryukyuan Student Back to His Country” stands as an important piece in the history of East Asian diplomacy. He was also skilled in calligraphy and painting, with works regarded as “divine art,” earning him the title of a master of the “Three Perfections” — poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

Although Huang Wuye’s former residence has suffered damage over time, its original layout remains clearly recognizable. It is one of the few remaining structures in Chongwu City that preserves the architectural style of Ming Dynasty military barracks.

Lin Guangji

Lin Guangji belongs to the ancestral complex of the Houbo Lin family and is considered a classic example of Qing Dynasty architecture in Chongwu. Though modest in scale, its interior and exterior designs are exquisitely refined, making it highly valuable for the study of ancient architectural craftsmanship in Chongwu during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The fame of Lin Guangji also stems from its status as one of the three most renowned shops in the mid-Qing Dynasty, primarily dealing in silk and cloth. It operated a sizable dyeing workshop centered around the Dyeing Silk Well at Xi’an.

Lin Guangji was involved in overseas export business. At the time, there was a row of shops nearly 100 meters long inside the south side of Chongwu’s West City Gate. The advertising slogan “Guangji Cloth — Won’t Wear Out” remains well-known among locals in Chongwu to this day. Lin Guangji stands as a testament to Quanzhou’s Maritime Silk Road culture.

Dyeing Silk Well

Chongwu has many ancient wells, and the Chaole Water Pass area alone has 25 ancient wells of varying shapes and characteristics. It is said that every well in Chongwu Ancient Town has a story, and the Xi’an Well is one of them. A short walk from the well leads you out of the Water Pass.

The Xi’an Well was dug during the Song Dynasty. Its outer edge is square, while the interior is hexagonal. With a depth of 3 meters, it has a large and steady water yield throughout the year and has long been called the “Never-Drying Well.” In the mid-Qing Dynasty, Lin Guangji used water from this well to rinse and dye silk and cloth, with the finished products exported overseas via Quanzhou’s Maritime Silk Road. Hence, the Xi’an Well is also poetically referred to as the Dyeing Silk Well.

As time passes, every attraction in Chaole Village holds a touching story and embodies a deep history. Quietly nestled in the corners of this small fishing village, they await visitors to explore their mysteries and share in the classic charm and vibrant culture of this “Ancient Land of the Maritime Silk Road, Cultural Chaole.”

Source: Fujian Provincial Tourism Development Commission

Chaole Village: Located on the famous Chongwu Ancient Town of the Chongwu Peninsula, it has a population of 5,931 and 1,626 households, with nearly a thousand migrant workers year-round. The village Party committee oversees 15 branches (including 10 in non-public enterprises) and has 209 Party members. Chaole Village has been honored as a National Advanced Collective in Serving Farmers and Grassroots Cultural Construction, a National Model Village for Grassroots Autonomous Population and Family Planning, an Advanced Grassroots Party Organization in Fujian Province, a Fujian Provincial Civilized Village for Seven Consecutive Terms, and a Quanzhou Beautiful Countryside, among others.

Chaole Village was originally a traditional fishing village. In the late 1980s, the village’s two committees... More detailed information about Chaole Village ++