Jiangbei Ancient Village

Jiangbei Ancient Village

The Shishang Town in Ningdu County boasts unique geographical advantages, with picturesque mountains and rivers offering boundless scenic beauty. The Hakka people have lived and thrived on this ancient land for generations, naturally leaving behind many historical imprints of ancient culture.

Jiangbei Village is situated to the northwest of Shishang Town, approximately 9.5 kilometers away. As early as 949 AD, seven or eight households surnamed Liu migrated here from Shanxi and Henan to escape war. After living here for sixty or seventy years, they found the area mountainous with inconvenient transportation, hindering agricultural development, so they moved elsewhere. However, around 1107 AD, due to the conflict between the Liao and Jin dynasties, some members of the Zeng clan who had fled from Shandong to settle in Linchi, Ningdu, began to expand. With the Zeng families in Linchi growing rapidly, over 30 households relocated to Xiaoyuan Village in Dongshaba, among whom a man named Zeng Bazhong moved from Xiaoyuan to Jiangbei. To him, Jiangbei had excellent mountains, water, and land — resembling a small basin with good feng shui — so he brought his family and brothers, along with around eighteen or nineteen households, to settle and develop the area. To this day, it has a history of over a thousand years. Through generations of growth, the Zeng clan has established more than forty ancestral lines in Jiangbei, now comprising over 270 households and a population of more than 1,400.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jiangbei has built over 20 large residences and eleven ancestral halls; at the village entrance stands a stone arch bridge with a pavilion built on top, known as the “Jinshi Pavilion” (Scholar Pavilion). Next to this stone bridge is also the “Baishi Xian An” (Baishi Immortal Nunnery) and a six-story Water Mouth Pavilion, along with a “Han Emperor Temple” at the village entrance.

These residences, ancestral halls, water pavilions, and temples feature distinctive styles and exquisite craftsmanship, adorned with precious wood carvings, brick carvings, murals, and other intricate designs. It is said that wealthy families and benefactors in those days often acted out of gratitude and kindness, engaging in charitable deeds and helping the poor, fostering a longstanding village tradition of mutual aid and harmony. Hence, the Water Mouth Pavilion built at the entrance is also called the “Ci’en Pavilion” (Compassion Pavilion). This pavilion has long been listed as a key protected ancient structure by county and city cultural heritage authorities.

Additionally, to honor their ancestors’ merits, the villagers planted 17 camphor trees around the village, symbolizing the 17 wealthy households and also beautifying the environment. Today, as you enter the village, you can still see those towering ancient camphor trees, which are over 300 years old and remain lush and green. Thanks to the village’s beautiful natural surroundings, it is said to have excellent feng shui. There is also a local rhyme summarizing Jiangbei’s scenery: “Green mountains on three sides, a river flowing by; dragons and tigers leap, guarding the water mouth mightily. The water pavilion rests atop the tiger, ensuring prosperity in a mountain-surrounded village for ten thousand years.”

Throughout its millennia-long history, Jiangbei Village has also been the setting for many wonderful legends, such as “The Cattle Trader and the Baishi Immortal,” “The Laborer Lai and the Wine-Producing Well,” and “Seven Youths Searching for the Red Army” — all widely loved tales.

The people of Jiangbei Village hold particular reverence for the Han Emperor. Since the construction of the Han Emperor Temple in the village, a special type of lantern called the “Kang Deng” (Carried Lantern) was created for festive processions during worship ceremonies. This lantern has four tiers, standing about 1.8 meters tall with a circumference of 1.3 meters. Its exterior is covered with exquisitely cut paper designs featuring ancient scholars and beauties, mythological figures, famous flowers and trees, and various birds and animals, making the Kang Deng vibrant and magnificent. Inside the Kang Deng, there are over twenty oil lamps. During the annual Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, when the Kang Deng is paraded through the village, all the oil lamps are lit. The heat from the flames causes the images on the lantern to rotate automatically, creating a series of animated, stunning visual effects. In addition, the lantern procession is accompanied by many Buddha palanquins and drum bands forming long, winding lines. During the parade, ceremonial cannons are fired, and every household sets off firecrackers in celebration. In the evening, local opera troupes are invited to perform, filling the village with lively festivities and a strong festive atmosphere, showcasing the endless charm of Hakka folk culture. (By Peng Yuesheng)

Source: China Ganzhou Network – Gannan Daily, Peng Yuesheng