Sanshe Ancient Village

Sanshe Ancient Village

Sanshe, anciently known as Shangjing. In 1060, Liu Junzao, son of Liu Shi, Minister of Works during the Southern Tang Dynasty, served as a judicial officer in Jizhou. When the Song Dynasty forces advanced southward, Liu Shi retired and went to visit his son’s official post to explore scenic landscapes. “Passing by Shangjing to the south of Anfu County, I was captivated by its beauty, so I chose to settle north of Gumu Pond.” Liu Shi’s grandson, Liu Pu, passed the imperial examination under the Southern Tang, “and his sons Min, Min’s son Yuan, and Yuan’s son Zhigang all became upper-rank scholars under the Song, bringing honor to their fellow villagers who honored them as the ‘Three Residences.’” The name of “Gumu Pond” was changed to “Jinshi Pond.” The path from Sanshe to Jizhou Prefecture by foot is 90 li, which exactly matched Liu Shi’s original intention of “retreating three she” (one she being 30 li).

Sanshe Village is located in a mountain valley 11 kilometers southeast of Shipo Village, the seat of Ganluo Township, Anfu County, Jiangxi Province. Surrounded by four mountains, the area enjoys serene scenery. Several small mountain streams originating from Laoshan, Leihexian, and Gaotaoling converge into Dongxi Creek, which flows from west to east through the fertile Miwo Ridge of Sanshe, then into Dapi, entering the territory of Ji’an County. As a renowned local scholar from Ji’an wrote, “Gumu Pond is a superior village site. Majestic passes guard its exterior, craggy valleys wind within; surrounded by peaks, it touches the clouds above, with a spring that bursts forth from a crevice on the southwest cliff, joining others to form a creek. Morning and evening, in wind and rain, it takes on different forms through the seasons.” During the Ming Dynasty, literati from Sanshe summarized their cherished beautiful scenery into the “Eight Scenic Spots of Sanshe”: Lion Spring Spouting Jade, Sheep Ridge Floating Mist, Western Hollow Evening Glow, Eastern Stream Layered Peaks, Jinshi Famous Pond, Turtle Rock Academy, Flat Fields Spring Planting, and Pine Valley Autumn Sounds. Literary figures who loved scenic beauty often composed poems after visiting Sanshe. Wang Chengyuan, Tongzhi of Jingzhou, wrote a poem titled “Sheep Ridge Floating Mist”: “Where is there none? Lush green fills the eyes. Deep, deeper the mist and clouds, unscattered by mountain winds. Apes and birds rejoice in their refuge, vines and creepers entwine in shadow. Seeking solitude, there’s still morning; leaning on a staff, it’s not yet late.” He also wrote about “Eastern Stream Layered Peaks”: “The roaring creek at the mountain’s foot, the towering peaks above the stream. Winding as if embracing, one pillar holds back the raging waves. Fearing to lose direction while floating along, gazing afar as if barriers are set. I wish to borrow Xie Lingyun’s shoes, and climb, grasping vines.” Liu Da, a locally honored scholar, wrote about “Jinshi Famous Pond”: “A square pond mirrors clear willow winds, the title of Jinshi still echoes old fame. Most enviable is the deep source flowing ever strong, descendants in succession carry forward the fragrant name.” Another poem about “Flat Fields Spring Planting” reads: “With warm breeze and sunny light, willows veiled in mist, endless green fields stretch far and wide; countless pairs plow in spring, yet who knows that Ju and Ni were sages left behind?”

Since its founding at Nantang, Sanshe has gradually prospered and flourished. Despite the wars at the end of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, by the Ming Dynasty, it still had a thousand households, known as “One Thousand Smoke.” The entire village is laid out in the shape of a Taiji diagram, facing south with its back to the north. To the left lies Qinglong Mountain, to the right Baihu Ridge, in front are twin lions playing with a pearl, and below is the lion spring water outlet. In the Miwo Ridge fields in front of the village lie thousands of mu of fertile land that ensure harvests whether dry or wet, and the village has over a hundred fish ponds. By the early Qing Dynasty, the population and architectural scale had grown even larger, earning it the name “Village of Five Hundred” (referring to one hundred ancestral halls, one hundred ancient bells, one hundred ponds, one hundred ancient camphor trees, and one hundred officials wearing official hats), which inspired admiration among locals. By the late Qing Dynasty, 72 ancestral halls and 9 memorial archways remained, including three official archways, four Jinshi archways, and two chastity archways. Grand residences included Zongbo Mansion, Wenlin Mansion, Situ Mansion, Jiangshuai Mansion, Shangshu Mansion, Dafu Mansion, and Rulin Mansion—buildings that stood tall and vast in scale.

What the people of Sanshe are most proud of are the continuously emerging outstanding figures. Since the Southern Tang Dynasty, “generations upheld virtue and integrity, some unafraid of the powerful with integrity shining like the sun and stars, others emulating good governance with virtuous rule recorded in history books.” “Humanistic talent arose in succession, shining brilliantly one after another, excelling in Confucian studies, loyalty, literary arts, and scholarly honors, leading within the county.” Liu Shi, Minister of Works in the Southern Tang Dynasty, was the founding ancestor of Sanshe. Liu Xuan, a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty’s Jingtai reign (1451), rose to become Minister of Works; Liu Jian, the second-place winner in the Ming Dynasty’s Chenghua reign (1475), served as the official envoy, wearing the Qilin first-rank robe personally conferred by Emperor Xiaozong, to deliver edicts to Jiaozhi (modern-day Vietnam); Liu Duo, a Jinshi of the Ming Wanli reign, was erudite and courageous, deeply concerned for his country and people, upright and incorruptible. His daughter, Liu Shuying, was a patriotic poet and national heroine of great moral integrity. Professor Zhou Luanshu, former president of Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences and renowned historian, praised Liu Shuying as an unmatched female hero in Chinese history, excelling in both literary and martial virtues. Other officials from Sanshe who held positions at or above the prefect level include Liu Bingchang, Liu Bingjian, Liu Ji, Liu Pu, Liu Zhu, Liu Bangcai, Liu Xiao, Liu Tingfu, Liu Fang, Liu Yao, Liu Tiliang, Liu Dian, Liu Yiyu, Liu Zhaolong, Liu Hongfan, Liu Shifeng, and Liu Tingce. As for county magistrates and educational officials, they are too numerous to count. Sanshe also gained fame for its prominent Neo-Confucian scholars, with Liu Xiao, Liu Wenmin, Liu Zihuo, Liu Yishen, and Liu Baojue being renowned Neo-Confucianists in Jiangyou. Liu Wenmin, Liu Bangcai, and Liu Zihuo, together with Zou Shouyi from Anfu’s eastern township (a third-place scholar and Sacrificial Official of Nanjing Imperial College), co-founded Xiagu and Fuzhen Academies around 1534. In 2008, cultural heritage officials recorded an ink-couplet from a Ming-era civilian residence courtyard in the village: “Official up to Minister, not too big nor too small; grain piled ten thousand dan, not too much nor too little.”

Sanshe Village alone had over ten well-known private schools, such as Turtle Rock Academy, Meiyuan Study House, Binxing Literary Society, Xiyin Literary Society, Sanshe Study House, and Leda Club. “Schools stood in sight of each other, and the sounds of recitation filled the air,” showing the flourishing academic atmosphere.

Qiaoshui Natural Village (Kangjia), also under the administrative jurisdiction of Sanshe, is another remarkable cultural village. Its founding ancestor, Kang Xun, originally from Taihe County, bore the surname Kuang but changed it to Kang to avoid the naming taboo of the Zhao Song emperors. A Jinshi of the Song Yongxi reign (985), he served as Prefect of Anfu and later as Transport Commissioner of Yuanzhou Road. Later, he retired to Mengtan south of Anfu City. His descendant, Kang Wencai, passed the Jiangxi Provincial Examination (Xiangshi) in the Song Chunhua reign (994) and, after retiring from office, relocated to Sanshe Village. Across the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the Kang family in Qiaoshui Natural Village produced six Jinshi, ten Juren, six Gongsheng, and one Bajiang; those who held office included one Minister, five Prefects, and thirteen County Magistrates—an impressive record of scholarly and official success.

The Sanshe Administrative Village governs five relatively concentrated natural villages. From the entrance of the village, they are: Kangjia (Qiaoshui Natural Village), Xintian Natural Village, Sanshe Natural Village, Shangjing Natural Village, and Xiaoja Natural Village. The ancient layout and architecture that have been best preserved are mainly found in Sanshe Natural Village, Kangjia Natural Village, and Xiaoja Natural Village. Among them, Sanshe Natural Village retains eight ancestral halls, one Bangbo Memorial Archway, one foundation stone base of a general archway (the wooden gate has been destroyed), one Rulin Mansion civilian residence, three groups of ancient civilian residences totaling 31 buildings, 15 ancient bridges and religious structures, one ancient street and one ancient post road, as well as other historical remains. Approximately 50% of the buildings date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Kangjia (Qiaoshui) Natural Village currently retains one ancestral hall, 16 civilian houses, and three religious and other historical remains, mainly Qing Dynasty constructions. Xiaoja Natural Village preserves seven Qing Dynasty civilian houses and five religious and other historical remains. The village now has one Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit (Bangbo Archway), seven county-level protected units (Zhongyi Hall, Rulin Mansion, four ancient wells, and the tomb of Liu Duo), and 24 buildings listed in the county’s immovable cultural relics protection catalog.

The Ming and Qing architectural styles in Sanshe Village are distinctly recognizable. Ming Dynasty buildings feature a Tianmen-style roof, often with double eaves and second-floor drip edges for ventilation and lighting. The door frames are made of local hemp stone, and the front halls often have wooden corridor towers, with some floors inlaid with openwork flower panels or mortise-and-tenon carved railings. A few upper-floor halls have shallow relief figure doors or simply no doors, only frames. Generally, caisson ceilings are not used; wooden structures are large in shape with simple patterns, giving a solemn impression. Qing Dynasty buildings feature a skylight-style roof, usually built with continuous bricks up to the ridge, with four vertical horse-head walls at the front and back. Walls are decorated with raised carvings of figures, with wooden door hoods in the front and brick-raised door hoods in the back. Most have blue stone door frames and sills. Front halls often have caisson ceilings, and each side corridor tower has six carved panels, exquisitely crafted and rather luxurious. The ancient streets and alleys of Sanshe Village have distinctive features, with some sections still retaining an old-world charm. Towering ancient camphor trees, lush forests, ancient bridges, ancient wells, and ancient inscribed stelae silently tell the rich history of Sanshe Village...