The Peng Ancestral Hall in Lixia Village

The Peng Ancestral Hall in Lixia Village

The Peng Ancestral Hall in Lixia Village is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangxi Province.

I had long heard of the name of Lixia, an ancient village with a thousand years of history, and finally had the chance to visit when a friend invited me during the crisp autumn season. Lixia Ancient Village is located in Shangxian Township, Jishui County, Jiangxi Province, 26 kilometers from Ji’an City and 29 kilometers from Jishui County town. It lies at the junction of three counties (districts): Jishui County, Ji’an County, and Jishu District. All residents of Lixia Village share the surname Peng, and currently there are a total of 137 households and over 460 people. The village buildings are built along the mountainside, backed by Houlong Mountain and fronted by a gently flowing stream. The overall layout of the village perfectly aligns with traditional feng shui concepts of "mountain-backed and water-facing" or "resting against the mountain and facing the water," which is also a key reason why the Peng family of Lixia has thrived for so long.

The “Peng Ancestral Hall” was built in 1882. It is surrounded by majestic and rustic horse-head walls arranged in an orderly fashion. Its interior structure expands on the Hakka residential style of “three sections and three bays” into “three sections and six bays,” forming an expansive layout of “nine buildings and eighteen halls.” With a construction area of over two thousand square meters, it is quite magnificent. The exquisite wood carvings and brick carvings feature dragons, phoenixes, gold embellishments, and colorful paintings, all of which are truly breathtaking.

Further reading:

· Sixth batch of cultural heritage sites protected by Jiangxi Province