Dongyuan Zengjia Village

Dongyuan Zengjia Village

Dongyuan Zengjia Village is located about 5 kilometers northeast of Liuli Township in Jinxi County, at the border between Liuli Township and Chenfangji Township. It is 29 kilometers from the county seat and enjoys a relatively superior geographical location with convenient transportation.

The ancient village is situated on a hilly terrain, with distant villages and rugged mountains intermingling. Outside the village lies fertile farmland, while dense bamboo forests grow behind it. A stream murmurs to the east, and a river flows across the north, creating beautiful scenery. There are currently 74 well-preserved traditional buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a clear and intact settlement layout. It is a historical and cultural village renowned for its well-preserved Ming and Qing architectural complexes. In March 2014, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Cultural Heritage Administration jointly announced the sixth batch of China's Historical and Cultural Towns and Villages, and Dongyuan Zengjia Village was included.

The village currently has 220 households with a population of 1,100, the vast majority of whom are surnamed Zeng. They are descendants of Hongligong, a cousin of Zeng Gong, and also direct descendants of Zengzi (Zeng Shen), revered as the "Sage of Ancestral Worship." According to the *Dongyuan Zeng Clan Genealogy*, the 43rd-generation descendant of Zengzi, Zeng Guai, moved from Nanfeng to Zhongsong; the 46th-generation descendant, Yuanlong, moved from Zhongsong to Muqiao; and the 49th-generation descendant, Zibin, moved from Muqiao to Dongyang Academy. To commemorate their ancestor Zeng Hongli, who was buried in Dongyuan, Nanfeng, they renamed Dongyang to Dongyuan, which has a history of over 800 years. Since the Republican era to the present, the village has had a rich cultural atmosphere and has produced many talents, including over 20 senior intellectuals such as professors, doctors, senior engineers, and chief physicians. Among them, two enjoy special allowances from the State Council, earning the village the nickname "Village of Professors."

The ancient village faces south and is laid out along lanes, descending from higher to lower terrain. To the south, a small road stretches about 500 meters from the Xian Shi Temple at the East Gate to the new archway in the west of the village, with a width of 4 meters. Parallel to it is the main stone street on the south side of the village, serving as the primary thoroughfare. Along the street runs a drainage ditch shaped like a series of connected boats, tapering at one end and widening at the other, winding through the village. The village extends about 200 meters in depth, with nine bluestone alleys radiating from the North Gate and West Gate straight to the main southern stone street, giving the entire village a fan-like layout.

The ancient village features a scientifically advanced and comprehensive village system. Most roofs are gable-and-hip style with tall horse-head walls, various forms of firewalls, and a water pond at the village entrance, all contributing to effective fire prevention and forming a complete fire protection system. Each house has either visible or hidden drainage ditches along the alleys, channeling water into the pond, which then flows out of the village, creating an integrated drainage and moisture-proof system. The main gate tower and surrounding wall serve as the first line of defense, the pond as the second, the drainage ditches as the third, and the stone wall bases as the fourth, together forming a complete defensive system.

The village architecture mainly consists of Dongyuan Street, also known as Straight Street, which branches into six alleys over 90 meters long in the northwest direction. The alleys are paved with bluestone slabs and pebbles and are interconnected by smaller lanes that wind forward. The village has nine major ancient residential clusters, where houses within each cluster are interconnected, allowing people to move around even on rainy days without getting their shoes wet. Each lane and path has either visible or hidden drainage ditches, and the ancient buildings are arranged from north to south along the alleys according to the terrain, ensuring no puddles form even during heavy rain and no mold in houses during the rainy season.

The village preserves 74 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including 5 from the Ming dynasty, 4 ancient wells, 10 ancient trees, 1 ancient bridge, 2 ancient stone carvings, and a total of 2,138 meters of old bluestone slabs. Three sites are designated as provincial-level cultural heritage protection units: the ancient "Huanling Huying" Temple, the "Zhongyi Shidi" Official Hall, and the "Xiushi Qinanfeng" Residence. The stone lattice windows on the exterior walls of each ancient building feature unique carvings and patterns, especially the column bases inside, which vary from building to building and even among different bases within the same structure. The stone and brick carvings above the gates are exquisitely crafted, some combining round carving, openwork carving, relief carving, and pierced carving techniques, creating a breathtaking effect. The wooden carvings on screens, windows, brackets, and beams also showcase remarkable artistry, vividly depicting motifs such as "Instant Promotion (a horse carrying a bee and a monkey)," "A Clear Path Ahead (a heron flying over blue skies)," "A Vase of Prosperity (a vase symbolizing nobility)," and "A Bundle of Integrity (a lotus representing purity)." These designs embody the principle that "every image carries meaning, and every meaning signifies good fortune."

Among the Ming and Qing buildings in the village, the most exquisite are the two-story "Official Halls," featuring four courtyards in a row and nine skywells. These structures include living quarters, reception halls, embroidery towers, gardens, and fish ponds. The lintels are inscribed with names such as "Da Fu Di" (Noble House), "Feng Jin Shi Di" (Honored House), "San Sheng Ju" (Three Reflections Abode), and "Qing Ai Xuan" (Elegant Pavilion), using four different calligraphic styles: running, regular, clerical, and cursive scripts, all of high artistic value. Currently, the interiors of these buildings have collapsed, leaving only the lintels outside. The Zeng Clan Ancestral Hall in the west of the village is a four-courtyard structure covering 800 square meters. The central two rows of eight wooden pillars in the second courtyard have a circumference of 2 meters, with stone bases measuring 3 meters in circumference and 0.7 meters in thickness, each weighing about 400–500 jin. In the skywell of the lower courtyard, two 300-year-old osmanthus trees facing each other are lush and leafy, their upper branches having merged into one. Dongyuan Zengjia Village boasts a diverse range of architectural types, including temples, bridges, official halls, ancestral halls, residences, gate towers, and ordinary houses. With a wide time span, large quantity, and excellent preservation, it is rare in Jiangxi Province and holds significant value for the study of ancient architectural philosophies.

The spatial composition, decorative arts, and masonry techniques of the Zeng Family Ancient Village buildings are of generally high craftsmanship quality, especially the meticulous stonework and brickwork, which are quite rare among the many ecologically preserved villages in southern China. The "upper and lower hall" style of residential architecture, common in the Fuchun River basin of central Jiangxi, is a typical local dwelling type. Many of these residences feature inscribed plaques by ancient scholars, with calligraphy often by master hands. Both the content and style demonstrate a high level of cultural sophistication, showcasing the profound cultural heritage of Dongyuan.

Liuli Township: Located about 30 kilometers northwest of Jinxi County, Liuli Township borders Linchuan, the "Home of Talents," to the west and neighbors Dongxiang County to the north. It is the junction of Jinxi, Linchuan, and Dongxiang counties, with bustling border trade. The township covers a total area of 96 square kilometers, comprising 15 village committees and 146 village groups, with a population of 21,000 and 26,000 acres of arable land, making it one of the largest agricultural townships in Jinxi County. Liuli Township is only 10 kilometers from National Highway 316 and 30 kilometers from Fuzhou City. It has a GSM mobile phone base station, offering convenient transportation and fast communication. With vast land and a large population, Liuli Township has abundant... [Liuli Township detailed information++]