Youshan Village

Youshan Village

Like most well-preserved ancient villages, Youshan Village is also nestled among mountains. It is located close to Jingdezhen. There is a Bus Route 8 Branch from downtown Jingdezhen to Dongliu. Various private transport vehicles run from Dongliu to Youshan Village, with a journey of about half an hour.

Youshan Village is bordered by Jingdezhen to the south, west, and north, so it is actually more convenient for villagers to get to Jingdezhen urban area than to Wuyuan County seat. There is a relatively short road from Jing-Wuyuan Highway via Dongliu and Jiangcun to Youshan Village. The section within Fuliang County was originally paved with asphalt, but due to quarrying at the eastern foot of Dayoushan Mountain, the road has been damaged by heavy trucks, making for a bumpy ride. Once in Wuyuan County, the road becomes a wide, smooth concrete surface.

The layout of the ancient village is unique. The Youshan Stream forms an S-shaped Taiji (yin-yang) pattern, with dense settlements on both the northern and southern banks. Nine streams converge into the creek that runs through the village, symbolizing “nine dragons descending to the sea.” Several small plank bridges span the creek between the two banks, simple and elegant — truly a scene of “little bridges over flowing water.” The stone slab bridges and stone arch bridges are especially evocative. “Confucian Forest Bridge,” “Inscribed Pillar Bridge,” as well as those outside the village such as “Middle Water Mill Bridge,” “Qingyuan Bridge,” “Huanxi Bridge,” and “Maolin Bridge,” were all first built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Having stood for hundreds of years, they remain charming to this day.

Youshan Village belongs to Zhentou Town, Wuyuan County, and is the largest natural village in the county. Established during the Taiping Xingguo era of the Song Dynasty (976–984), it was founded by Dong Zhiren who migrated from Hekou, Dexing. With over 800 households and a population of more than 3,800, it is known as the “village of a thousand smoke stacks.” The main surname is Dong, spanning 38 generations. According to *Fengyou Health Preservation Record*, “In western Wuyuan, about 120 li from the county seat, there is a mountain called Fengyou. Its majestic form serves as a screen, standing 310 ren high. At its summit lies the Jingyin Temple... Below the cliff is a spring that gushes from a rock crevice, flowing ceaselessly — hence it is also called ‘Junyuan’ (Deep Spring).” This is why Youshan was originally named Junyuan Village. Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era, a colorful phoenix flew eastward and lingered here, thus giving it the name Fengyou, which later evolved into Youshan Village. Nearby are other villages with phoenix-related names such as Fengting and Fengluo.

The ancient village features many Huizhou-style buildings, with beams, lintels, and doors intricately carved with lifelike birds, beasts, and human facial motifs, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship. Existing ancestral halls include: Xihui Hall (also known as Zhenji Company or the Grand Ancestral Hall), Guangyu Hall (also called Gaogong Hall), Guanglie Hall, Jisi Hall, Dunling Hall (also known as Yugong Hall), Zhenxun Hall, and Chongyi Hall. Historic residences include “Yiji Inn,” “Lianzhi Tower,” “Huibin Tower,” “Shouxing Residence,” “Embroidery Tower,” and “Gate Arch Tower,” as well as old houses belonging to the Dong Maoyuan, Dong Kefa, and Dong Zhiqun families. These are simple and elegant, with distinctive styles. Notably, the second panel of latticework in Dong Shengguang’s residence features “Smoke Red Shop,” with bold depictions rarely seen in other Wuyuan architectural carvings. The village’s old “Yongxing” shop, the “Hangu Pass Pavilion” and “Zhan Yun Pavilion” at the village entrance, with their soaring upturned eaves, exude grandeur. Other historic structures include the Nine Dragons Temple, the Jingyin Temple on Fengyou Mountain, and the “Chaste Woman Memorial Archway” (ruins) at the home of Dong Quanshou.

Youshan enjoys a pleasant climate, fertile land, and abundant rainfall. With vast mountainous areas suitable for forest growth, the hills are covered with camphor trees, cypresses, osmanthus, ginkgo, and yew. There are 27 camphor trees with diameters over 60 cm (including 7 over 1 meter), 3 ancient cypresses, 2 osmanthus trees, 1 ginkgo tree, and 2 yews. Upstream in Youshan Village are “Xipi Dudu Jie” and “Zengbi Dudu Jie,” while downstream are “Shangshui Dui Jie,” “Zhongshui Dui Jie,” “Maxing Jie,” “Wanglintan Jie,” and “Yanwei Jie.” For nearly a thousand years, these have played a crucial role in irrigating farmland and regulating water sources for agricultural harvests.

Youshan Village was once a hub of literary excellence, hence its title “Confucian Grove.” During the Song Dynasty, seven scholars from Youshan attained the level of *jinshi* (advanced scholar): Dong An (1042, Qingli Year), Dong Chu (1199, Qingyuan Year), Dong Ning (1205, Kaixi Year), Dong Jie (1217, Jiading Year), Dong Zhiren (Jingnan Regional Military Commander and Imperial Consultant), Dong Guichen (Imperial Attendant and Colonel of Cavalry), and Dong Chu (Court Consultant). In the Ming Dynasty, one *jinshi* scholar, Dong Qian (County Magistrate of Wan’an), emerged, and in the Republican era, one graduate of the College of Law and Politics, Dong Lihé (Prefect of Xuchang). To this day, the village still preserves over ten flagpole stones (bases) that once signified scholarly honor, with clear carvings of patterns and inscribed dates still visible.