Taixi Village

Taixi Village

Taixi — Located in Kengtou Village, Zhongyun Town, Wuyuan County, and originally known as “Taixi,” Kengtou Village in Longshan Township, Wuyuan County, has a history of over 1,400 years. It earned its name during the Jin Dynasty when Pan Yue led villagers to plant peach trees along the small stream running through the village. The area is surrounded by mountains on both sides, with two streams converging and flowing through the village.

Kengtou Village boasts “two abundances” and “two wonders.” One of the “abundances” is the long history of scholars and officials. A local saying goes, “Jinshi (successful imperial exam candidates) fill the streets, and xiucai (scholarship holders) are as common as dogs.” Village genealogies record that from the Zhengde to Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty alone, eleven villagers passed the jinshi examination, and six served as shangshu (ministry-level officials). Among them, the Pan Huang lineage produced nine jinshi across three generations, and Pan Huang himself served as shangshu of four ministries—Personnel, Justice, Works, and War—leaving a profound mark on Wuyuan’s illustrious history.

A couplet once hung in the “Shangshu Former Residence”: “A family of nine jinshi, four shangshu across six ministries.” In the early Qing Dynasty, over twenty members of the Pan clan in the village also passed the provincial exams, though most focused on scholarship and writing. The renowned Taiwanese Hongxue scholar Pan Chonggui was a descendant of this village.

The other “abundance” is the large number of ancient bridges. To this day, the village center features thirty-six and a half small stone arch bridges built over the stream through the ages, tied to a meaningful legend: the village produced thirty-seven officials. Thirty-six earned their status through hard study and were permitted to build one bridge each (homophonous with “sedan chair”) as a symbol of honor; one, however, bought his position, so the villagers allowed only a half-bridge—a reminder to future generations.

One of the “wonders” is the “old water wine” brewed from a spring said to have been dug by Lü Dongbin. Historical records note that the Ming Dynasty prime minister Yan Song adored this drink. The other wonder is the “cold-water pond fish” raised in household ponds fed by fresh stream water—delicious, tender, and even medicinal. Additionally, Kengtou Village features a thousand-year-old peony, the “Tai Zai Reading Place,” and the “Eight Scenic Spots of Taixi.” Introduction to the Taixi Scenic Area

The Taixi Scenic Area is located in the central part of Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province, under the jurisdiction of Zhongyun Town (formerly part of Longshan Township, which was later merged into Zhongyun Town). It passes through two natural villages, Zhifeng and Kongcun, and is about 30 kilometers from the county seat. Transportation: The 18-li road from Kengtou Village to Kongcun to Zhifeng Village is a simple country road; from Zhifeng to Zhongyun Town, it becomes a cement road. Roads from Zhongyun Town lead west to Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, and northeast to the famous tourist destination of Huangshan.

Wuyuan has a long history—it was known as “Zhang Commandery” in the Qin Dynasty—and is famed as the “Land of Letters” and the “Land of Tea.” “Dazhang Mountain” tea is exported to Europe and America; the purse-red carp is nationally renowned; the Longwei inkstones are among China’s four most famous; and Jiangwan snow pears are sweet and delicious. These four specialties are collectively known as the “Red, Green, Black, and White” famous products.

Kengtou Village in the Taixi Scenic Area is one of the best-preserved ancient residential villages in the county, with a history of 1,122 years. Historical records state that during the Guangming era (880 AD) of the Tang Dynasty, Pan Fengchen from Sanshan, Fujian, fled the chaos caused by Huang Chao’s rebellion from Huangdun, She County, Anhui, to Wuyuan, settling in Taixi (now Kengtou Village) as the founding ancestor of the Pan clan. The downstream villages of Kongcun and Zhifeng in Taixi originated from here.

The Taixi Scenic Area boasts beautiful natural scenery, surrounded by green mountains that stretch out on all sides, forming a layout resembling the Eight Trigrams of the Taiji diagram. For a thousand years, Kengtou Village within the scenic area has been known for its noble spirit and a steady stream of talent. The legacy of “a family of nine jinshi, four shangshu across six ministries” spread far and wide. Among them, Pan Huang rose to the rank of first-class official, serving as shangshu of the Ministries of Revenue, Works, Personnel, and War. He served alongside Yan Song, and the ruins of his “Tai Zai Reading Place” still remain. The area has 36 and a half bridges. There’s a local custom: one bridge is built for every official. Why is there a half bridge? Because it was purchased—perhaps the shortest bridge in the world. This place also holds the world record for the highest number of bridges per capita, with less than 20 people sharing one bridge, making it a global marvel.

Huizhou-style architecture

Wandering through the village mainly means admiring Huizhou-style architecture—those old houses with hundreds of years of history. At first glance, they feature “black tiles, white walls, and horse-head walls.” Most houses have two stories, some three, with corresponding horse-head walls having three or four tiers of eaves, appearing tall and enclosing deep courtyards. Beyond the wall and eaves, the doors and windows also have short upward-curving eaves. Most doors have a mirror for warding off evil, surrounded by exquisite brick carvings. Upon entering, there’s a central hall with side rooms and a skylight above. Wealthier homes have an additional door right after entry—two tightly closed wooden doors resembling the screen wall of a siheyuan courtyard. You must walk around it to reach the central hall. The front of the hall hangs a central painting, flanked by couplets, often calligraphy from ancestors. Below is a long altar holding ancestral tablets or Buddha statues, surrounded by offerings. In front of the altar are two armchairs and a square table where the family gathers to eat.

What fascinates me most is the skylight. As a child, my old home’s kitchen had a tiny window. Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a square patch of light in the dim room, where countless dust particles danced in the beam. Here, the skylights are larger, lacking that concentrated intensity, instead feeling steady and profound—like the shining footprints of time. In that moment of gazing, it seems frozen, foretelling eternity. Then, suddenly, the light patch has moved from inside the house to the doorway, as if about to leave. It reminds me of a line from Faust: “Stop a while, this moment is so beautiful!”

When it rains, roof water flows into the skylight and through two long bamboo pipes down to beneath the central hall, then drains outside. This is called “four waters returning to the hall,” symbolizing wealth that doesn’t flow outward. It’s a tradition of the Huizhou merchants, with Hu Xueyan being a prominent representative.

Wuyuan belongs to the ancient Huizhou region, the heartland of Huizhou culture. The core of Huizhou culture is Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism. Zhu Xi was from Wuyuan and is buried on Wenfeng Mountain in Wuyuan. Ancient Huizhou had a thriving literary culture and prosperous commerce. Scholarship and officialdom were common, and many families produced over ten jinshi. People studied literature at home and learned business while traveling.

Zhongyun Town: Located in the southwestern part of Wuyuan County, Zhongyun Town was established as a town in 1993. Later, Xiaolin Township and Longshan Township were merged into it, making Zhongyun Town a significant township in Wuyuan County. It administers 11 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, covering a total area of 233 square kilometers with a population of over 24,000.

Favorable climatic environment

Zhongyun Town is situated in the mid-subtropical zone, characterized by a warm, humid, southeast monsoon climate. The annual average temperature is 126.7°C, the annual average precipitation is 1790.7 mm, and the frost-free period is about 252 days.

Superior geographical conditions

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