Hongcun

Hongcun

Hongcun is a famous longevity village in Wuyuan. As the saying goes, living to 70 was rare in ancient times, but the longest-lived person in Hongcun's history reached 119 years, and even now, the village has not only many elderly people in their 70s and 80s, but also quite a few over 90. At the entrance stands a ginkgo tree over 1,000 years old, said to have been planted by the village’s founding ancestor, Hong Ji. This ancient ginkgo is over 30 meters tall with a circumference of 5.20 meters, lush and leafy, producing more than 800 pounds of ginkgo nuts every year. Ginkgo leaves release trace amounts of hydrogen cyanide, an extremely toxic chemical, yet these minuscule levels actually have anti-cancer effects. It may be no coincidence that Hongcun has become known as a “village of longevity.” Next to the ginkgo is an ancient camphor tree, even thicker than the ginkgo. Though it was struck by lightning long ago, causing its main trunk to rot hollow, leaving only one side branch, it still stands tall through wind and rain, proud against frost and snow, lush and evergreen.

Guide:

Hongcun is located 6 kilometers southwest of Qinghua Town in Wuyuan County. It is a village mainly inhabited by the Hong family. According to the Village Genealogy, Hongcun was first established in the early Northern Song Dynasty, and the earliest person to settle here was named Hong Ji.

Introduction:

Hongcun is a famous longevity village in Wuyuan. As the saying goes, living to 70 was rare in ancient times, but the longest-lived person in Hongcun's history reached 119 years, and even now, the village has not only many elderly people in their 70s and 80s, but also quite a few over 90. At the entrance stands a ginkgo tree over 1,000 years old, said to have been planted by the village’s founding ancestor, Hong Ji. This ancient ginkgo is over 30 meters tall with a circumference of 5.20 meters, lush and leafy, producing more than 800 pounds of ginkgo nuts every year. Ginkgo leaves release trace amounts of hydrogen cyanide, an extremely toxic chemical, yet these minuscule levels actually have anti-cancer effects. It may be no coincidence that Hongcun has become known as a “village of longevity.” Next to the ginkgo is an ancient camphor tree, even thicker than the ginkgo. Though it was struck by lightning long ago, causing its main trunk to rot hollow, leaving only one side branch, it still stands tall through wind and rain, proud against frost and snow, lush and evergreen.

Time Needed

4 hours

Transportation

Accessible by bus from Wuyuan Long-Distance Bus Station

Ticket Price

60 RMB per person

Opening Hours

7:00-19:00

Location

Hongcun, Qinghua Town, Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province

Qinghua Town: Qinghua is a millennium-old town, named for its “clear streams winding around and radiant splendor.” In the 28th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (740 AD), Wuyuan County was established with its county seat in Qinghua. In the first year of the Tianfu era (901 AD), it was moved to Xian’gao (now Ziyang Town, the current county seat), lasting 161 years. On the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Qinghua belonged to Xinhua Township. In the early years after the founding, it was part of Zhangxi District. In 1950, it became the site of the government of the fifth district of the county, in 1958 it was changed to Qinghua People’s Commune, in 1960 to the Qinghua Branch of the State-Owned Zhanggongshan Reclamation Farm, and in May 1984, it was restored as Qinghua Town.

Qinghua Town is located in the northern part of Wuyuan County, along the Xingjiang River... More details about Qinghua Town++