Zhangzhuang Folk Culture Pomegranate Mountain Villa

Zhangzhuang Folk Culture Pomegranate Mountain Villa

This is a quiet mountain village that has nurtured generations of people over who knows how many years. It’s an ancient village, known as Pomegranate Mountain Villa because pomegranate trees grow in front of and behind almost every house. Stepping into the villa feels like entering a secluded pomegranate paradise — quaint stone houses, thousand-year-old locust trees, gnarled yet vigorous pomegranate trees, and the hospitable villagers... all come together to form a serene and peaceful rural landscape.

A Small Mountain Village in a Secluded Pomegranate Paradise

Nestled against mountains and beside water, Zhangzhuang Pomegranate Mountain Villa is elegant, tranquil, and picturesque. As you enter, you’ll find yourself surrounded by dense pomegranate groves and winding paths leading to tranquil spots. Clusters of pomegranate blossoms glow temptingly. To the east of the village lies Pomegranate Flower Valley, embraced by mountains. Within the valley, the Yuhua Spring, Shengtu Spring, Shaizi Spring, and Liuchun Spring gently bubble forth. The clear spring water is sweet and delicious, cascading down with splashing waves, creating a fairy-tale-like scene. The villa boasts numerous ancient and rare trees, and the history of pomegranate cultivation here is long-standing. Some pomegranate trees are over 400 years old, and there are more than a thousand trees aged over a century. When I visited in early winter, the pomegranate leaves had turned yellow and fallen to the ground beneath the trees. Each pomegranate tree stands in unique shapes and styles, rugged and striking. The time-worn stone walls, green-tiled roofs, and thatched cottages are scattered picturesquely among the pomegranate trees. Simple villagers sit leisurely at their doorsteps, smoking and enjoying the peace. This naturally harmonious mountain village remains so tranquil. Pomegranate flowers, fruits, leaves, trunks, and roots are all beautiful, making it a sight to behold in all seasons. In early spring, tens of thousands of blossoms burst forth in competition, filling the air with the vitality of spring. In midsummer, the sea of pomegranates sways, with fiery red fruits vying in beauty. By late autumn, the branches are laden with fruit, smiling down on visitors. When winter arrives, the twisted branches, covered in snow and frost, stand stark and majestic...

In this ancient mountain village, there is a pomegranate tree with a uniquely striking shape — the “Pomegranate Empress Dowager.” Over 600 years old, it boasts a graceful form and a massive canopy. With nine main trunks and eighteen branches, it is also known as the Nine-Trunk Eighteen-Branch Tree. According to forestry authorities, it is the king of pomegranate trees in southern Shandong. Historical records from the *Zhang Family Genealogy* state: Zhang Cai, styled Huánbái, served as a senior official in the Nanjing Ministry of Justice during the Ming Dynasty. To avoid the corrupt court official Wei Zhongxian, he resigned and returned to his hometown, bringing a pomegranate tree from the imperial palace and planting it in Zhangzhuang Village at the foot of Shengtu Mountain. An elderly local shared that this very pomegranate tree was planted by Zhang Cai himself. Not far from the Pomegranate Empress Dowager are two stone marks resembling a cane print and a footprint. Local villagers have given them a mythical twist, naming them the “Immortal Fruit-Picking Stone.” Legend says that Tieguai Li, one of the Eight Immortals, was on his way to a gathering of immortals on Penglai Island when he passed through this area during pomegranate harvest season. Thirsty, he picked a pomegranate and, in his eagerness, left a footprint and a cane mark on the bluestone. Hearing this legend, I couldn’t help but smile — in this ancient mountain village, with its simple folk, such tales nourish generation after generation.

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In Zhangzhuang, aside from the uniquely shaped pomegranate trees in front of and behind houses, another eye-catching feature is the ancient locust trees — their canopies towering and trunks too thick for one person to encircle. Locust trees, also called “home locusts,” take their name from the homophone “home longing,” symbolizing nostalgia for one’s hometown. Though common in many villages, it’s rare to find locust trees as ancient as those in Zhangzhuang Village in southern Shandong. The three most captivating locust trees in Zhangzhuang are the Auspicious Locust, the Reclining Dragon Locust, and the Thousand-Year Locust. The Auspicious Locust stands to the south of Pomegranate Mountain Villa, over 700 years old and 7 meters tall. Legend has it that during the Republican era, villagers often rested under its shade. One summer day, the weather suddenly turned fierce, and heavy rain poured down. A lightning strike hit a branch on the southern side of the tree, instantly breaking off half the trunk — yet the spot where the villagers sat remained unharmed. They believed the tree was divinely protected, hence the name “Auspicious Locust.” Not far from the Auspicious Locust is the famous Reclining Dragon Locust, located in a villager’s courtyard. Around 300 years old, its trunk is weathered but its canopy remains lush. The main trunk leans northward, with one of its primary branches drooping to the ground, burrowing underground for 2 meters before emerging again. The exposed part of the trunk then grows two branches to the north. Viewed from north to south, the trunk resembles a giant dragon coiling and soaring, prompting locals to name it the “Reclining Dragon Locust.” About 300 meters north of the Reclining Dragon Locust lies the renowned Thousand-Year Locust. With a history of over a thousand years, its trunk has a diameter of over 1 meter. Legend says it was planted by the Tang Dynasty general Xue Rengui during his campaign against Goguryeo when he set up camp in Zhangzhuang Village. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, the tree died for three years before miraculously reviving, and it remains lush and thriving to this day.