Ancient Village of Fu Village

Ancient Village of Fu Village

The Ancient Village of Fu Village is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

Ancient Village of Fu Village

(1) Location: Fu Village, Xiaoxue Subdistrict, Qufu City.

(2) Protected area: 5 meters outside the ancient village’s stockade walls on the east, west, south, and north sides. 20 meters outside the north wall, 50 meters outside the south wall, and 90 meters outside the east wall of Mencius’ Former Residence.

(3) Construction control zone: Extending 100 meters east to National Highway 104, and 100 meters on the west, south, and north from the protected area.

Fu Village in Xiaoxue Subdistrict, Qufu, is located 12.5 kilometers south of Qufu City. It is an ancient village with a long history and also the birthplace of Mencius (circa 372–289 BC), the renowned thinker, statesman, and educator of the Warring States period.

As the birthplace of Mencius, Fu Village is a settlement formed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was named after a story where Mencius’ mother, the “Second Sage’s” mother, was washing clothes by the White Horse River when she saw a wild duck (fu, 凫) land on the water, which she regarded as an auspicious omen. “Mencius’ Former Residence” is situated on the north side of the east-west main street within the village, bordered by the White Horse River to the west, covering an area of 2,600 square meters with a built-up area of 1,600 square meters.

In front of “Mencius’ Former Residence” lies an ancient stone-paved path. About 150 meters to the east stands a wooden memorial archway labeled “Mencius’ Hometown.” This structure features four pillars, three bays, and three stories, with four bracket sets (dougong) in the central section, decorated with colorful double-angling patterns, and two bracket sets in the side sections, also with colorful double-angling designs. The horizontal plaque above the central bay is inscribed with the characters “Mencius’ Hometown,” and the roof is covered with gray tiles adorned with five ridges and six ornamental figures. The archway was damaged during the Cultural Revolution but was rebuilt in 1991.

“Mother Meng’s Pond” is a pond in front of the former residence, spanning over three acres. To the west is a small river flowing from north to south, called the White Horse River. Crossing the small bridge over the river and heading west, you will find “Mother Meng’s Ancient Well” on the south side of the road. The well is 2 meters deep, with brick-lined interior walls and a diameter of about 1 meter. Its stone cover is approximately 0.6 meters in diameter. It was the well where Mother Meng drew water, and it has been repaired many times over the years. During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, a “Well Platform Restoration Stele” was erected here, although it no longer exists today. However, the stone cover of the well remains intact.

Xiaoxue Subdistrict: "Xiaoxue Town is located south of Qufu City, separated from the urban area by the Da Yi River to the north. The town administers 4 management areas, 36 administrative villages, and 215 villager groups, with a total of 11,662 households and 41,921 residents. The land area spans 56,315 mu. In 1995, the total industrial and agricultural output value of the town reached 719.31 million yuan, fiscal revenue amounted to 2.89 million yuan—double that of 1994—and the per capita income of farmers was 1,888 yuan, an increase of 635 yuan from 1994.

The foundation of agriculture continues to strengthen. In 1995, the total agricultural output value of the town was 179.27 million yuan. Grain... More details on Xiaoxue Subdistrict ++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fourth Batch of Jining Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units