Suozhuang Village

Suozhuang Village

The seventh batch of China's Famous Historical and Cultural Towns and Villages was officially announced during the 2019 Spring Festival. Among the villages newly designated as China's Famous Historical and Cultural Villages were Suozhuang Village in Xianggongzhuang Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District, Jinan City; Pujiazhuang Village in Hongshan Town, Zichuan District, Zibo City; Xujia Village in Zhangxing Town, Zhaoyuan City; Qixi Village in Longchi Town, Changyi City; Shangjiushan Village in Shiqiang Town, Zoucheng City; Qianwangzhuang Village in Hetaoyuan Town, Juye County.

Among them, Suozhuang Village in Zhangqiu District, the only village selected from Jinan City, is an ancient settlement with a history of 1,300 years. As early as 2011, it was honored as one of “Shandong Province’s Second Batch of Famous Historical and Cultural Villages,” and was the only one selected that year. This national-level recognition is truly well-deserved.

The 400-year-old “YuanYin Tower” is an all-stone structure

Suozhuang is located at the northern end of Xianggong Subdistrict in Zhangqiu District, on the southern foothills of the Changbai Mountains, adjacent to Zouping City to the north of the mountain. It currently has a population of over 3,000. About 6.5 kilometers north of the seat of Xianggong Subdistrict, a cement road leads directly into the village. At the center of the village is a small square, with the village committee office to the south, the “YuanYin Tower” to the north, and the “Wenchang Pavilion” to the east.

Speaking of the village’s history, villagers take great pride in their oral traditions. It is understood that during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, a village wall was built to guard against bandits. The wall spanned across mountains and rivers, featuring eight gateways for villagers to enter and exit, gradually forming a layout of nine streets and twelve lanes. In those days, the village had a full complement of structures including the Wenchang Pavilion, YuanYin Tower, ancestral hall, grand theater stage, and the Temple of the Medicine God. Though much of that splendor has faded with time, many historic buildings remain and are well worth visiting.

The “YuanYin Tower,” although called a “tower,” is actually a stone bell pavilion — with four pillars, four beams, four upturned eaves, and a central spire, all constructed entirely from stone components. The building integrates more than thirty uniquely shaped stone parts, including column bases, pillars, crossbeams, brackets, cover plates, and the rooftop finial, forming a seamless, mortise-and-tenon-joined structure that remains tightly fitted and stable. The interior of the pavilion is now empty, and the once resonant “bell whose sound echoes through generations” has long since disappeared. On the eastern facade of the tower is a plaque inscribed with the three large characters “YuanYin Tower.” Below the plaque, on either side of the pillars, there is a couplet. The upper line reads: “The moon dims where monks once knocked,” and the lower line: “Lightning and clouds startle dreams in their flight.”

The “YuanYin Tower” itself bears no inscriptions or markings indicating its construction date. However, according to research by Li Zhenjiang, the 19th-generation descendant of the Li family of Suozhuang, the structure was built around the 40th year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty, making it approximately 400 years old. According to Huang Peng, a renowned amateur archaeologist from Jinan, the overall construction of the tower is very robust, and its rooftop features closely resemble those of the Ming Dynasty bell pavilion inside the Three Teachings Hall in Huangliquan Village, Changqing District. It is considered another well-preserved and outstanding example of Ming Dynasty stone architecture in Jinan.

Above the “Wenchang Pavilion” there is also a screen wall adorned with brick carvings

To the east of the “YuanYin Tower” lies the “Wenchang Pavilion.” This pavilion is quite similar to other such structures commonly found in villages — built atop an arched gateway that was once part of the old village wall. The central arch of the current Wenchang Pavilion features a plaque inscribed with the three large characters “Wenchang Pavilion.” The original superstructure above the pavilion has been lost, replaced by two modern red-brick tile-roofed houses.

Embedded in the inner walls of the arched passageway of the pavilion are two stone steles — one from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty and one from the Jiaqing era — both recording the demarcation of the Wenchang Pavilion’s foundation. On the southern wall west of the gate, there is also a Republic-era stele bearing similar content. Upon passing through the gate and looking back, you’ll see a screen wall on the inner side of the archway. Climbing the stairs to the upper level of the pavilion allows you to view the full expanse of the screen wall. Though somewhat worn, traces of brick carvings can still be seen, suggesting that this screen wall must have been quite exquisite in its prime.

A curious feature is that, for reasons unknown, on the southern top side of the Wenchang Pavilion’s facade, there is a carved relief depicting a pair of dragon-fish playing in the waves, with an inscription above: “During the Daoguang Era of the Great Qing.” Yet only the southern side has this decoration — the northern side lacks a symmetrical counterpart, which is somewhat unusual compared to the traditional emphasis on symmetrical ornamentation in architecture.

The main hall of the “Temple of the Medicine God” features a distinctive hip-and-gable roof

Passing through the Wenchang Pavilion of Suozhuang, immediately to the east lies the “Temple of the Medicine God.” Whether by design or coincidence, for a long time the temple also served as the office of Suozhuang’s health clinic, continuing the medical legacy of the Medicine God Sun Simiao.

The temple preserves one main hall, which is largely intact. The most distinctive feature of this hall is its roof structure — a hip-and-gable or “rolled shed” roof. Huang Peng, who has spent years studying rural ancient architecture in Jinan, explains that while rolled shed-style roofs are commonly used in garden architecture, they are relatively rare for temple halls in villages. The side pillars of the Medicine God Temple’s main hall feature exquisite high-relief carvings with very fine craftsmanship. The interior ceiling has been fitted with a suspended ceiling, so the original roof beams are no longer visible.

Flanking the Temple of the Medicine God are side rooms, and in the courtyard there used to be several surviving ancient steles. These stelae have either been buried underground or possibly relocated elsewhere for preservation, and are no longer visible in the courtyard.

The Cheng’en Cave entrance beside the ancestral hall leads directly to the mountaintop nearby

Walking eastward from the Wenchang Pavilion in Suozhuang, and turning right at the intersection next to the village cooperative, you’ll find a well-preserved ancient structure — the Suozhuang Ancestral Hall, also known as the Li Family Ancestral Hall, which is listed as a key cultural relic protection site of Zhangqiu City.

The ancestral hall is higher in the north and lower in the south, originally consisting of an upper and a lower courtyard. The main hall of the upper courtyard is the Junzi Hall, facing south, where the spirit tablets of the Li ancestors are enshrined. The current main gate of the ancestral hall is located to the east of the main hall — though called a main gate, it functions more like a side entrance, though it remains fairly intact. Though modest in size, the gate features intricate structures and ornamental brickwork with distinctive upturned eaves.

The main hall is long, and at first glance, the entire structure appears quite majestic. The dark grey-blue tiles on the roof, the decorations along the hanging ridges, and the ingot-shaped patterns formed by the small tiles on the main ridge all convey the deep reverence that the Li descendants held for their ancestors.

Within the ancestral hall courtyard, there is also a structure resembling an ancient temple to the south. Upon closer inspection, the old building closely resembles a theatrical stage — with the performance area above and a passageway arch below for foot traffic. Passing through the arch leads to the edge of a pond, where a stone bridge stands nearby. This is the pool and bridge area of the Cheng’en Cave.

The Cheng’en Cave lies along the central axis of the entire complex, with its entrance corresponding to the pavilion to the south. Inside, it extends deep. After walking about 5 meters into the cave, there is a fork — the eastern branch leads into the mountain, all the way to the summit, constructed entirely from finely dressed strip stones. Visitors who climb to the top to enjoy the mountain views can descend the same way, reflecting on the adventure of caving and savoring the charm of this millennia-old village.

Address: Suozhuang Village, Xianggongzhuang Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District

Photography: Wang Qin

Source: Tianxia Quancheng