Shangsu Village in Yu County

Shangsu Village in Yu County

Shangsu Village is located at the foot of the southeastern mountains in Songjiazhuang Town, Yu County. It currently has over 600 households, a total population of more than 2,000, and approximately 6,700 mu of arable land. It is the oldest, most simple-hearted, and uniquely folkloric large village fortress within the jurisdiction of Songjiazhuang Town.

According to expert research, human activity existed in the area of Shangsu Village as early as the Neolithic Age. Later, further evidence was found in the form of unearthed items such as stone mills, stoves, basins, bowls, and coins during villagers’ construction of houses and digging of cellars. These findings confirm that by the Northern Wei Dynasty, Shangsu Village had already been a prosperous and well-off settlement within Yu County. However, the original village site was not on the current fortress mound but rather in Xiwā, the western lowland of the present-day village. The village was also not called Shangsu Village at that time, but “Dīcūn” (literally “Bottom Village”). Back then, “Dīcūn,” nestled under the dense primitive forests of the southeastern mountains teeming with wildlife, thrived thanks to the nourishment of two mountain streams originating from the Beikouyu and Shuiyu valleys. The villagers enjoyed bountiful harvests and peaceful lives year after year. But with the passage of time and human impact on nature, the vegetation thinned, the mountain springs became murky, and frequent flash floods increasingly threatened the safety of the residents of “Dīcūn.” As a result, they invited a feng shui master to select a new site on higher ground to the east of the village. In the 22nd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1543 AD), a new fortress village was built and named “Shangsu Village.” The character “Shàng” (上), opposite of the former “Dǐ” (底), implies “moving upward,” while “Sū” (苏) signifies the revival of all things—symbolizing the hope that the new fortress would bring renewed prosperity to the entire community.

It has been over 450 years since the establishment of Shangsu Village. Most of the fortress walls, gates, and internal buildings remain well-preserved. When viewed from above, the ancient fortress of Shangsu resembles the shape of a yōngluó (a traditional percussion instrument made of a wooden frame divided into grids, with small copper gongs hanging in each section). The crisscrossing streets of the village form the frame of the yōngluó, while the square courtyard homes are like individual gongs hanging from the framework. Hence, the fortress is also known as the “Yōngluó Fortress.” Within the fortress, there are 44 courtyard homes built during the Ming Dynasty and 22 from the Qing Dynasty. In addition to showcasing the architectural styles of the Ming and Qing periods, each courtyard home is unique in its own way: some feature linked courtyards, others have inner and outer sections, some include entrance halls, some are equipped with front porches, some are simply built with plain gray bricks and tiles, while others boast elaborate carvings and grand structures... Among them, the Zhao family courtyard, one of the best-preserved, even has an “Yimen” (ceremonial gate) inside its second gate—a special entrance used exclusively to welcome distinguished guests, normally kept closed with visitors required to walk around it. Female family members were also not allowed to pass through this gate. This kind of setup was very rare in ordinary residential buildings of the Ming and Qing periods and is of significant preservation value.

Despite having endured more than four hundred years of wind and rain, most of these courtyard homes in the Shangsu Fortress, laid out in the “yōngluó” pattern, are still relatively well-preserved, with many families continuing to live in them today.

Probably inspired by the water disasters experienced during the “Dīcūn” period, the terrain within the Shangsu Fortress slopes steeply from east to west, and the streets are paved with mountain stones, allowing for efficient drainage. Whether it's a light or heavy rain, the water quickly flows out of the fortress. On rainy days, the flowing water through the stone-paved, stepped streets produces a pleasant, rhythmic sound. As a result, the streets within the Shangsu Fortress are also referred to as “Xiǎngtáng Streets.” “Xiǎngtáng” is the local colloquial term for a music performance hall. In other words, the sound of rainwater flowing through the streets during rainy days creates a vibrant musical effect, as if an enchanting symphony is being played—hence the name “Xiǎngtáng Streets.”

The design of this “Yōngluó” fortress and the poetic description of the “Xiǎngtáng” streets add rich cultural charm to Shangsu Village, while also sparking endless imagination in people’s daily lives.