Yaodian Ancient Village

Yaodian Ancient Village

Yaodian Ancient Village is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Yaodian Ancient Village is located in Yaodian Village, Pingle Town, Mengjin County (200 meters northwest). Built during the Six Dynasties period, the existing structures were reconstructed in the Qing Dynasty. The village is home to over ten households, with blue-brick houses shaded by ancient trees, stone mills and rollers scattered throughout, and the sounds of chickens and dogs filling the air, creating a veritable paradise on earth.

According to the 1917 (6th year of the Republic of China) restored "Erxian Temple Stele Inscription": "The temple was built during the Six Dynasties. During the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian soldier Ma Baobao and villagers jointly donated funds to build a new offering platform. It was also renovated during the Daoguang and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. In the 6th year of the Republic of China, Zhang Boying, commander of the Seventh Division, donated 700 silver dollars for its restoration." In April 2012, the Mengjin County People's Government raised 180,000 yuan to carry out the renovation project of the southern gate of Yaodian Ancient Village. In the 1980s, several films and TV dramas, including "Eight Hundred Arhats," "Yellow River Flows East," "Chang Xiangyu," and "Wish," were filmed here.

Yaodian Ancient Village is surrounded by gullies on the east, south, and west sides, and connects to the hilly plateau of Mangshan Mountain to the north. The walls on three sides are relatively low, and most of them have been damaged due to historical vicissitudes, wind erosion, rain erosion, and human destruction. The remaining northern wall is 40 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2–5 meters high.

Yaodian Ancient Village is a high-platform-style earthen village, elliptical in shape, 152 meters wide from east to west and 210 meters long from north to south, covering a total area of approximately 31,920 square meters. It has two gates, one in the south and one in the east, each with a sloped entrance passage.

In the central area of Yaodian Ancient Village, on a 2-meter-high platform, there are the remains of the Erxian Temple. The temple covers an area of about 500 square meters, and the existing structures are relatively intact. It is said to have been built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, featuring a single-courtyard layout facing south, with a temple gate, the Old Lord Hall in the east wing room, the Guangsheng Hall in the west wing room, the main hall, and an east side hall, all arranged along a central axis. The courtyard is paved with bluestone pathways.

Yaodian Ancient Village is situated on the semi-mountainous plateau of Mangshan, with high terrain and a broad view. To the east, it is adjacent to the Luochang Highway, which serves as the gateway from Luoyang to the Yellow River, historically making it a strategic military post for stationing troops and defending against bandits. The village’s natural ravines and fortress architecture are ingeniously integrated, the architectural layout of the Erxian Temple remains largely intact, and the residential facilities blend seamlessly with the ancient village’s ambiance. With its perilous terrain, it is easily defensible and hard to attack, serving as a rare physical testament to China’s residential folk culture and holding significant historical value for the study of ancient architecture and civil defense facilities.

Pingle Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Mengjin County. It was transferred from Luoyang County to Mengjin County in 1956, established as the Pingle Commune in 1958, restructured as a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1993. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it is 10 kilometers from downtown Luoyang, covering an area of 63.8 square kilometers with a population of 47,000. It is intersected by the Jiaozhi Railway, National Highways 207 and 310, and the Kaifeng–Luoyang and Luoyang–Changping highways. The town administers Pingle, Dongzhao, Xiangzhuang, Youcun, Zhaiquan, Jincun, Shangtun, Zhujiacang, Tianhuangling, Zhangjiawa, Dingjiagou, Shanggu, Zhangpan, Xinzhuang, Houying, Taicang... For more details about Pingle Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Henan Province