Ancient Tree Grove of Chongmudang

Ancient Tree Grove of Chongmudang

The Ancient Tree Grove of Chongmudang is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hunan Province.

The Ancient Tree Grove of Chongmudang is located in Chongmudang Village, within the Yao ethnic settlement area of Huxingshan Yao Township, Longhui County. It currently covers an area of 3.8 hectares and is home to 325 ancient trees over a century old, including 28 that are more than 300 years old, with the oldest dating back over 1,000 years. The ancient trees in the grove include both evergreen and deciduous species of varying heights, with Fagus longipetiolata and Quercus fabri being the most common. The scenery changes with the seasons, and the site also features a stone tablet from the ninth year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty that prohibits logging, as well as the unique spectacle of “different trees growing from the same root” and “bamboo growing inside tree trunks.” It is not only a distinctive natural landscape of the Yao region but also embodies the religious beliefs and customs of the Huayao people regarding the worship of ancient trees, reflecting special social attributes. Additionally, it records the Huayao people’s tree protection movement during the period of large-scale steel production, when they preferred to cut people rather than trees, as well as the historical background of breaking the barriers to intermarriage between the Yao and Han peoples. It also serves as a venue where young Huayao people sing traditional songs to find partners. It represents a unique cultural relic that expands the concept of cultural heritage preservation. In January 2011, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site in Hunan Province.

Protected Area: The boundaries at the foot of the mountains surrounding the ancient tree grove.

Construction Control Zone: Extending 200 meters outward from the boundaries of the protected area in all four directions.

Chongmudang Village: Chongmudang Village in Huxingshan Yao Township, Longhui County, Hunan Province, is a Huayao village that worships stones. The village is scattered with large chunks of rocks of various shapes and sizes. These diverse boulders were not brought in by the villagers from elsewhere—they naturally exist right here.

The largest rock here resembles a waterfall and is called the “Stone Waterfall.” With a slope of over 40 degrees, even Bingge had to carefully make his way up using both hands and feet, yet the locals walk on it as if it were flat ground. Even when carrying heavy loads, they move about with ease and at a brisk pace.

… Detailed information about Chongmudang Village ++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Hunan Province