Bamboo Grove Ancient Village

Bamboo Grove Ancient Village

Bamboo Grove Ancient Village is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

Bamboo Grove Village is situated at the southern foot of Zifeng Mountain in Rongcheng District, Jieyang City. It borders Qunying and Qunguang Villages to the east, adjoins Nanxi Town of Puning City to the west, and is traversed by the Jirong Highway to the north. The village was historically known as Lin Cuoliao, named after the Lin family who built a thatched hut here during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty. Later, the Lin family moved elsewhere, and today the village is inhabited by three surnames: Hong, Yang, and Wang. The ancestors of the Wang family settled here in the 31st year of the Jiajing era (1552) during the Ming Dynasty. The three families have lived together in harmony within the same village.

In ancient times, Bamboo Grove Village was surrounded by lush bamboo on all sides, offering picturesque scenery. In the 54th year of the Kangxi era (1685) during the Qing Dynasty, Yang Zhongyue, a Hanlin academician and official of the Ministry of War, inscribed the three characters “Bamboo Grove Mountain” on the stone plaque of the central fortress gate. Hence, the village came to be known as Bamboo Grove Village.

The ancient village of Bamboo Grove was planned according to the principles of the Five Elements, the I Ching, and feng shui. Its architecture features the traditional characteristics of ancient buildings in the Chaoshan region. There are currently 14 ancient residences, including earthen and wooden-structured ancestral halls, public halls, ancient towers, and traditional quadrangle courtyards that have withstood the test of time. The ancient tower, referred to by villagers as the “Rear Tower,” was built in the late Ming Dynasty. This fortress-style tower structure is made of wood and stone. Its central gate is tall and imposing, with a stone lintel door frame featuring seven anti-theft bolt holes. The high walls are sturdy, and gun ports and watch holes are set up both in the front and back to monitor the surroundings.

The ancient tower is flanked by high walls for protection, and both walls are equipped with stone thresholds and bolt holes. According to records, during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, social order was chaotic, and bandits frequently raided villages. To protect themselves from thieves, local residents built this ancient tower. The Gongshi Hall, built by the fourth-generation descendant of the Yang family during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, showcases the grandeur of an official’s residence and serves as the center of the ancient village. Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, the Gongshi Hall faces northeast and is built in a traditional three-courtyard quadrangle layout. The “Bamboo Grove Mountain” fortress gate, also constructed in the 54th year of the Kangxi era (1685) by the fourth-generation descendant of the Yang family, serves as the main gate of the ancient fortress.

Bamboo Grove Ancient Village not only preserves many ancient Ming and Qing architectural relics but also has a glorious and heroic revolutionary history. In 1925, Lu Dumu and Yang Riyao came to Bamboo Grove Village to establish underground party organizations. Due to the needs of the revolutionary situation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Bamboo Grove Peasant Association of the Soviet regime and the Bamboo Grove Village Self-Defense Team were successively established. Villagers, who had long suffered oppression from local landlords and bureaucrats, eagerly joined and made their own weapons to arm the militia in the fight against oppressive gentry.

From 1928 to 1933, the revolutionary organizations in Bamboo Grove Village faced suppression by reactionary armed forces and betrayal by traitors. Yang Riyao, Hong Yuanlu, Yang Zhanghe, Yang Qiuye, and Yang Laoczhuang of Bamboo Grove Village sacrificed their lives heroically. On February 12, 1928, during a counter-revolutionary armed crackdown by forces from Chaozhou, Puning, and Jieyang, enemy troops burned down houses in the village—288 residential houses and two ancestral halls were destroyed. As a result, 82% of the population was forced to flee, leaving the village almost in ruins. It was not until 1929 that villagers gradually returned.

In 1957, with approval from the Provincial People’s Government, Bamboo Grove Village was designated as a “Red Base.” On September 12, 2012, Bamboo Grove Village was recognized as a “Guangdong Ancient Village” by the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Guangdong Folk Artists Association.

Source: Chaoshan Families

Bamboo Grove Village: Bamboo Grove Community is a revolutionary old base village from the World War II era. Located at the southwestern edge of Meiyun, it borders Nanxi of Puning City and sits against Zifeng Mountain, with the Yinrong Main Canal in front. The community has a population of 2,350 and 475 households, covering a cultivated land area of 794 mu and mountainous land of 380 mu. It is divided into two economic unions. In recent years, the community has leveraged its locational advantages to promote economic development by introducing several large enterprises such as Daxing Stainless Steel Industry Co., Ltd., Zifeng Stainless Steel Industry Co., Ltd., Meidu Co., Ltd., and Yali Shoe Industry Co., Ltd. These companies occupy a total area of 350 mu, transforming the community from a traditionally agriculture-based and underdeveloped area. … Bamboo Grove Village detailed information++