Wanzi Ancient Village

Wanzi Ancient Village

Wanzi Village in Xiajia Town, Puning, is a settlement predominantly inhabited by the Ma family. It comprises six sub-villages: Wanzi Village, Xiayang, Baimake, Longtan, Wangling, and Lingwei. Established in the late 16th century, the village has a long history. The ancient Salt Ridge Trail runs through the village, and its stone steps and historic flagstone bridges remain well-preserved. The area boasts a rich variety of ancient and rare trees. Nestled on a mountainside, the village features buildings spread along the slopes, surrounded by green hills and shaded by lush trees, filled with birdsong and floral fragrance, offering a tranquil and rustic charm.

The name "Wanzi" (meaning "little bowl") originates from the shape of the surrounding mountain. When the village’s early settlers first arrived, they named the settlement "Anzai Village" (literally “Case Village”) because there was a hill in front of the settlement that resembled a long table. Later, as the settlement was enclosed by mountains in a concave shape resembling a bowl, the name was changed to its current form due to a dialectical homophone. The old fortress of Wanzi Village is covered in dense woods, with hanging vines, peculiar rocks, and moss—offering evergreen serenity that resembles an ancient castle naturally emerging from the landscape. The village gate of Wanzi faces the northeast and southwest (in Chinese geomancy, this orientation is referred to as "sitting on the Ox and facing the Goat"). It looks toward a massive rock on the mountain, which symbolizes "Ding" (male progeny), signifying wishes for a flourishing lineage. Although located in the Chaoshan region, most residences in Wanzi Village are not the typical "Descending Tiger" or "Four-Point Gold" architectural styles. Due to the uneven mountain terrain, which lacks the conditions needed to build multi-courtyard houses, and the immense challenges of sourcing, transporting, and constructing materials in the hills, the villagers adapted to the environment. Using local stone, they built their shelters—stone houses. The walls of these ancient houses were originally built by directly stacking stones, with some later constructions using bonding materials between the stones. The double-sloped roofs feature beam structures made of round timber, covered with tiles secured by small stones or bonding agents. Most homes are single-depth row houses; the single depth meets basic living needs, while the row formation enhances structural stability—typically housing members of an extended family. The architectural layout is simple, with houses serving only as living spaces, while kitchens, toilets, and pigsties are located outside. Nowadays, these abandoned stone houses are overgrown with vines, giving them a mysterious, ancient, and rustic appearance when viewed from afar.

Stepping into the mountain-encircled Wanzi Village, one is not only awed by the rugged and unadorned stone houses but also drawn to the winding stone steps that climb uphill. The highest point of the old houses in Wanzi Village is nearly 50 meters above the base of the mountain, connected by layers of stacked flagstone paths. Olive and plum trees grow throughout the hillsides, in front of yards and behind houses, like poems recording history and singing the glories of time. To the south of the village stand two ancient longan trees and two ancient maple trees, which have stood for over a hundred years like weather-beaten elders, bearing witness to the changes in rural society.

Wanzi Village is a revolutionary old base area with a glorious history. During the Agrarian Revolutionary period, it was an active village in the Dasha Mountain Soviet Area, with many villagers eagerly joining the Red Army. The village still preserves sites such as the Red Army wartime clinic, guardhouse, sewing factory, and printing house. From the Luman Cave Bridge in the village to the Yanling Pavilion along the Salt Ridge Trail leading to the Puning-Huizhou border, there are 10 stone-carved slogans personally engraved by revolutionary martyr Weng Qian—including “Consolidate the Soviet Regime” (now a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit). Today, Wanzi Village enjoys beautiful mountains and clear waters. Nearby residents of the old revolutionary base area often bring their families to the unfinished stone slogans to brew tea with stream water and taste wild fruits. Elders often recount the legendary stories behind the unfinished stone slogan during family gatherings, passing down the revolutionary spirit of the Dasha Mountain people to the next generation.

Wanzi Village: A (Wanzi) administrative village. Formerly known as Anzai Village, it is located 15 kilometers southeast of Puning city proper, with a population of 2,800. It consists of six natural villages: Xiayang, Wanzi, Baimake, Longtan, Wangling, and Lingwei. Initially named Anzai Village because there was a hill in front resembling a long table, it was later renamed Wanzi Village (Little Bowl) due to the concave, bowl-like mountainous surroundings. In 1957, it was transferred from Chaoyang County to Puning County. The village has 687 acres of arable land and 10,000 acres of mountain land. Agricultural products include rice and sweet potatoes. The mountains yield crops such as green olives, green plums, and oil oranges. In 1934, a guerrilla unit led by Zhang Mui... Wanzi Village detailed information++