Nigou Ancient Village

Nigou Ancient Village

Nigou Village, Liaoyuan Subdistrict, Puning City: Renowned as an overseas Chinese hometown and a cultural village. With profound cultural heritage, Nigou Village is celebrated both at home and abroad for its ancient dwellings, lantern riddles, and Yingge dance. Today, the village also features spiritual and cultural hubs such as calligraphy and painting rooms, Guigen Pavilion, and a martyrs' memorial cemetery.

Nigou is also called Migo. It is situated in the heart of Liaoyuan Town, Puning City, approximately 5.4 kilometers from Liusha, the city center, and serves as the seat of the Liaoyuan Town government. Around the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan era during the Yuan Dynasty (1285), Zhang Cuifeng migrated from Putian, Fujian, to Nigou to establish the settlement, becoming the founding ancestor of the Zhang clan in the village. Other surnames in the village include Xu, Chen, Zheng, Sun, Zhou, and Li.

The village is surrounded by hills—including Qitou Mountain, Hudi Mountain, Fengji Mountain, and Edi Mountain—that stretch from the northwest to the southeast, lying along the Houling Stream and the Lian River, and near Baihong Lake. The residences are built against the hills and overlooking the water, oriented according to the terrain, earning the poetic name “upside-down plum blossom” (for its layered blooming appearance).

The scenery of Nigou is picturesque, with green mountains encircling the area. The Houling Stream meanders around the ancient village, while streams and ponds are scattered throughout. Backed by Tiger Hill, most homes here follow the “descending tiger” architectural style. From a height, rows and clusters of gray-tiled roofs present a magnificent sight. Moreover, over a dozen century-old watchtowers stand at the village’s periphery, strategically positioned to guard the settlement during turbulent times. Nigou has been honored as a “Guangdong Provincial Characteristic Tourism Village,” one of the “Top Ten Most Beautiful Ancient Villages in Guangdong,” and was included in the second batch of “Guangdong Ancient Villages.” It is hailed as the province’s only “living” ancient village.

It is reported that Nigou Village boasts a rich cultural heritage: it has over a thousand dwellings featuring Chaoshan architectural styles, two Centenarian Arches, fourteen watchtowers, two ancient Ming Dynasty tombs, as well as numerous ancestral halls, ancient wells, and temples—all well-preserved. The village is also known for its vigorous and internationally renowned Yingge dance. Its unique folk customs include the “Zouzihui” gathering on the 21st day of the first lunar month and the tradition of eating “Peace Porridge” on the evening of the 14th day of the eighth lunar month…

Nigou Village: Located on the west side of Provincial Highway 1930 in the Liaoyuan section, Nigou Village is the seat of the Liaoyuan Town government. It has 357 Communist Party members, organized under one general Party branch with six subordinate branches, and a village “two committees” team of 11 cadres. The village currently has a population of 18,300, with nearly 80,000 overseas Chinese. It is a key overseas Chinese hometown in Puning City. The village enjoys convenient transportation, with an exit from the Puhui Expressway and Provincial Highway 1930 running north-south through it. Higher-income villagers mainly engage in business or run clothing processing factories, while lower-income residents rely on agriculture and related industries. Some younger villagers... Nigou Village detailed information++