Pingliu Zhuang Village

Pingliu Zhuang Village

Pingliu Zhuang Village is located in the eastern part of Jinzhongshan Township, on the edge of the Jinzhongshan Black-necked Pheasant National Nature Reserve, about 8 kilometers from the township government seat. It is a settlement predominantly inhabited by the Zhuang ethnic group, with a current population of 100 households and 443 people. The villagers have maintained their simple and traditional ethnic customs, which are reflected in their diet, clothing, dwellings, festivals, and rituals, all featuring distinctive ethnic characteristics. Among these, the most unique and well-preserved is the distinctive Zhuang architectural style—ganlan, also known as wooden houses or stilted houses. Ganlan buildings typically have three floors: the ground floor serves as the base for wooden pillars and is often walled with bamboo strips or wooden planks, functioning as animal stalls or storage for farming tools, firewood, and miscellaneous items; the second floor usually consists of five bays used as living quarters, featuring front railings, verandas, and platforms for daily life; the third floor is used for bedrooms and storage. The ganlan houses of Pingliu Village are nestled against mountains and near water, facing fields with an open and bright outlook. The entire village forms a cohesive community that is both majestic and spectacular, making it one of the county’s—and the Hanshui River basin’s—most well-preserved and rare cultural heritages of the Zhuang ethnic group.