Shishique Village

Shishique Village

Shishique Village is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hainan Province.

Shishique Village is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Hainan Province.

Shishique Ancient Village was established during the Tang Dynasty, boasting a history of over 1,400 years. Most of the traditional buildings that remain in the village today were constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, dating back nearly 300 years. Among them, the well-preserved General’s Residence (also known as the Feng Clan Ancestral Hall) was originally built during the Sui and Tang dynasties, making it over 1,400 years old. The terrain of the village is high at the back and low at the front, with a small lake in front of the village that resembles a comb — the Drinking Horse Lake. The various courtyards in the village are arranged along the lake according to the terrain and are interconnected. This place is also where Feng Bao, the Prefect of Gaozhou during the Southern Dynasties, and Lady Xian landed when they came to the island to establish an administrative region, making it the earliest settlement of the Feng family ancestors. It is also the final resting place associated with Lady Xian, hence it is referred to as “Lady Xian Village.” The village currently has over 300 households and more than 1,500 residents, all surnamed Feng, which is why the village is also called “The Number One Feng Clan Village in Hainan.”

As the name suggests, the area is rich in fine stones. Most of the village buildings are constructed from stone, and the paths are paved with stones. The surrounding walls of the yards are also made of piled-up stones, giving visitors a strong sense of ancient times as they walk through.

Shishique Village also has a very famous ancient well: located in the western part of the village, facing east, the well has a diameter of 5.4 meters. There are four rectangular stone pillars standing upright with distances of 2 meters and 1.6 meters between them, used for placing carrying poles. The well has two openings, each with a diameter of 0.35 meters. The wells in the village are unique, covered with eyeglass-shaped railings — some have two openings, others four — mainly to prevent children and livestock from falling in. Outside the well, there is a stone pool and a turtle-shaped stone. The ancient well is generally well-preserved, and the water has never dried up.

Currently, the village has three county-level cultural heritage conservation units: the Wenlin Feng Ancestral Hall, the General’s Residence, and the Xiayanghou Temple, as well as three registered immovable cultural relics that have not yet been officially designated as protected sites.

Among these, the General’s Residence (Feng Clan Ancestral Hall) was first built in 609 AD, the Wenlin Feng Ancestral Hall in the 13th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1550), and the Xiayanghou Temple during the Qing Dynasty. The traditional architecture in Shishique Village is densely distributed and contiguous. The village contains over 230 traditional volcanic rock residences, totaling 26,630 square meters, most of which are preserved in relatively good condition. The village has an elegant and rustic charm, with the main structures of most traditional buildings still intact. The courtyards are mostly independent, and some buildings feature the typical Hainan-style “ten-pillar” flat-roof structure. The stones are volcanic rocks, and the timber includes fir and breadfruit wood. This represents a significant collection of traditional volcanic rock residential architecture in Chengmai County and even Hainan Province. Additionally, the ancient village has 15 stone-paved roads made of volcanic rock, connecting the traditional volcanic rock houses throughout the village in a crisscross pattern, forming a unique comb-like road network layout.

In November 2015, the entire Shishique Village was listed as part of the third batch of cultural heritage conservation units in Hainan Province.