Shiquan Ancient Miao Village

Shiquan Ancient Miao Village

Shiquan Ancient Miao Village is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Shiquan Ancient Village is located by the Apeng River in Dahekou Village, Cangling Town, at the core of the Apeng River National Wetland Park in Youyang County, in a place locally known as "Huoshaoxi."

Shiquan Ancient Miao Village is about 3 kilometers from the Apeng River and consists of the residences of the Shi family in Dahekou Village, Cangling Town, Youyang County. The village is situated in a valley shaped like a winnowing basket, built against the mountains. Except for the narrow passageway leading in and out of the village, it is surrounded on three sides by ancient trees and lush bamboo. Shiquan Ancient Miao Village is about 3 kilometers from the Apeng River and is home to the Shi family in Dahekou Village, Cangling Town, Youyang County. It has a history of over 500 years. The village covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters, with 108 households and over 500 residents, all surnamed Shi.

The ancient village is divided into upper, middle, and lower sections, all inhabited by the Shi family. There are over 70 wooden dwellings on the upper part of the village, with 108 households and more than 500 villagers. The ancient village is tightly surrounded by over 1,000 ancient trees, more than 500 terraced fields, and bamboo-covered hills, making it even larger than the Langde Miao Village in Guizhou, which was previously recorded in the *Chinese Museum Chronicles* as "China's largest pristine Miao village." It is said that Shiquan Ancient Miao Village has a history of over 500 years.

The village is built against the mountains, occupying a mountainside that resembles a peninsula, shaped like a chair facing south. There are eight mountain springs throughout the village. These springs are not only clear, sweet, and never dry all year round, but also remain warm in winter and cool in summer. Since all the villagers are surnamed Shi, the village is called Shiquan, and thus "Shiquan Miao Village" got its name. Another legend says that the area was once infested with ferocious beasts and venomous snakes, making it uninhabitable. Later, the ancestors of the Shi family came here, set fire to the mountains to drive away the beasts and snakes, and then settled down. Hence, the small place name "Shiquan Miao Village" is also known as "Huoshaoxi Miao Village."

In Shiquan Ancient Miao Village, there are rows of well-spaced wooden tile-roofed houses. Some are stilted buildings, some are courtyard houses. Some have three main rooms, some have five, and others have additional wing rooms besides the main ones.

The main rooms generally have five, seven, or nine pillars, while the wing rooms usually have five or seven pillars. Most wing rooms are stilted buildings, with the upper floor used as guest rooms and the lower floor for household items such as stone mortars and mills. Some families use the upper floor of the stilted house as a study and bedroom, and the lower floor as livestock quarters.

Among the three (or five) main rooms, the central one is the hall, which is where the family places ancestral tablets and worships their forebears—a sacred space generally off-limits to women, children, especially pregnant or postpartum women. Locals believe that pregnant or postpartum women carry "blood impurity" and are considered unclean; entering the hall would offend the ancestors' sanctity. The main rooms on either side of the hall are typically bedrooms for the head of the household or adult married children. The wing rooms are usually used as kitchens or dining areas. The village preserves traditional cooking utensils such as ancient hearths, tripods, and cauldrons.

Behind the hall, there is a small room of less than 10 square meters, locally called the "official room." It is said to be the bedroom used to receive government officials, hence the name "official room." Hosting guests in the room right behind the most prestigious hall in a farmhouse signifies the host’s heartfelt respect for the visitors.

The old houses with blue tiles and gray walls have windows intricately carved with beautiful patterns.

The carvings feature flowers, birds, and animals. The floral designs mainly include plum blossoms and peach blossoms; birds are typically magpies and phoenixes, while animals are mostly sika deer and goats. Although these carvings have faded over time, they remain exquisitely crafted.

Each dwelling is constructed with wooden tenons and mortises without using a single nail or iron nail, yet the pillars, beams, and frames are all securely connected. From a vertical perspective, the upper, middle, and lower parts of the house consist of a triangular prism and two rectangular prisms, giving it a dignified, stable, winding, and serene appearance, along with an upright, vigorous beauty. The stilted building’s slender wooden frame structure is extremely lightweight. The Miao-style half-stilted design emphasizes a sense of "lightness," appearing as if the house is “suspended in air,” standing atop stilts, solid above and void below, creating a striking contrast.