Tongjiang Liyuanba

Tongjiang Liyuanba

Liyuanba Village is located in the northwest of Nixi Township, Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province. The Liyuan River flows from north to south through the area and into the Datong River, with a flat stone bridge spanning the river to connect both banks. Nestled against mountains and beside water, the village boasts picturesque scenery, fertile soil, and is abundant in agricultural and economic crops such as rice, wheat, corn, and tea. Experts have praised it as the “No. 1 Traditional Village in Northeastern Sichuan” and the “Shangri-La deep in the mountains.”

The residential architectural complex in Liyuanba Village is concentrated and contiguous, featuring a diverse range of ancient buildings with exquisite craftsmanship. The traditional houses have unique designs and are rich in agrarian cultural symbols, presenting a distinctive overall folk appearance. The post-and-lintel wooden courtyard houses are built against the mountains, scattered in an orderly fashion and nestled among lush forests and trees. The village has numerous historical relics, including the ancestral shrine and theater stage of the Ma clan, with their stone foundations, pillars, stone lions, the “Fufeng County” Ma Clan Genealogy Stele, the commemorative steles inscribed with “For All Eternity” and “Everlasting Glory,” as well as over 20 grand and exquisitely carved ancient tombs and their inscriptions, all of which serve as important physical evidence for studying the history of Liyuanba. The cliff tomb of He Yanfang, built in the second year of the Baoding era during the Southern Song Dynasty, still bears clearly legible stone carvings and inscriptions—extremely rare in China and of great documentary value. The Tielin City Ancient Fort on the back mountain of Liyuanba has served the function of protecting the land and ensuring the safety of the people “since its establishment in the Ming Dynasty,” and is an important military stronghold along the Micang Ancient Road.

The land within the Liyuanba Village basin is open and flat, with neat houses, crisscrossing paths, and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoing through the area. There are also small bridges over flowing streams, as well as mulberry trees, bamboo groves, and ancient trees. To the north of the basin lie hundreds of acres of gently sloping terraced hillsides, interspersed with mountain streams, terraced fields, slope lands, ponds, and irrigation channels. The area is rich in vegetation, enjoys ample sunlight, and has a pleasant climate all year round.

Liyuanba Village embodies the poetic charm of “a small bridge over flowing water by a cottage,” the pictorial beauty of “trees encircling the village,” the splendid scenery of “green hills beyond the city wall,” the refined elegance of “clear springs flowing over stones,” the historical culture of family lineage and migration, the simple and unsophisticated local customs, the winding ancient stone paths, and the melodious mountain songs and folk ballads...

With its profound and enduring history and culture, continuously inherited family traditions, pristine agrarian culture, as well as its unique production, lifestyle, and domestic belief customs, Liyuanba Village allows us to “see the mountains, see the water, and remember our roots.”

Liyuanba Village is a typical representative of traditional villages in northeastern Sichuan. It is an irreplaceable and invaluable historical and cultural heritage, an important part of the root culture within Chinese civilization, and a precious legacy left to us by our ancestors.