Shiheliang Village

Shiheliang Village

Twenty-four elderly members of the senior waist-drum team from Shiheliang Village, Shihetown, Nanbu County, performed yangko dance and waist-drumming to celebrate Shiheliang Village being included in the second list of China's Traditional Villages.

This year, 915 villages across the country received this honor, with 42 selected in Sichuan—Shiheliang being the only one in Nanchong City.

Arriving in Shihetown. Passing a street near the Shihetown government office building, you enter Shiheliang Village. Calling it just a “village” isn’t entirely accurate—it’s actually an old street that retains the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The old street is about 1,200 meters long, paved with bluestone slabs, featuring 161 shops with a total floor area of around 12,000 square meters.

It is understood that the street is approximately 5.9 meters wide, runs east-west, higher in the east and lower in the west, slightly curved, so villagers refer to it as two separate streets: the East Upper Street and the West Lower Street.

“This street was formed during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty,” said Xie Jinding, a 74-year-old resident of Shihetown. He looked up local chronicles and family genealogies and learned that as early as the Song Dynasty, thanks to its convenient water and land transportation—“leading up to Panlong, down to Dumen and Xinzhen, and bordering the Jialing River to the north”—the area had already developed into a market town.

There are three particularly notable structures in Shiheliang Village. One is located at the west entrance of the market and is called Zhangye Temple. According to accounts, Zhangye Temple was first built in the 60th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign and houses a statue of Zhang Fei. Behind the temple is a stone arch bridge built during the Xianfeng era, which can still support the passage of large trucks.

Another is located at the east end of the ancient street, called Wenchang Palace, initially constructed in the 58th year of the Kangxi Emperor’s reign, covering an area of about 1,200 square meters. Inside Wenchang Palace are statues of the Wenchang Emperor and Confucius, as well as statues of the “Three Chens.”

Elder Xie Jinding explained that among the “Three Chens,” Chen Yaosou, the top imperial scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, was born in Chenjiawan of Fenghuang Mountain in Shihetown. Chen family genealogy and related historical records state that in his later years, Chen Yaosou suffered from foot ailments, and Emperor Zhenzong permitted him to retire to his hometown. After his death, Chen Yaosou was buried near Shiheliang in Nanbu County.

The third is located in the center of the market and is called Chenghuang Temple. Compared to Wenchang Palace and Zhangye Temple, Chenghuang Temple seems rather modest.

Shiheliang Village also has well-preserved Liu Chenhang merchant buildings, which were once the commercial hub of the market town.

Over the years, Xie Jinding and other village elders have worked tirelessly to protect the ancient street. They transformed the former town clinic into an antique exhibition room, preserving over 640 cultural relics.

The woodcarving craft of Shiheliang Village is also quite famous. According to reports, Shiheliang woodcarving began during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Today, the best-known woodcarver is Liu Junhai. With over 30 years of experience, he carves everything from birds and beasts to plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, as well as landscapes and rivers.

“Over the years, despite outside influences, many of the village’s traditions have remained unchanged,” said Liu Yongpei, director of the Shiheliang Village Committee. During festivals, the village’s senior dragon lantern team and women’s dragon lantern team perform dragon dances in celebration. For weddings or shop openings, traditional performances such as cheche lanterns, money sticks, and colorful fan yangko dances are staged.

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