Xingfu Ancient Village

Xingfu Ancient Village

Xingfu Ancient Village (also known as the Fourth Group of Xingfu Village), located in Shunlong Township, Danling County, was historically called Zhaoqiao. It lies 12 kilometers from the county seat and has 31 farming households with a population of 123. Nestled against the mountains and facing the river, the village features lush forests, red sandstone foundations, and traditional residences, ancient roads, old houses, and bridges. It is one of the few relatively well-preserved ancient villages in Sichuan and even across China. The natural and cultural landscapes complement each other, offering 21 subcategories of tourism resources under four main types: natural scenery, cultural sights, religious culture, and folk culture. Natural attractions include the thousand-year-old "Husband and Wife" ginkgo trees, "Dragon Raising Its Head," Frog Rock, and Eagle Beak Cliff. Cultural sites feature an ancient stone irrigation system, the Zhaoqiao Bridge built during the Kangxi era, the Guanyin Bridge constructed in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the ancient Salt-Iron Road, and water conservancy projects like Xuezhai Weir and Xingfu Weir built during the Cultural Revolution. Folk traditions include traditional farming customs, wedding ceremonies, Ox-Lantern performances, folk suona music, and the making of Danling Dongba (a local rice cake).

Panoramic view of Xingfu Ancient Village

The Husband and Wife Trees of Xingfu Village

This village was the filming location for the famous 1980s movie "The Corner Forgotten by Love." In 2014, it was listed among 13 pilot projects for rural tourism development in the province. Guided by the principles of "strict protection, respect for tradition, moderate development, and integration of industry and village," the area was conserved and developed by combining agricultural production with farming culture and unifying agriculture with rural tourism. This created a Xingfu Ancient Village where “memories of home remain,” offering a travel experience where “the landscape stretches into view.” It has since been recognized as a National Featured Village, National Green Village, National Ecological Culture Village, National One-Village-One-Product Demonstration Village, National Famous Village for Characteristic Scenic Tourism, as well as a Third Batch Traditional Village of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial Four-Good Village, Sichuan Provincial Boutique Rural Tourism Village, and Sichuan’s Most Beautiful Ancient Village. The return of college-educated migrant workers to start businesses here received affirmative recognition from Premier Li Keqiang. Efforts in agricultural supply-side structural reform were featured on CCTV’s "Xinwen Lianbo" and in the People's Daily. Since 2014, it has hosted international and national conferences including the UNESCO “The Future of Historic Urban Landscape” conference, the National Symposium on Personnel Work in Culture and Tourism Systems and the On-site Meeting for the Rural Culture and Tourism Talents Support Project, and the National Event Site for “Geographical Indication Agricultural Products Protection in Action.”

Eagle Beak Cliff of Xingfu Ancient Village

Source: Photo provided by Danling County Tourism Bureau

Xingfu Village: I had heard that Xingfu Village in Shunlong Township, Danling County, is one of the well-known ancient villages in southwestern Sichuan, featuring ancient roads, ancient trees, ancient bridges, and old houses — a living specimen of farming civilization. ...That stirred my desire to see the ancient village for myself. Recently, I gathered a few friends and headed to Xingfu Ancient Village together.

The ancient road that runs through the village

Whether a village is old or young can be seen from its roads. A few years ago, while researching the “Danma Salt-Iron Ancient Road,” I discovered an ancient path running through Xingfu Ancient Village. Stretching about four to five kilometers, this section is the most artifact-rich and historically valuable stretch within Danling County... More details about Xingfu Village ++