The Matouzhai Ancient Architectural Complex

The Matouzhai Ancient Architectural Complex

The Matouzhai Ancient Architectural Complex is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Matouzhai Ancient Architectural Complex is located in the western part of Hefeng Buyi and Miao Ethnic Township, Kaiyang County, approximately 58 kilometers northeast of Guiyang City, Guizhou Province.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Matouzhai was under the jurisdiction of the Song clan of Manzhou. In the early Yuan Dynasty, administrative units such as Diwo and Zijiang were established within the village, marking over 700 years of institutional history. In 1301, Song Longji, a local chieftain of the Shuidong region, led an uprising against the Yuan Dynasty, and more than 4,000 people from various ethnic groups in Diwo and Zijiang responded by revolting, capturing the Diwo-Zijiang Governor's Office and seizing the "Official Seal for Managing Civilian Populations of Yongzhen and Other Regions." In the early Ming Dynasty, Matouzhai gained its name as one of the twelve Matou (horse head) districts directly governed by the Shuidong Song clan, a name that has been retained to this day. By the late Ming Dynasty, after the rebellion of Shuidong chieftain Song Wandi was suppressed, the twelve Shuidong Matou districts were restructured under direct imperial administration, leading to the establishment of Kai Prefecture (now Kaiyang County). However, descendants of the Song clan continued to reside in Matouzhai and nearby villages such as Pingzhai and Anguanzhai. During the Qing Dynasty, the Song Family Ancestral Hall was built in Matouzhai to enshrine the spirit tablets of figures such as Song Wandi.

The village faces the Diwo Grand Paddy Field, backs onto Baihua Mountain, and is surrounded by water on two sides, with the Qinghe River and Shen Shui River flowing along its northern and eastern edges respectively. The paths within the village are mostly paved with bluestone and cobblestones. This area was the hometown of Song Longji, the leader of the anti-Yuan resistance, and also the site of the Yuan Dynasty’s Diwo-Zijiang Governor’s Office, Jingjiang Road Governor’s Office, and the Ming Dynasty’s Diwo Matou administrative center. The ruins of the Governor’s Offices still remain. The village also houses dozens of slogans left behind in April 1935 when the First and Third Corps of the Red Army passed through Diwo.

Many residences in Matouzhai are stilt-style quadrangle or triple-courtyard dwellings, typically featuring a mixed structure of through-tenon and raised-beam construction, consisting of a central main house, two side wings, and an opposing hall (or screen wall). The main house usually has three, five, or seven bays. Doors and windows are adorned with exquisite wood carvings. The entrance to the main house is supplemented by a waist gate, and many side wings feature front gates. Common decorative motifs include dragons, phoenixes, and the “wan” (ten thousand) lattice pattern, all symbolizing good fortune. The Buyi people, however, have unique interpretations of certain decorative patterns—for instance, they believe the “wan” lattice represents a waterwheel flower or crab flower, both associated with water, reflecting the community’s longstanding aquatic cultural traditions developed through living along rivers. The village currently has 208 households and 1,126 residents, most of whom are Buyi. Villagers build their homes along the mountains and riverbanks, adapting to the terrain, resulting in wooden houses staggered up the hillsides. Towering ancient trees densely cover the mountains, creating lush surroundings. The Qinghe River meanders in front of the village, with a stone arch bridge spanning its waters. Village paths are often paved with cobblestones in herringbone patterns. Quadrangle courtyards are typically floored with bluestone, lending an antique charm. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, tens of thousands of Buyi people from the “Eight Diwo Villages” dress in festive attire to celebrate the “June 6th” Singing Festival in Matouzhai. The village includes 97 residential buildings, 2 temples, over 50 meters of village walls, 1 stone arch bridge, 1 theater stage, over 1,000 meters of ancient pathways, and 2 ancient wells.

In 2006, the Matouzhai Ancient Architectural Complex, as a historical site from the Yuan to the Qing dynasties, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units