Panlaozhai

Panlaozhai

Panlaozhai (formerly known as "Longfeng Village") is one of the 14 villages under the jurisdiction of Zhongchao Town, Liping County. It is situated in the southern part of Zhongchao Town, 5 kilometers from the town center and 30 kilometers from the county seat. In front of the village, there are small bridges over flowing streams with crystal-clear water. The area in front features a vast agricultural development zone, while behind the village lie five picturesque mountain ridges, hence the name "Five Horses Galloping to the Nest." The village is nestled against mountains and beside water, with well-arranged houses, broad vistas, and beautiful, classic scenery. It exudes a strong rural and traditional charm. The village holds a strategically important location in transportation, serving as a hub connecting Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi. The road in front of the village has been renovated and is now smooth and fully paved with asphalt. The Liping–Congjiang Highway passes through the village entrance, making it an important Dong ethnic village along the tourism route connecting Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi, as well as a great destination for leisure, tourism, and summer retreats.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a period of great cultural prosperity and economic development for the Dong people. During this time, there were 22 wealthy merchant households who built many mansions. These homes had high exterior walls and were decorated classically and elegantly with exquisite craftsmanship. There were seven drum towers, seven village gates, more than ten structures including flower bridges, pavilions, ancestral halls, temple towers, and stages, as well as countless flower streets and other ancient buildings. The well-preserved structures from the Ming and Qing periods are mainly the mansions, while the remaining drum towers, flower bridges, pavilions, ancestral halls, temple towers, stages, and flower streets are currently under intensive restoration. It is expected that the original appearance of the village will be restored by the end of the year, making it a great attraction for visitors.

Panlaozhai has always had a tradition of valuing culture and a profound cultural heritage. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republican era, Panlaozhai established folk cultural organizations such as the Wenchang Society. Membership in this organization was limited to villagers who had received a certain level of education, possessed cultural knowledge, or were recognized by the community as virtuous and learned individuals. The Wenchang Society had a fixed meeting hall and farmland, which was collectively cultivated by the villagers. This organization nurtured many outstanding talents during the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The ruins of the Wenchang Palace still remain. Panlaozhai also boasts rich and simple folk customs. From the first to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, villagers of all ages spontaneously gather at the drum tower to hold the "Song-Stepping Ceremony," celebrating the arrival of the new year with singing and dancing. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, villagers eat glutinous rice by hand to thank the oxen for their hard work and to encourage them to keep working diligently in the coming year. On the thirteenth day of the fifth lunar month, the "Knife-Sharpening Festival" is celebrated, symbolizing a prayer to the heavens for favorable weather throughout the year. During the "New Rice Festival" on the Jiayi and Xinmao days when the rice is ready for harvest, the village slaughters pigs and sheep to entertain relatives and friends from near and far, symbolizing a fresh and bountiful harvest.

Panlaozhai is one of the villages with the highest concentration of Dong ethnic residents. The houses in the village are scattered in an orderly fashion and are all wooden stilt-style structures with strong Dong ethnic characteristics. It is one of the better-preserved classical mansions of wealthy Dong merchants in the region. The village is rich in ethnic customs and hosts annual events and festivals such as the "Fourth Month Eighth Day," "Knife-Sharpening Festival," "New Rice Festival," and "Song-Stepping Ceremony," making it one of the villages with the most vibrant ethnic minority culture in the area.

Zhongchao Town: I. Basic Information

Zhongchao Town is located in the southeastern part of Liping County, only 13 kilometers (as the crow flies) from the county seat. The town covers a total area of 296 square kilometers. It governs 14 administrative villages, 1 neighborhood committee, 120 natural villages, 166 villager groups, 7,044 households, and had a total population of 31,725 in 2004. The annual fiscal revenue is 1,724,222 yuan, and the per capita annual income of farmers is 1,650 yuan. The town borders Defeng and Gaotun towns to the northwest and Yongcong to the southeast, and... Zhongchao Town detailed information++