Fengdu Ancient Village

Fengdu Ancient Village

Fengdu Village (Zhangwu Village) in Zhoutian Town is located at the foot of the eastern slope of the Danxia Mountain World Natural Heritage site, where the Zhenjiang River and Lingxi River converge. With picturesque landscapes, fertile plains, a long history, and a place of outstanding talent, it is the hometown of Zhang Jiuling, a renowned statesman, litterateur, poet, and eminent prime minister of the Tang Dynasty (historically part of Shixing Commandery, Tang’s Qujiang County, now Renhua County), and also the birthplace and cradle of the Zhang clan in Lingnan.

Zhang Junzheng, the earliest ancestor of the Zhang clan in Lingnan, came to Shaoguan from FanYang in Hebei during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, serving as a Bieji (an official post) and relocating his family to Qujiang in Shaoguan. The second generation, Zhang Zizhou, served as the magistrate of Shanyang County (present-day Shengxian County, Shaoxing, Zhejiang). The third generation, Zhang Hongyu, held the position of Xian (a local official rank) in Suolü County (i.e., Qujiang County, renamed Suolü County during Wang Mang’s reforms), where he acquired land holdings in the Qinghua Township and Pingpu Post of the then-Shixing Commandery. He buried his father, Zhang Zizhou, on Pingpu Mountain in Qinghua Township, and his mother on the riverbanks where the Zhenjiang and Jinjiang Rivers meet in Renhua’s Jiangkou area. Their descendants flourished and became the root of the Zhang clans in Shaoguan, Qujiang, Shixing, Renhua, and throughout Lingnan. Historical records indicate that Qinghua Township and Pingpu Post were historically part of Shixing Commandery and Tang’s Qujiang County, with the core area, Pingpu, located in today’s Fengdu Village, Zhoutian Town, Renhua County (formerly known as Fengdu Township before the founding of the PRC). The village still preserves 96 relatively well-maintained ancient Ming and Qing residences, covering about 8,500 square meters, along with five ancient ancestral halls, gate towers, old lanes, plaques, couplets, and cultural relics, all showcasing the deep-rooted historical origins of “Jiuling Culture” in this ancient village.

Zhang Jiuling was a celebrated prime minister of the Kaiyuan era in the Tang Dynasty. Throughout his life, he was honest, upright, fearless of treachery, diligent in governance, and dedicated to benefiting the people. He was a virtuous and capable statesman of integrity and incorruptibility; a far-sighted and reform-minded politician; and a master of poetry who pioneered the poetic style of Lingnan with his refined character and elegant verse. His eminent prime ministerial demeanor, the legacy of the “Thousand-Year Golden Mirror,” strategic planning along the Meiguan Ancient Road, and famous poetic lines such as “Over the sea rises the moon, and we share this moment though we’re far apart” have been revered and celebrated by generations of Chinese. About one kilometer southeast of Fengdu Village lies Pingpu Mountain, where the tomb of Zizhou rests peacefully in a mountain hollow. The mountain ridge behind the tomb resembles a backrest, and the ridges on both sides look like armrests—forming a grand armchair facing southeast and overlooking the fertile lands of Fengdu Village. The Zhenjiang River flows from north to south, the Lingxi River from west to east, flanked by bamboo groves and clear, rippling waters. Across the Zhenjiang River, the red cliffs of Shaoshi Mountain and the verdant peaks of the Danxia Mountain range create a picturesque landscape of mountains, waters, and fields. This scenery complements the “Fengdu Shaoxing” ancestral shrine and the feng shui of the ancient village. The Zhang family’s meticulous selection and arrangement according to agricultural feng shui principles demonstrate profound cultural sophistication.

The entrance gate of Fengdu Village is the “Fengdu Liufang” Gate Tower, the only remaining ancient “Fengdu Tower” in northern Guangdong after the original old Fengdu Tower in Shaoguan was destroyed. The four characters “Fengdu Liufang” come from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji’s recognition and high regard for the eminent prime minister Zhang Jiuling—so much so that he would later ask, “Does this person have the demeanor of Jiuling?” The gate tower is 8 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide, with smooth, glossy blue bricks and tidy green-glazed tiles with upturned eaves. It features complete door pairs and finely carved eave decorations, with painted beams and ornate brackets. The entire gate tower stands majestic and solemn, exuding an ancient dignity. The red-background, gold-character plaque above the main gate, inscribed with “Fengdu Liufang,” visibly inherits the prime ministerial aura of Zhang Jiuling. In earlier times, the gate tower was flanked by couplets written by Emperor Xuanzong for Zhang Jiuling: “The sound of bells on the Shu roads reminds me of you too late; who could match your prime ministerial bearing in the Valley of Qu in years to come?” These words are filled with heartfelt nostalgia and sorrow.

A short walk from the Fengdu Gate Tower into the village lanes leads to the oldest ancestral hall in the village—the Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall. The exterior gate tower’s ancient and solemn walls and the remaining plaque nails are still visible. Upon entering the front hall, a square ancient plaque inside the caisson ceiling catches the eye: “Yanyi Yimou,” which is the oldest surviving “Jiuling Culture” relic in northern Guangdong. As a celebrated prime minister of the Kaiyuan era, Zhang Jiuling was loyal in governance, unafraid of powerful villains, dismissed Li Linfu, and admonished against favoring An Lushan—thus often facing slander and suppression from treacherous officials. To express his resolve, he likened himself to a southern “sea swallow” and composed the five-character poem “Ode to the Swallow”: “Though small and humble is the sea swallow, it comes briefly with spring’s breeze. Knowing not the lowly mud, it sees only palace halls agleam. Often it enters embroidered gates in pairs, and daily visits grand halls time and again. It does not vie for power with others; hawks and falcons, do not wrongly suspect the good.” This poem proclaims that he was a sea swallow from the south, flying to the capital with the warm spring winds of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Not discouraged by his humble origins, he strove diligently whenever the court needed him to assist in managing state affairs. With no ambition to compete for power or favor, he urged the vicious hawks not to wrongfully suspect the virtuous. This poem reflects the character and bearing of Zhang Jiuling as an official and individual, and the Northern Song Dynasty plaque “Yanyi Yimou” serves to remind Zhang descendants to remember the “Jiuling Culture” of making one’s way in office and life through the “swallow’s wings” depicted in the poem—as a bequest of self-cultivation, family management, social conduct, and patriotic service.

In this Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall, the spirit tablets of Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling and his wife, Madam Tan, are also preserved—an extremely rare Jiuling-era cultural relic. These spirit tablets, along with the ancient plaque “Yanyi Yimou,” likely represent the first round of Northern Song relics in the old hall. They also bear witness to the folk custom of the time, where regardless of fame or status, the deceased had to have their spirits returned to their native place. These tablets confirm that Fengdu Village, at Pingpu Post in Qinghua Township, was the place where Zhang Jiuling’s fourth son and fourth younger brother, Zhang Jiubin, guarded the ancestral tombs and ancestral hall—ensuring that the descendants of the Zizhou lineage would not forget this southern migration and the homeland where the Zhang clan originated.

In two other dilapidated old ancestral halls, plaques such as “Jinshi” (Advanced Scholar) and “Wukui” (Military Champion) are still preserved. Among them, a large plaque titled “Xiuba Tianchi” was erected in honor of Zhang Jinyuan, who achieved first place as the top scholar in the village during the 20th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. This shows that the younger generations of this ancient Fengdu Village once excelled in both officialdom and literary circles, inheriting the literary grace, strategic wisdom, and ancestral precepts of Prime Minister Jiuling.

The largest, most magnificent, and best-preserved ancestral hall in Fengdu Village is the “Jinjian Liufang” Ancestral Hall. According to Zhang Shaowu, an elderly descendant of Jiuling in the village, the hall was originally built during the Southern Song Dynasty and rebuilt during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1765 AD), where it remains to this day. The walls are made of smoothly polished blue bricks, with fine and even lime mortar lines. The main gate tower is majestic and ornate, with exquisitely carved door pairs. The large beam above the gate is carved with hollowed-out “double dragons playing with a pearl,” while the central red-background, gold-character plaque reading “Jinjian Liufang” is dignified and graceful. The original couplets on either side of the gate are said to have been written by the 21st-generation descendant of Jiuling: “The golden mirror’s precepts pass down our ancestors’ grace; the Qujiang bearing echoes our old family name.” The entire gate tower features elaborately carved brackets and beams, with splendid and exquisite “lotus stepping on clouds” and “officials riding the wind” openwork designs that are vivid and serene—fine examples of symbolic architectural carving art from that period, also reflecting the prominent status of Zhang Jiuling, author of the “Thousand-Year Golden Mirror,” and his legacy of learning from the past to guide future generations. The ancestral hall has three courtyards and two skywells: the front hall includes a caisson ceiling, the middle hall serves as a hall of merit for scholars, and the inner hall is a worship space with ancestral tablets and a portrait of Jiuling. The architecture is resplendent and grand, with wing rooms extending outward and surrounding residential lanes all featuring Ming and Qing blue-brick houses. Upturned gable walls, colorful glazed tile ridges, carved eave decorations, doors and windows hewn from red stone, elegantly arranged hall furnishings, delicate courtyard flower stands, precious ancient artifacts, and the tranquil rural atmosphere all offer a sense of the village’s long historical lineage and a taste of the inheritance of cultural elegance.

Source: People’s Government of Renhua County

Zhoutian Town: Located in the northeastern part of Shaoguan City, Zhoutian Town is 30 kilometers from the city center, situated at the southern gateway of Renhua and just 12 kilometers from the Danxia Mountain Global Geopark. It governs 15 village committees and one community neighborhood committee, encompassing 167 villager groups. The town has a total population of 27,000, covers an area of 289 square kilometers, includes 27,000 mu of arable land (including 23,000 mu of paddy fields), and has 420,000 mu of mountainous land. The town enjoys a highly advantageous geographical location and very convenient transportation, with National Highways 106 and 323 running through the town and intersecting here. It is just one hour’s drive from the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, and the planned Shaoguan-Ganzhou Railway and Sha… More details about Zhoutian Town++