Lingxi Great Stone Enclosure

Lingxi Great Stone Enclosure

The Lingxi Great Stone Enclosure is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

The Lingxi Great Stone Enclosure is located in Lingxi Village, Zhoutian Town, Renhua County, Shaoguan City.

This quaint structure, rich in Hakka cultural features, is located in a secluded town on the edge of Renhua’s layered red rocks. During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, society was in turmoil—bandits were everywhere, plundering wealth, torching homes, and tormenting the populace. The villages of Lingxi often suffered from bandit invasions, and the safety of people’s lives and property was severely threatened. Having endured the misery of these raids, the villagers yearned for a secure and peaceful place to live.

In the 26th year of the Qianlong reign (1765 AD), Huang Jiangan, responding to the villagers’ needs, mobilized them to contribute money or labor. Construction began in November, with villagers tasked with carrying soil to build the walls. However, the project was halted midway due to an outbreak of plague. In the 28th year of Qianlong, it took another three years to repair and reinforce the damaged and collapsed sections of the wall, making the entire enclosure solid, even, and aesthetically pleasing.

The enclosure is roughly rectangular, with three gate towers built on the eastern, southern, and northern sides: the Zhongwenping Gate and the Duwu Gate on the east side. Each gate tower has a watchtower accessible via stone steps from ground level. These towers served as living quarters or meeting spaces. At intervals along the upper part of the wall, firing holes were created to defend against bandit attacks. Along the inner corridor of the wall, houses were built, connecting the three gate towers and watchtowers into a cohesive defensive system—akin to a fortress. Within the enclosure are four springs, which provided drinking water and functioned as fire prevention facilities during invasions, enabling villagers to organize resistance.

The gate towers are constructed from 21 massive slabs of stone, resembling city gates. The 21 stones symbolize the 21 sons of Huang Yaoshan Gong, an ancestral figure of the Huang clan, signifying that any village built with 21 stone gates is a blessed land inhabited by his descendants. After the wall was completed, the village’s name was fittingly changed from Hanhenlu to Dawei Village (Great Enclosure Village).

Today, in this once-thriving and scholarly enclave—where over two hundred years ago people flourished and intellectuals abounded—one now sees only toddlers taking their first steps and elders nearing their twilight years. Many walls and doors have become weathered and worn, and the locks on the stone steps seem long untouched, coated in layers of dust. Strolling along the corridors within the enclosure, one feels lost in a dream of generational history, as the relentless passage of time becomes palpably present.

Lingxi Village: Lingxi Village…… Detailed information on Lingxi Village++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Guangdong Province