Ancient Yingshan Village

Ancient Yingshan Village

Ancient Yingshan Village, located in Lechang City, Guangdong Province, is entirely inhabited by the Bai family, with over a hundred households. The village has a history of 600 years, as it was once a key route through Lechang. The main structures date back to the Qing Dynasty, featuring neatly arranged ancient buildings with unique architectural styles, primarily grey-brick tile houses. The pathways are all paved with stone slabs, the beams are exquisitely carved, and the ceiling walls are adorned with vivid paintings of figures and birds, showcasing remarkable craftsmanship. The architectural complex is relatively well-preserved, with some signboards from the Republican era still remaining.

Ancient Yingshan Village was first built in the fifth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1407), and has a history of 600 years. It became an important stop along the ancient road due to the convergence of the north-south Le-Yi Ancient Road and the east-west Hu-Guang Ancient Road at the village entrance. Interestingly, unlike Zhujixiang on the Meiguan Ancient Road in Nanxiong, which had families with over a hundred surnames, this village was home to only one major clan—the Bai family. It is said that the ancestors of the Bai family originally came from Changsha, Hunan. During the Song and Yuanfeng periods, their forefather passed the imperial examination and was appointed as the Prefect of Yulin Prefecture in Guangxi. After retiring, he passed through Huangpu and was captivated by this auspicious piece of land. By the 13th generation of the Bai family, they migrated south to Lingnan and established Yingshan Village here.

Yingshan Village was established relatively early. According to the *Bai Family Genealogy* of Huangpu, in the fifth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1407), the 13th-generation descendant of the Lechang Bai family, Rusu (nephew of Siqian), pioneered the village. After two generations, the upper and lower rows of houses were expanded, forming the initial scale of the settlement. Thanks to superior geographical conditions and social stability, both population and prosperity flourished. Starting from the Wanli era (1573–1598), large-scale construction began, with houses being built and the village expanded, while some residents began migrating outward. This marked the first golden age of the village and laid the foundation for its later distinctive architectural style and large-scale developments. By the Kangxi to Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty (approximately 1660–1780), Yingshan Village had risen to become one of the largest settlements of the Bai family in the rural areas of Lechang, with a total population of 700. According to genealogical records, the family of Le’an alone had over 30 members. During this period, the village saw extensive construction, with further expansion and another wave of outward migration. Those who remained were mostly wealthy families with ample resources and manpower, who acquired vast tracts of farmland and mountainous land across Huangpu, while also developing public welfare projects such as road expansion and pavilion construction. Notable structures built during this time include the Yuhuan Grand Arch Bridge (constructed in 1766) and the Fengyi Pavilion (constructed in 1792), all of which signify the village’s significant development.

Today, Ancient Yingshan Village faces north and is backed by Phoenix Mountain, with the Luxi River flowing in front. The scenery is picturesque, and the area in front of the village consists of fertile oily sandy soil. The village still preserves a large cluster of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties—covering an area of over 36,000 square meters. The layout is higher in the back and wider at the rear, though not entirely regular, generally arranged in nine rows with nine buildings per row. A few standalone structures are referred to by villagers as "single-foot houses." The ancient dwellings are uniformly constructed with grey bricks, black tiles, bluestone corners, and flush gable roofs. They feature a two-story hall-style structure, with skylights and courtyards in the front, screen walls in the back, and side rooms on either side. The eaves are adorned with exquisite stone carvings, wood carvings, and murals. The streets and alleys in front of and behind the houses are all paved with stone slabs.

The ancient residential architectural complex of Yingshan Village covers an area of over ten thousand square meters, with hundreds of residences. The layout is highly rational, divided into nine rows with nine houses per row, where two or three houses are often connected, along with some standalone "single-foot" houses built according to local conditions. There are two main vertical lanes, each 180 meters long and 3.4 meters wide, located on the left and right sides of the village. The left lane runs from the Qinglong position of the back mountain, adjacent to a well (spring), and winds down to connect with seven horizontal lanes, creating a network of "horizontal and vertical passages." Outside the lanes, there are drainage ditches about 0.4 meters wide, through which water from wells and mountains flows along the terrain into the main drainage ditch in front of the village. The main lanes and drainage ditches divide the village into three sections: the residential area (houses) within the lanes and ditches, and the auxiliary structures (pigsties, cattle sheds, toilets, etc.) outside. The division is clear. More importantly, even termites dare not cross the ditches to invade the houses, thus protecting the residences from termite damage. This reflects the ancients' ingenious application of scientific knowledge and represents a significant achievement in architectural science.

Most of the houses feature a central-axis structure, divided into a front hall and a main hall, separated by wooden pillars and boards, with the dividing door called the central gate. The front of the main hall has a courtyard and skylight, and some have "T-shaped" doors, with the main gate located in the front room on the left. The main hall also has skylights and courtyards. Both designs offer advantages, incorporating elements of civility, elegance, and tranquility, along with scientific principles of ventilation and lighting. Behind the main hall (central hall), cylindrical wooden boards are used to partition the rear section, where ancestral shrines are placed to honor ancestors and local deities (often Kanghu Gong). The partition boards are often carved with patterns, painted with flowers, and inscribed with auspicious phrases. The rich content reflects the solemnity and beauty of the shrines, as well as the family’s status, reverence for ancestors, and embodiment of Chinese civilization and etiquette, serving as a concrete representation of folk customs.

The gates and gate towers of the residences are meticulously designed: the size and proportions of the gates, as well as the construction of the gate towers and pedestals, demonstrate high craftsmanship and artistry. The gate awnings come in various shapes, beautifully crafted with dragon and phoenix carvings, curved pillars, and boards, offering a wide variety of styles. Notably, the horizontal beams above the gates of the houses in Yingshan Village, sometimes called shrimp-like beams, number over a hundred. Each beam features unique carvings, paintings, and thematic content, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship. Many are carved with one or two layers of floral designs, while a significant portion has three layers of hollow carvings, each with distinct styles and techniques. This craftsmanship and artistic value are unmatched in the villages of the Huangpu region, making it the pride of Huangpu and a defining feature of Ancient Yingshan Village.

The ancient architectural complex of Yingshan Village originally included several study rooms and three ancestral halls, which were branch lineage halls. Among them, the Fuxi Ancestral Hall is the most iconic. Located on the central axis of the front row of the village, it features a single-eave flush gable roof, horse-head-style gables, short eaves, and originally had a "T-shaped" gate. By the Republican era, the gate was changed to a central entrance, while the main hall’s roof adopted a post-and-lintel structure with an octagonal skylight. The courtyard contains a carved stone well cover. In front of the main hall, there is a wooden couplet carved in relief from the third year of the Tongzhi era, with the upper line reading: “肯乃堂肯乃构丕显丕承相见诒谋燕翼” and the lower line: “序其昭序其穆以修以绥当思裕后象贤.” Each line is 2.6 meters long and 0.2 meters wide. This couplet was a gift from descendants of the Wen, Yong, and Qing lineages to honor the Fu family. Its literary merit, calligraphy, and carving craftsmanship are considered flawless and remain well-preserved. The main structure and exterior of the ancestral hall retain their original appearance. The village also has three “Taishan Stone Can Withstand” stone carvings, embedded in appropriate locations among the residences. Additionally, in front of the village, there is a spacious open area surrounded by several commemorative stone tablets erected for notable figures such as Bai Ying, Chun Su, and Pei Jin. These historical artifacts reflect the village’s profound cultural heritage.

The ancient buildings of Yingshan Village are uniformly constructed with clear-water walls, grey bricks, gray tiles, and wooden beams, featuring bluestone corners and eaves with drip tiles. The walls still retain fireproofing structures, and the lanes are paved with bluestone slabs, giving off an antique charm. The houses are built along the slope of the terrain, arranged in fan-shaped layers, presenting a dense, staggered, and harmonious appearance that is both natural and aesthetically pleasing, providing a sense of comfort. The entire ancient architectural complex embodies the cultural, artistic, and civil qualities of the time, as well as the prevailing customs and traditions.