Matoushi Dawucun Village

Matoushi Dawucun Village

Matoushi Dawucun Village (also known as "Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards") is located in Matoushi Dawucun, Shijiao Town, Qingcheng District. It was first built in the second year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1797). Legend has it that Zhong Shengliang, the son of Zhong Shiqi, a descendant of the Zhong family, became extremely wealthy and spent eighteen years constructing the residence.

The structure faces south and is laid out across five parallel sections, featuring three courtyards and a rear building, separated by Qingyun Lane. The front courtyard has a gatehouse on the left, a pond and a front terrace at the entrance, and preserves two pairs of flagpole stands. These are inscribed with: “Zhong De’ao, ninth place in the 26th year of the Daoguang reign (1846) in the rural examination” and “Zhong Junbiao, 39th place in the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign (1864) in the rural examination.” The total width is 78.26 meters, the total depth is 80.60 meters, and the building covers an area of 6,181 square meters. It has a flush-gable roof with wok-shaped gable walls. The compound is entered from the gatehouse on the east side. The central section has five bays across three courtyards, while the east and west sections each consist of three sets of three-bay, two-corridor residences and two cross wings (each with 10 rooms). The rear building has two floors, with one hall and eighteen rooms per floor, and a front passageway with stairs. Legend says horses could be ridden up and down, hence it’s also called the “Horse-Riding Building.” The main part of the residence functions as an ancestral hall, while the rest are living quarters. The entire complex follows a symmetrical axial layout, combining halls and courtyards into a large architectural ensemble—a rare sight in Qingyuan. It is an ancient village with a long history and dense layout, similar in form to the “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” style seen in eastern Guangdong, and is also a representative example of southern-style vernacular dwellings in Qingyuan.

The intangible cultural heritage preserved in the village includes: lion dance, Cantonese opera, Cantonese music, Daoist rituals, zongzi making, mugwort rice cake making, and traditional hairstyles.

Source: Qingyuan Museum

Shijiao Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Qingcheng District, Qingyuan City. Established as Shijiao Commune in 1959, upgraded to a district in 1984, and officially became a town in 1986. Located at the southern edge of the city, on the east bank of the Beijiang River, it is 28 kilometers from downtown Qingyuan and 50 kilometers south of Guangzhou. Covering an area of 181 square kilometers, it has a population of 64,000. It is a key hometown of overseas Chinese in the city. The town administers 21 village committees (including Shijiao, Tangtou, Nancun, Huangbu, Xinqi, Tangji, Min’an, Matou, Lingzhou, Xiaohé, Hushan, Shakeng, Shabu, Jiepai, Shiqi, Qixing, Xingren, Tianxin, Huíqí, Qishan, and Zhoushan) and one neighborhood committee. Industries include cement, electronics, manufacturing… More details about Shijiao Town++