The Ancient Shi Quan Village

The Ancient Shi Quan Village

Shi Quan Village is located in Lianhong Village Committee, Sanjiang Town Government, Liannan Yao Autonomous County. During the Qing Dynasty, to avoid bandit attacks, villagers built a mountain stronghold on Shi Quan Mountain. As the village lies at the foot of this stronghold, it was called “Zhai Jiao” (Foot of the Stronghold). The village covers an area of approximately 1.5 square kilometers, with 340 households and 1,427 people. The main Han surnames are Chen, Liang, Ta, and Li. Zhai Jiao Village sits against Shi Quan Mountain, with the San Jiang River in front. Existing remains include late Neolithic Age sites, gate towers, residences, and ancient wells from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as three ancient banyan trees that are hundreds of years old. There is also the former office site of the Guangdong Provincial National Government, which relocated to Sanjiang in 1938 during the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938) and was stationed in Zhai Jiao, along with the inscription “Righteous Indignation Hard to Bear” by then-Governor Wu Tiecheng.

According to records, from 1983 to 1985, stone tools such as stone axes, shouldered stone adzes, stone arrowheads, stone chisels, stone grinding wheels, stone rings, and whetstones were collected on Shi Quan Mountain, while pottery items included beans, urns, jars, bowls, and clay spinning wheels. The decorative patterns on the stamped hard pottery included meander patterns, grid patterns, kui dragon patterns, diamond patterns, and thundercloud patterns. At the time, provincial experts preliminarily determined that these artifacts belonged to the late Neolithic Age. The distribution area covers approximately 30,000 square meters. The site provides valuable physical material for the study of the historical development of ancient humans in Liannan.

During the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398), Zhai Jiao Village was part of Gaoliang Fort in Lian County. In the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to Gaoliang Shangshui Fort in Lian County. From 1931 (the 20th year of the Republic of China) to September 1951 after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zhai Jiao Village was under Gaoliang Shangxiang in Lian County. In September 1951, it was placed under Sanjiang Chenghe Township in Lian County. In January 1953, Sanjiang Chenghe Township and its subordinate villages, including Zhai Jiao, were incorporated into the Liannan Yao Autonomous Region.

In May 1986, the People’s Government of Liannan Yao Autonomous County designated it as a county-level cultural relics protection unit. On December 9, 2016, Shi Quan Village was jointly announced by seven national departments—the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Tourism Administration—as part of the fourth batch of China’s Traditional Villages.

Source: Qingyuan Museum