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Gaopu Cantonese-style Vernacular Dwellings

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According to the Qing Dynasty’s *Zengcheng County Annals* and the *Genealogy of the Zhang Clan* in the village, the new Gaopu Village was first established on the 19th day of the tenth month in the year 1598 (the Wuxu year of the Wanli reign) during the Ming Dynasty by brothers Zhang Lanting and Zhang Chunting of the 14th generation. Later, due to banditry, the villagers abandoned the village and moved back to their old residence in Old Gaopu. By the 46th year of the Kangxi reign (1707)…

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According to the Qing Dynasty’s *Zengcheng County Annals* and the *Genealogy of the Zhang Clan* in the village, the new Gaopu Village was first established on the 19th day of the tenth month in the year 1598 (the Wuxu year of the Wanli reign) during the Ming Dynasty by brothers Zhang Lanting and Zhang Chunting of the 14th generation. Later, due to banditry, the villagers abandoned the village and moved back to their old residence in Old Gaopu. It was not until the 46th year of the Kangxi reign (1707) that brothers Zhang Meian and Zhang Buzhai restored and rebuilt the village.

The *Comprehensive Gazetteer of Zengcheng Place Names*, published by Guangdong Map Publishing House, describes the new Gaopu area as follows: A cluster of villages. Includes Lan Shu Xia and Tang

Xia, located 23 kilometers northwest of Licheng. The village forms a crescent-shaped settlement and is an officially designated place name. It earned the name “New Gaopu” because the villagers migrated from Gaopu Village to establish a new settlement. Today, villagers surnamed Zhang still live here.

New Gaopu Village is one of the most well-preserved, architecturally intact, and large-scale clusters of traditional Cantonese-style vernacular dwellings in Zengcheng. Covering an area of over 20,000 square meters and oriented west-to-east, the village is nestled against mountains and encircled by water. It is an exceptionally rare ancient village featuring a protective moat (drawing water from a reservoir not far behind the mountain) and watchtowers. From front to back, the village features a crescent-shaped pond, a drying ground (field), a gatehouse adorned with dragon carvings along the roof ridges, perimeter walls, the nearby Longgui Ancient Temple, and a bluestone-paved street at the front. Upon closer inspection, the gatehouse displays Qing Dynasty official-style decorations, mainly featuring dragons, phoenixes, lions, heavenly steeds, sea horses, suanni (mythical lion-dragon beasts), and xiezhi (mythical horned beasts).