Bell Tower Ancient Village

Bell Tower Ancient Village

Bell Tower Ancient Village is one of the first batch of historical and cultural preservation zones in Guangzhou, located in Zhonglou Village, Shen’gang. Zhonglou Village is currently the best-preserved ancient village discovered, featuring large residential buildings constructed by the Ouyang clan during the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of nearly 15,000 square meters.

The ancient village faces southeast and is situated to the northwest, with the Ouyang Renshan Ancestral Hall serving as the central axis, extending to both sides — four lanes on the left and three on the right. Each lane features a gatehouse at its entrance. At the center of each lane runs a drainage channel edged with granite and paved with blue bricks, ascending gradually along the terrain. On both sides of the lanes are residences with gable-and-hip roofs. The dwellings follow a layout of three bays and two corridors, with seven households per row, lined up front and back, totaling 49 households. The corridors of each household face each other, allowing easy mutual assistance — from looking after children to guarding against thieves — so that if any family faces trouble, others will lend a hand. This “mutual watch and support” architectural style is unique in China. Every door, wall, and latticed gate of the houses embodies the painstaking effort and wisdom invested in “defense” back then. The walls of the homes have three layers, with the middle layer between the inner and outer walls made of irregular scrap bricks, making it virtually impossible for thieves to break through.

Originally, the village was enclosed by walls over three meters high, with four watchtowers built at the four highest points, each two stories tall. Outside the village walls was a protective moat, over two meters wide and more than three meters deep. According to the Ouyang clan’s “Record of the Bell Tower,” the village was built in the Wuxu year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (i.e., 1858 AD) and completed in the Jiwei year (i.e., 1859 AD). The “Record of the Bell Tower” describes the reasons and process behind the establishment of Zhonglou Village.

Zhonglou Village: Located in the northern part of Taiping Town and within the town area, Zhonglou Village has a registered population of approximately 1,298 people, around 325 farming households, and administers eight economic cooperatives. The total area of the village is about 2 square kilometers, including approximately 1,500 mu of arable land.

The Zhonglou Village Committee is located beside National Highway 105, about 13 kilometers from the city center and roughly 11 kilometers from Taiping Market Town. The area is hilly, with relatively weak geographical advantages. The Village Committee has actively promoted the development of the collective economy. Through years of exploration in production and development, it has established a model focusing on growing lychees and longans, cultivating rice and peanuts, and engaging in migrant work. … Zhonglou Village detailed information++