Cangshuyuan Village

Cangshuyuan Village

Cangshuyuan is located six kilometers southwest of Tanbu Market. Its founding ancestor, Tan Jiajing, migrated and developed the settlement in the mid-Ming Dynasty from Gutang Village in Baiyun District, Guangzhou. It was initially named Cangshouzhuang. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the administrative village name was briefly changed to “Cangfeng Village.” Following the reform and opening up, the name Cangshuyuan was restored and has been used to this day. The ancient village architecture in the area accounts for approximately one-third of all village buildings. Formed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it consists of temples, watchtowers, ancestral halls, study rooms, ancient lanes, and traditional houses. These structures are neat, uniform, and well-preserved. Most rows of buildings are separated by lanes, with the lanes averaging about 195 meters in depth. There are 11 ancient lanes still in existence, most paved with stones and featuring side drainage ditches. Most lanes also have wells. Lane gateways are embedded with red sandstone plaques inscribed with lane names. The entrance of the “Dunren Li” lane has an outer layer of red sandstone and an inner layer of granite door frames, reflecting features of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Visiting Cangshuyuan Village today, you’ll be amazed by its cleanliness and hygiene. It is an ancient village with a strong scholarly atmosphere that still preserves unique traditional customs: Cangshuyuan’s annual Double Ninth Festival ancestral worship is not held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, but rather on the sixth day of the eighth lunar month. Instead of distributing pork, fish is shared—not just among the men, but with all villagers, regardless of age or gender. On the day before the Lantern Festival, which is the 14th day of the first lunar month, the whole village holds a lantern-tossing and lantern-parading event. This includes married-out daughters, their spouses, children, friends, and people from other clans, who are all welcome to attend. Hundreds of banquet tables are set up for a grand communal feast. Lion dances with Hung Gar kung fu elements are also a highlight of Cangshuyuan, boasting a long history. The village places great emphasis on education. Since 1996, it has operated a “school shuttle bus,” picking up and dropping off all village children to and from schools in town every day.

Transportation: Take a 15-yuan bus from Guangzhou Railway Station to Tanbu Town Station (about 1 hour), then take a motorcycle for around 10 yuan to reach the village.

Recommended visiting route: Hongsheng Ancient Temple – Tan Clan Ancestral Hall – South Watchtower – Tan Clan Hall – Yunxi Ancestral Hall – Yunshan Ancestral Hall – Guishi Study Room – North Watchtower

Hongsheng Ancient Temple is located in Cangshuyuan Village, Tanbu Town. The exact year of its initial construction is unknown. It was rebuilt in the 12th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1747), renovated in the 7th year of the Jiaqing reign (1802), rebuilt again in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903), and restored in 1998. The temple faces east and is arranged along a three-lane layout, with a total width of 18.3 meters and a depth of 25.6 meters, covering a construction area of 386 square meters.

The central building's mountain gate is three bays wide (11 meters) and two bays deep (8.2 meters), spanning fifteen rafters, with a three-step front porch. The beams, bracket arms, and eave boards of the front porch are decorated with carvings of opera characters, birds, animals, flowers, and plants. The beam above the shrimp-dragon column is inscribed with a couplet: “The elders and virtuous have sung praises here for ages; the wine vessels remain pure and the reverence ever deepens.” The upper inscription reads: “Erected on the auspicious first day of early autumn, 29th year of Guangxu (1903), by Su □hu of Shunde,” and the lower reads: “Dedicated by devout disciples of the Scholarly Hall, Laihehao, Tan Fuyang, Tan Guiyang, Tan Jinsheng, and Tan Jinyong.” The gate is flanked by granite slabs, and the stone lintel is inscribed in relief with “Hongsheng Ancient Temple,” dated “Reconstructed on the auspicious first day of Gu Yue, 7th year of Jiaqing (1802).” The stone couplet is carved in intaglio: “Unceasing grace flows as fields and mulberry bathe together in sunlight; infinite sanctity shines as Lion Mountain wells bring joy to the southern land.”

The left and right stone pillar inscriptions read: “Benevolent blessings spread across vast paddy fields bringing yearly bounty; renewed governance flourishes on Lion Ridge, nurturing human culture.” The inscription is dated “Autumn, 7th year of Jiaqing, year of Renxu (1802),” and the lower part reads: “Dedicated by Tan’s wife, Lady Lin of Enmu, with reverence.” The left golden pillar is inscribed “12th year of Jiaqing, year of Dingmao (1807), second spring, auspicious day,” and the right, “Devotee Tan □□, jointly dedicated.” The central wooden door bears the inscription “Fair winds and timely rains, peace in the nation and prosperity among the people,” with a painting of “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.” There are three stone steps in front of the gate.

Tan Clan Ancestral Hall

South Watchtower of Xiashè

Tan Clan Hall is located in Cangshuyuan Village, Tanbu Town, Huadu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. It was initially built in the 1st year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty and renovated in the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (1908).

Tan Clan Hall faces southwest and is oriented northeast. It follows a three-lane, three-courtyard layout, with a total width of 23.6 meters and a depth of 39.1 meters, covering a construction area of about 900 square meters. It features a hipped gable roof with grey plastered decorative ridges, gray barrel tiles, and blue brick walls, with red clay bricks paving the floor. The central lane’s main gate has eleven rafters; the central hall has seventeen rafters, with a four-rafter front corridor; the rear hall has fifteen rafters, with the main space housing the ancestral tablets of the Tan Clan. The central lane is flanked by two corridors, while the side lanes each have a six-rafter, coiled-roof structure, each 4.2 meters wide, separated from the central lane by a 1.5-meter-wide Qingyun Lane.

The middle and rear sections of the left-side auxiliary hall have been destroyed, with some wall cracks present. The overall condition is fair, with multiple damaged areas in the hall’s architecture. Some wooden beams in the Tan Clan Hall have become moldy and rotten. The two corridors in front of the rear hall leak, and some wooden beams are rotten. The right corridor in front of the central hall shows signs of potential collapse. The middle and rear sections of the left auxiliary hall have been destroyed, and the stone carvings on the step risers of the main gate are damaged. In December 2015, it was designated as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yunxi Ancestral Hall

Famming Ancestral Hall

Zhixi Ancestral Hall

Lantang Academy

Xinkui Study Room

Yunshan Ancestral Hall

North Watchtower

Cangshuyuan Village: The Cangshuyuan Village Committee is located in the western part of Huadu District’s Tanbu Town, covering an area of about 7.5 square kilometers. It governs eight villager groups, with a total population of 1,257. The committee is 20 kilometers from downtown Huaxia and 7 kilometers from Tanbu Town. Huadu Avenue runs along the southern edge of the village. With a history of about 600 years, Cangshuyuan Village is an ancient settlement whose layout reflects typical Lingnan village characteristics, exuding a rich historical and cultural ambiance. The Hongsheng Ancient Temple (Qing Dynasty) and Xiashè ancient architectural complex (Qing Dynasty) within the village are key cultural relics protection units of Tanbu Town and are recognized as provincial-level ancient villages. The main agricultural... Cangshuyuan Village detailed information++