Shangzhuang, Jixi

　　The Shangzhuang Scenic Area is located to the east of Shangzhuang Town. The fifteenth-generation descendant of Shi Ronglu, a descendant of Shi Shouxin—one of the founding heroes of the Northern Song Dynasty—relocated here and established the village. To honor the merits of their ancestors and showcase the glory of their lineage, the Shi family not only built all houses and the village itself facing south toward the north, but also, because Shi Shouxin and Zhao Kuangyin were close friends and shared a passion for chess, designed the village in the form of a chessboard. This layout consists of houses, streets, ponds, and streams arranged in an orderly, meticulously structured, and neatly aligned grid. The central ancestral hall of the Shi family in the southern part of the village serves as the “general’s headquarters.” In front of the ancestral hall lies a pond with an “imprint mound” built to scale based on Shi Shouxin’s official seal. A large cypress tree planted on the mound symbolizes the handle of the seal, while graceful, swaying bamboo surrounds it on all sides, remaining green year-round to signify the Shi family's enduring legacy of holding office through generations. With the ancestral hall and the square pond serving as the central axis, lanes paved with fine bluestone are symmetrically laid out every 30 meters on both sides, resembling chessboard grids. Each lane connects seamlessly with others, and every lane exit is equipped with a lane gate. The village closes at scheduled times each day, resembling a fortress. This setup not only ensures the safety of the village but also facilitates orderly production and daily life for residents. The Peach Blossom Stream in front of the village represents the “Chu River and Han Border” (from the game of Go or Chinese chess metaphorically). The Shijia Village has maintained its original appearance and structure for over 600 years, and is recognized by architectural experts across the province and beyond as a representative example of ancient Huizhou village culture. To the south of the village stands the Kuixing Pavilion, built in the 16th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1751). It covers an area of 40 square meters, features a square floor plan, and has a hip-and-gable roof. Legend says that the Shi family, in expressing their anti-Qing and pro-Ming sentiments, incorporated deep symbolism into the pavilion’s design: the upper section is smaller than the base, implying that the Ming Dynasty was above and the Qing below, and that the Ming was strong while the Qing was weak. The eaves extend 17 feet downward, symbolizing the 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The wing corners reach 19 feet above the ground, and the sum of the four corners is 76. Adding the 50 rafters used on each side for a total of 200, the two numbers combined yield 276—the exact number of years the Ming Dynasty lasted. The ingenious design and profound symbolism make this a rare gem among ancient Huizhou architecture. In 2004, Shijia Village was designated as a Key Protected Ancient Architectural Complex by Anhui Province.

　　The specific location: located to the east of Shangzhuang Town

　　Shangzhuang, Jixi