Donglong Village

　　Donglong Village is located in a mountain basin at an altitude of about 500 meters on the border between Ningdu and Shicheng. It is embraced by verdant mountains and crisscrossed by clear streams. Historical records indicate that the village was first established in the fifth year of the Qiande era during the Northern Song Dynasty (967), boasting a history of over a thousand years.

　　The most distinctive features of the village are its people-oriented layout and the traditional architectural philosophy of harmony between man and nature. Since its founding, the ancestors of the Li clan selected the Donglong Ridge and Nanqiao Ridge—two of the most majestic and longest approaching mountain ranges—as the village’s two dragon veins, based on the characteristics of the surrounding environment. On one of these ridges, they built a contiguous cluster of houses on undulating terrain, interspersed with hundreds of ponds of varying sizes. Meanwhile, two clear streams were channeled down from the high mountains to the north and south, meandering along the edges of the village to create an effect of “mountains encircling waters,” thus integrating the entire settlement into a landscape of green hills and clear waters. The other key feature is the ancestral hall. Corresponding to the ancestral hall is the village’s largest temple: the Jade Emperor Palace.

　　Although Donglong Village covers only 2.5 square kilometers, it preserves a large number of ancient buildings and scenic spots, forming its own “Ten Scenic Spots” culture. The land has nurtured countless outstanding individuals, with over 400 successful candidates in the imperial examinations during the Ming and Qing dynasties alone. The village boasts a profound and well-preserved cultural heritage, with vibrant and diverse Hakka folk activities that have a long history... It has been hailed by experts as the “No. 1 Ancestral Hall Village in Southern China.”

　　At the border between Ningdu and Shicheng—two counties that were among the earliest settlements of the Hakka people—lies a mountain basin at an altitude of about 500 meters. Surrounded by green hills and cradled by clear streams, this basin is home to a millennia-old village: Donglong Village in Tianbu Township, Ningdu County.

　　During the Tang Dynasty, this place was called Dongtun. Hakka ancestors traveling from eastern Ningdu to Fujian used the Dongtun Pass as a shortcut. In the early Qiande era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Yijun, who had settled in Banjing, Shicheng, came to Donglong to hunt and was captivated by this blessed land of green hills. He relocated his entire family here to settle down. Because “to the southeast lies a range of rolling hills that resemble a coiled dragon,” he renamed the place Donglong.

　　Suggested Duration

　　3 hours

　　Transportation

　　Self-driving

　　Admission Fee

　　None

　　Opening Hours

　　All day

　　Location

　　Donglong Village, Ningdu County, Ganzhou, Jiangxi