Folk Culture Neighborhood

　　The Ziyang Folk Culture Neighborhood was established in the 34th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1556), when Magistrate Zhang Jingfu petitioned the Jinzhou authorities to send workers to construct the eastern, western, and southern city walls. The most distinctive features of the entire neighborhood are its elegantly shaped, uniquely styled, and structurally sound upturned eaves. There are also weathered wooden archways, marked with cracks and stains that bear witness to centuries of history. Inside, narrow stone paths and alleys twist and turn, going up and down, left and right, resembling a labyrinth. This area is also a hub for Ziyang’s local snacks, with numerous small food stalls and teahouses dotting the landscape. At the neighborhood’s entrance, on the east gate, there is a historical relic—the “Proclamation of the Central Plains Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army”—which is a provincially protected cultural heritage site. Here, one can find layers of culture, remnants of history, and the lingering charm of traditional customs. In 2000, the provincial artists’ association designated the neighborhood as an artists’ sketching base. Every year, students from all over come here to paint. As early as fifty or sixty years ago, Shi Lu and Zhao Wangyun, founders of the Chang’an School of painting, came here for artistic inspiration. In recent years, artists such as Cui Zhenkuan, Zhao Zhenchuan, and Wang Yanlin have also created and sketched here.