Dachang Ancient Town

　　Dachang Ancient Town in Wushan County, Chongqing, is situated north of the Yangtze River, in the middle reaches of the Daning River and within the Lesser Three Gorges Scenic Area. Setting off from Wuxi County town and traveling by boat down the Daning River for over two hours, you’ll reach the end of the New Lesser Three Gorges tour — a place nestled against mountains and water, shaded by greenery, with grey walls and black tiles: Dachang Ancient Town.

　　The ancient town of Dachang lies in a flatland within the Wushan Mountain Range. Over 1,700 years ago, the ancestors of Dachang built the town here. The Daning River and the Yangxi River converge on this plain, depositing thousands of acres of fertile land ideal for rice cultivation. The mighty Daning River connects downstream to the Yangtze and upstream to Zhenping in Shaanxi and Zhuxi in Hubei. In an era when waterways dominated transportation and warlords vied for dominance, Dachang was a strategic “throat” passageway.

　　After disembarking from the ferry, climb the bluestone steps, and you’re greeted by the South Gate. An ancient banyan tree grows within the wall of the South Gate, its trunk emerging from the stone crevices, with gnarled roots exposed, twisted and coiled.

　　Walking along the central bluestone path of the ancient town’s streets, every step echoes clearly beneath your feet, compelling you to slow down and tread lightly, not wanting to disturb the town’s tranquility. This quietude allows you to calmly appreciate every brick and tile of the ancient town. Where else can traditional houses be so well adapted to the mountain terrain and so delightfully facing the wind and water? And where else can old buildings have witnessed so many changes of the world, only to embrace those changes again?

　　The ancient town is built along the Daning River, covering an area of about 10 hectares. The street now known as “Liberation Street” is T-shaped, connecting the East, West, and South Gates. The east-west section is 350 meters long, and the north-south section is 200 meters long. People describe this miniature ancient town as one where voices carry to all corners and a single lantern can illuminate the entire town. The buildings are mainly of brick-and-wood structure, mostly quadrangle courtyards with grey bricks and black tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves, and an elegant, rustic charm, bearing a strong Jiangsu-Zhejiang architectural style.

　　As in every day of the past 1,700 years, villagers live peacefully in the ancient town, sitting by their doors working on chores and managing their livelihoods. The Three Gorges Dam project has changed everything. In just seven months, Dachang Ancient Town will be entirely submerged, with water depths reaching nearly 30 meters, turning the area into a vast expanse of water. Yet, there is no sense of anything being amiss. Only the large “Demolish” character on the South Gate reminds people that this place will soon disappear. In early 2004, the ancient town will be completely demolished and partially replicated. The residents will spend the last summer of the millennia-old town.

　　When visiting Dachang Ancient Town, a must-see is the Wen Family Courtyard. This structure, built in the early Qing Dynasty, is the largest and best-preserved building in the ancient town. Wen Guanglin, the tenth-generation descendant of the Wen family, and Madam Fu Shaoxiang, the matriarch of the courtyard, warmly introduce it to us. The Wen Family Courtyard was built by their ancestor who once served as a Qing Dynasty provincial governor. It faces east and covers an area of more than 320 square meters. The entire structure follows a post-and-lintel construction style, consisting of an entrance hall, main hall, and rear hall, all supported by wooden beams with 12 pillars and 37 roof trusses. The window lattices are intricately carved with delicate patterns. The carved windows resemble huge double happiness characters and feature auspicious motifs such as peaches, bats, chrysanthemums, and peonies. The courtyard’s drain serves to discharge sewage and rainwater, while the surrounding rooms form a corridor. The main hall was where the family elders received guests, with two chairs placed inside and the bold inscription “Ancestral Virtue Brings Generational Prosperity,” carrying deep meaning. The eldest son of the elder has migrated elsewhere, returning to his ancestors’ homeland — Guangdong. After more than 400 years of change, most residents of Dachang are descendants of migrants from the “Huguang Filling Sichuan” period. Amid the shifting tides of history, they are retracing their ancestors’ path back to their ancestral home.

　　It is understood that due to the rising waters of the Three Gorges Reservoir, Dachang Town bears a significant responsibility for relocating migrants during the second and third phases of the water level rise. Currently, Dachang Town is only about ten meters above the 135-meter water level. A total of 15,000 migrants need to be relocated from Dachang Town. Large-scale relocation began in 2001, with the first batch of over 5,000 migrants moving to Anhui and Guangdong. To date, a total of 12,000 people have been relocated externally. After the completion of the Three Gorges Project, the beautiful Dachang Ancient Town and the surrounding fertile farmland will sink beneath the lake. The ancient town gates — which are well-preserved and of high historical and cultural value — and the largest ancient architectural complex in the Three Gorges, are planned by national cultural relics authorities to be relocated en masse in their original form. They will move together with the town government to a new town area 6 kilometers away.

　　Source: Chongqing Hongyan Cultural Development Management Center Author: Liu Liqun