Longxian Village

　　China's Rice Fish Village -- Longxian Village in Fangshan Township is a distinctive settlement in Qingtian County with a strong rice fish culture, mainly featuring agritainment tourism centered around raising and eating rice field fish. The Rice Fish Village is located in the southeast of Qingtian, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and lies on a gentle slope transitioning from the Fangshan Basin to Qiyun Mountain. At the entrance of the village, the five large characters “China's Rice Fish Village” were inscribed in October 1999 by Fei Xiaotong, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, specifically for Longxian Village in Fangshan Township. With over 650 villagers residing in 24 countries around the world, it is one of the birthplaces of Qingtian’s overseas Chinese community. The village has a history of over 600 years of rice field fish farming. A local folk song in Longxian — “Where there is water and paddy fields, there are fish; where there is a home, there are overseas Chinese; plowing needs no rope, and mosquitoes are absent all year round” — paints an authentic picture of the village. The village faces northwest, with the Longyuan Stream running through it. Residential houses are built along the mountain to the southeast. With a history of over 730 years, the village has a total population of more than 1,300 and over 300 households. There are over 140 ponds and more than 120 acres of farmland scattered throughout the area. Water can be found everywhere — in front of homes, behind houses, in fields and paddies — and fish can be seen in all these watery spots, giving the impression of stepping into a world of fish. Longxian Village is also a scenic spot abundant in cultural relics and home to many overseas Chinese. Attractions include Qiyun Mountain, Longxian Eighteen Pools, Lovers’ Pine, Mandarin Duck Pool, Dragon Egg Stone, Yanling Old House, Wu Family Ancestral Hall, Qiankui Ancestral Hall, and Julong Mountain Villa. Among them, Yanling Old House and Julong Mountain Villa are especially notable for their distinctive architecture.