Yannei Village

　　    I. A Millennium-Old Ancient Village Settlement

　　    Surrounded by mountains and embraced by water, Yannei Village boasts beautiful scenery with rugged rocks and the sound of surging waves, making it one of the most distinctive ancient villages in Zhangpu County. Two ancient rock paintings discovered in the village suggest human activity here as early as 6,000 years ago. According to the "Jianhu Chen Clan Genealogy" (Qing Dynasty revised edition): “During the Empress Wu Zetian’s reign, a man named Fu Guang resided in Zhangpu’s Hu Lakefang,” and “Renhe Tower was the military camp (also known as Xingtai) of Tang Dynasty’s Chen Yuanguang, guarded by Chen Fu Guang.” This confirms that Yannei Village has a history of over 1,300 years. Today, 99% of the villagers share the surname Chen, having migrated from elsewhere during the early Yuan Dynasty and belonging to the same clan lineage. The village is the ancestral origin for nearly half of the Chen-clan villages in Zhangpu County, as well as the root of the Jianhu Taifu-lineage Chen families in Guangdong and Jiangxi.

　　    Yannei Village, Futian Town, Zhangpu County - Military Camp Main Gate 1.jpg

　　    II. A Key Site in Early Tang Dynasty’s Zhangzhou Governance

　　    On Lion Mountain in Yannei Village stands a mountain stronghold, one of the thirty-six “forts and stations” built alongside the Xingtai during the early Tang Dynasty’s efforts to govern Zhangzhou. It functioned as a signal tower for the Xingtai garrison.

　　    The ancient structure in Yannei Village — the “Tang Dynasty Xingtai” — continued to house troops through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties after the Tang era. The site has been rebuilt or renovated multiple times throughout history and is now a county-level cultural relic protection unit. Despite the passage of time, the Tang Dynasty Xingtai has weathered storms and still retains parts of its outer and inner walls, including a three-story watchtower that remains intact. Covering ten acres with a built-up area of 5,000 square meters, the rectangular earthen fortress consists of an outer and an inner building complex. Its grand scale and majestic presence exude a strong sense of history. The outer wall is 1.2 meters thick and three stories high, featuring military barracks, armories, patrol corridors, and a watchtower. The inner building includes quarters for the garrison commander, official halls, a training ground, and courtyards. The main gate faces southeast, with both an outer gate and an inner gate, the latter inscribed with the name “Renhe Tower.” It was designated a Zhangpu County cultural relic protection site in 1989.

　　    Yannei Village, Futian Town, Zhangpu County - Military Camp Watchtower 2.jpg

　　    III. Five Lakes and Sixteen Scenic Spots

　　    In ancient times, Yannei Village had five natural freshwater lakes: Jianhu, Yinghu, Nanhu, Anhu, and Caohu. These lakes featured picturesque scenery surrounded by mountains and water, with reflections on the lake, rugged rocks, waves, and fishermen’s songs at dusk. Due to millennia of geographical changes, only Jianhu remains today, while the other four have become farmland.

　　    Jianhu is the largest natural freshwater lake in Zhangzhou City and never dries up even during severe droughts. The lake is famous for its bighead carp. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, lively boat races take place on Jianhu. On ordinary days, the shimmering water, singing fishermen, flying egrets, and gently rocking boats create a serene scene. The lake is also home to stone turtles and stone tortoises with heads raised toward the sky — known as “Stone Turtle Howling to the Sky.” Other attractions include the Sword-Testing Rock along the shore. Though slightly reduced in size, Jianhu remains a graceful and enchanting landmark, serving as a key symbol of Zhangpu’s Fumei Villages.

　　    Around the Five Lakes of Yannei Village, nature has formed sixteen scenic spots. These include: Tai Peak Reflection, Jian Water Clarity, Monkey Greeting the Sun, General Stone Reaching the Sky, Scarf Peak Standing Gracefully, Hairpin Mountain Veiled in Mist, Black Gauze Bringing Auspiciousness, Jade Tablet Soaring to the Clouds, Southern Ferry Returning Sails, West Cliff Accumulated Greenery, Dragon Stream Peculiar Rocks, Phoenix Well Sweet Spring, Stone Screen Moon Reflection, Lantern Stand Blooming Flowers, Immortal Stone Traces, and Sea and Sky Sunrise. These were recorded in the "Jianhu Chen Clan Genealogy" dating back to the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, Chen Hui, a Taiwanese scholar from Jianhu, was deeply enamored with his ancestral land’s beauty and composed 16 poems titled "Records of the Sixteen Scenic Spots of Jianhu."

　　    Yannei Village, Zhangpu County, Futian Town - Ancient Houses.jpg

　　    IV. A Rare Ancient Camphor Tree Grove

　　    Having endured a thousand years of wind and rain, Yannei Village is still home to nine ancient camphor trees over 700 years old, clustered in the village’s eastern area, along with three ancient banyan trees nearly 300 years old. The largest camphor tree has a trunk diameter of 2.8 meters, a canopy covering nearly 2 acres, and a height of about 25 meters. The largest banyan tree has a trunk diameter of 2 meters and a canopy spanning 2.2 acres. These ancient trees grow in poor sandy soil, with lush foliage, deep roots, intertwined buttress roots, and cascading aerial roots. Their aged trunks sprout fresh branches, creating a breathtaking sight.

　　    Most remarkably, there is a uniquely intertwined “Camphor Embracing Banyan” tree. A robust and upright camphor branch gives rise to a banyan tree about three meters above the ground, which extends two thick roots deeply into the earth. The banyan clings closely to the camphor, growing dense and leafy. Locals fondly call the pair “husband and wife trees,” poetically referring to them as a “camphor-banyan union.” They have stood together through centuries of storms. Young couples often come here to take photos before marriage, making wishes for eternal love and harmony. In recent years, this rare wonder has been reported by media outlets such as Global Magazine.

　　    Walking into the ancient camphor grove, one is greeted by a refreshing fragrance. The scent of camphor repels mosquitoes, and the cool shade offers a bug-free retreat in the summer heat — an ideal spot for relaxation and a natural oxygen bar to enjoy life. The ancient trees, fishing village, sea, beach, and traditional swallowtail-roof houses form a dreamlike ecological paradise.

　　    The Millennium Ancient Camphor Grove of Yannei covers eight acres, forming a rare and spectacular sight of ancient trees in China. It attracts large numbers of visitors who are left in awe. Many poets and scholars have left behind precious literary works, such as Chen Zhiping’s poem “Yannei Ancient Camphor Grove”: “Wind howls, sand flies, tiles shatter and collapse, / A thousand camphors arch gracefully over hills and mounds. / Sky-reaching green umbrellas hang silk-like tassels, / Sparrows dance amid coiling dragons in painted screens.”

　　    Yannei Village, Zhangpu County, Futian Town - Ancient Camphor Trees.jpg

　　    V. Abundant Traditional Architecture