Pingnan, Exploring Ancient Villages – Part One (Miscellaneous Notes from a 26-Day Journey through Fujian and Guangdong, Chapter 10)

After several days by the sea, I was a bit fatigued with seascapes, so I decided to switch scenes and head into the mountains!

From Ningde to Pingnan County, there is no train, only bus.

Considering that the main focus here is visiting ancient villages with inconvenient transport, I found a local driver and emphasized to him: 'I want to see the places I know about, but even more so, those I don’t. You decide the route for a day and a half.'

This is also the hometown of a combat hero.

By the roadside, there was a She ethnic village, obscure and undeveloped. Strolling around casually, I, an old man, discovered many elements of beauty: old houses, old bridges, ancient village-guarding trees, an elderly woman drying sweet potato starch...

'漈' (jì) likely means waterfall. A village with a gatehouse tower – the driver said it’s rare to see.

Gan Guobao, a military top scholar of the Qing dynasty, served as Governor-General of Guangdong, Fujian, and Macau and concurrently as Admiral of Taiwan during the Qianlong era. His talents were appreciated by the emperor, who bestowed upon him a calligraphic scroll of the character '福' (blessing).

Not only are the village buildings beautiful, but for me, there are also many slogans from the Cultural Revolution era and sent-down youth sites. Ah, I can still recite almost all of these quotations and slogans.

Red persimmons frolic on the treetops; a fair lady smiles beneath the eaves.

Siping Village is also a very beautiful village, now a viral sensation, with cafés and boutique guesthouses.

Unfortunately, the weather was a bit uncooperative – overcast and foggy.

After a few hours of interaction, Driver Zhou figured out my interests. Seeing that I wasn’t too keen on the trendy Siping Village, he offered to take me to see another pristine settlement – Qiantang Village.

This is not a tourist spot. The old houses in the village are left to decay on their own, with crumbling walls everywhere. Naturally, the only outsiders were Driver Zhou and me.

'The corridors show no footprints, the courtyard grass grows lush and green. Green moss clings to empty walls, spider webs weave across the rooms.'

In the old days, this place was a resting stop or a goods distribution center along the Tea-Salt Ancient Road.

In the era without highways, goods were carried by people and transported by horses. This route connected the mountainous counties of northern Fujian with the coast. Tea, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, timber, and other mountain products were shipped out, while salt and daily necessities were brought in.

The small street was lined with shops. The buildings along the street clearly had counters downstairs and inns upstairs. The locals said that under the counters, they could store goods and also raise pigs.

I imagine that on such a bustling street, there must have been inns, tea houses, taverns, brothels, and the like.

Many residences with grand gateways suggest there were wealthy merchants as well. Unfortunately, there are no informational plaques about the buildings.