A Stunning Hidden Village in Xin'an County, Henan: Free Admission, Direct Drive Access

In the game *Gujian Qitan: Where the Qin Heart and Sword Soul Are*, Ganquan Village is depicted as a fresh and beautiful little village, surrounded by green bamboo groves with a clear spring flowing gently through it. In reality, Xin'an County's Ganquan Village feels more like a forgotten Chinese Macondo after many years.

Ganquan Village is located in the southern part of Beiye Town, Xin'an County. Driving from Luoyang city center, passing through Mengjin, then entering Xin'an County, you finally reach the destination—Ganquan Village, a journey of about sixty-plus kilometers in total.

The origin of the name Ganquan Village is similar to that in *Gujian Qitan*. It is said that there was a spring in the original village with water sweeter than in other surrounding areas, hence it was named "Ganquan" (Sweet Spring). The sweet and clear spring water nourishes the rich land of Xin'an County as well as the simple, honest, and kind-hearted villagers of Ganquan.

However, Ganquan Village's tourist appeal is not mainly due to its spring, but rather because of the generations-old family craft of ceramics. In ancient times, the ceramic industry in Ganquan Village flourished. Luoyang and Xin'an County were then famous economic and trade centers, attracting many merchants from other regions who came to wholesale and purchase ceramics.

The first family to settle in Ganquan Village was the Ding family. The soil of Ganquan Village is mostly slag soil, suitable for firing ceramics. The Ding family focused on the ceramics industry, and around this industry, they gradually formed a settlement—Dingjia Gully. The ceramics they produced were mainly coarse wares, including bowls, basins, jars, and later bricks and other daily necessities. Over time, this place nurtured and gathered a group of people skilled in ceramics.

As Ganquan Village grew into a huge trading market, its commerce flourished. Shops lined the streets, and merchants came and went endlessly. During the day, the streets were crowded with people; at night, lanterns lit up everywhere, creating a dazzling scene. Its prosperity rivaled that of Luoyang at the time, earning it the nickname "Little Luoyang" of Xin'an.

Today, picking up a shard of broken ceramic in the village, you can still feel and perceive its history: a dilapidated courtyard was once a thriving inn; a moss-covered stone arch bridge was the essential route on the ancient Henan-Shanxi road; a long alley is named Yanjia Hutong after the wealthy Yan family who traded in ceramics; and a raised hill is formed by decades of accumulated discarded ceramics.

Now, Ganquan Village has shed its former hustle and bustle, leaving only simplicity, tranquility, and warmth. When visitors walk into the village, they are often amazed by the sight before them—the buildings retain their past appearance, ceramic tiles and fragments are everywhere, especially the structures piled up with black and coarse pottery. Maybe the builders did not intend it, but they have indeed created beauty and art.

Today, the village still preserves many traditional buildings with unique folk character, including 455 Ming and Qing residential buildings, 103 historic workshops, 82 ancient kiln sites, and 10 traditional old temples. In addition, Ganquan Village is dotted with over 100 ancient kilns, and you can see walls made of "cage helmets" everywhere. A "cage helmet" is like a steamer that covers the ceramics during firing to prevent ash from falling on them and affecting the finished product. Over time, the number of cage helmets grew, and local villagers stacked them together to build distinctive cage-helmet walls.

Once the ceramics were fired, the cage helmets' mission was over. After the ceramic industry moved away, Ganquan Village lost its former glory. However, this "utopia of pottery" still has its unique charm. If you are interested, you might want to take a trip there.