Entering Anhui, Experiencing the Serene Beauty of Its Peaks and Valleys (First Sequel: Jixi Longchuan) — A Seven-Day Self-Drive Tour for National Day in Anhui and Jiangsu

Entering Anhui, Experiencing the Serene Beauty of Its Peaks and Valleys (First Sequel: Jixi Longchuan)

— A Seven-Day Self-Drive Tour for National Day in Anhui and Jiangsu

At noon, we arrived at the main entrance of the scenic area, picked up our pre-booked tickets, and first went to the homestay we had reserved. After settling our luggage, we had lunch at that homestay, and then strolled into Longchuan Ancient Village to explore.

Jixi Longchuan, also known as Kengkou, is located in Jixi County in southern Anhui. It is an ancient village where the Hu clan has lived for generations, with a history of over 1,600 years. The entire village is shaped like a boat, resembling a dragon boat heading out to sea. With beautiful mountains and waters, rich cultural heritage, and a large number of Huizhou cultural relics, it would have remained hidden deep in the mountains if not for the fact that it is the hometown of President Hu.

Longchuan Ancient Village, bordered by Longxu Mountain to the east, has the Longchuan River and Dengyuan River converging in front of the village and flowing through it, with towering mountains on the northwest sides, making it a feng shui treasure. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Hu Yan, a Sanqi Changshi (a court official), was garrisoned in Shezhou. He fell in love with the scenic beauty and feng shui, and in the third year of Xiankang (337 AD), he moved his family here, becoming the founding ancestor of the Hu clan in Longchuan.

Since ancient times, Longchuan has been a place of flourishing literary culture and abundant talents. The Hu family in the village produced many outstanding figures and is a well-known "Jinshi Village" in Huizhou, reaching its peak in the Ming Dynasty when over ten people passed the highest imperial examination to become Jinshi.

The most famous are Hu Fu, who passed the Jinshi examination in the 14th year of Chenghua (1478 AD) and served as the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, and Hu Zongxian, who passed the Jinshi examination in the 17th year of Jiajing (1538 AD) and served as the Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Minister of War.

Longchuan Ancient Village is very distinctive. The Hu Family Ancestral Hall, the Yishi Shangshu Archway, and the Hu Bingheng Residence of Huizhou merchants are all national key cultural relics and exceptional examples of Huizhou's three carving arts.

The existing "Longchuan Hu Family Ancestral Hall" in the village boasts wood carvings that are unparalleled, enjoying the reputation of "Wood Carving Art Palace" and "First Ancient Ancestral Hall in Jiangnan." It is a national cultural relic protection unit, and the wood carvings of "Four Harmonies" (harmony, peace, beauty, and concord) preserved inside symbolize a harmonious society.

The "Yishi Shangshu Archway" is a stone archway from the heyday of the Ming Dynasty, with exquisite stone carvings and superb craftsmanship. It is a provincial cultural relic protection unit and a typical representative of Huizhou stone carving.

The "Hu Bingheng Residence of Huizhou Merchants" and "Hu Zongxian's Former Residence" are county-level cultural relic protection units. The Hu Bingheng Residence authentically preserves the style of ancient Huizhou dwellings. Built in the Ming Dynasty, the courtyard faces south with a brick-wood structure, a hard mountain roof, and a horse-head wall. It is arranged with a front hall and rear rooms, covering an area of 180 square meters. The brackets and sparrow braces inside are exquisitely carved, making it a typical Huizhou ancient dwelling that records the evolution of a generation of tea merchants. The nearby Huizhou Merchant Memorial Hall condenses the history of Huizhou merchants in Jixi County, especially the history of Longchuan Hu clan merchants.

The Hu Family Ancestral Hall was first built in the Song Dynasty, with a depth of 84 meters, a width of about 24 meters, and a total area of 1,564 square meters. Facing south, it features a three-section, seven-bay layout consisting of a screen wall, a Pan Pool, a terrace, a gate tower, a courtyard, corridors, a hall, side rooms, a sleeping hall, and a special sacrifice hall. The building has elegant eaves and is surrounded by horse-head walls. The Hu Family Ancestral Hall integrates Huizhou's brick, wood, and stone carvings and colored paintings, especially exquisite with over 600 wood carving components, earning it the reputation of "Wood Carving Art Museum and National Art Palace."

The village paths in Longchuan mainly consist of Longdi and Fengjie, highlighting the charm of Huizhou culture and Chinese feng shui. A Longdi and a Fengjie run east-west and intersect in the village, forming a cross-shaped transportation network radiating in all directions.

Strolling through the ancient village lanes, walking on the cobblestone paths, time seems to freeze, as if stepping into the distant Ming and Qing dynasties. Longdi was formed during the Ming and Qing periods and is the main street in Longchuan Village. Longdi originates from Longfeng Mountain on the east side of the river. The center of the street is paved with stone slabs representing the "dragon's spine," and the sides are paved with cobblestones representing "dragon scales." It is higher in terrain compared to Fengjie.

Fengjie also took shape during the Ming and Qing dynasties and is a secondary street in Longchuan Village. Its name comes from its connection to Feng Mountain to the west. Fengjie is paved horizontally with white phoenix granite, representing the feathers of a phoenix. Together with Longdi, it is called "Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity." The ancient wisdom of the ancients makes people today feel profound implications and flourishing culture.

The ancient dwellings on both sides of the water street are densely packed and arranged in a rhythmic disorder; the white walls and black tiles at the village intersections and lanes are row upon row; the raised horse-head walls are arranged high and low in order, fully displaying the elegant charm of Huizhou ancient villages. We slowed down our pace and followed the Dragon Prince, walking on the ancient cobblestone and bluestone paths.

As an intangible cultural heritage, the "Chengxin Hall Paper" (also known as "Dragon Beard Paper") making technique is already unique in the country. A visit to the "Longchuan Chengxin Hall Paper Workshop" revived this paper-making technique. The Dragon Prince was very interested; he pulled me twice to experience the process of making Dragon Beard Paper. Watching the Dragon Beard Paper we made with our own hands, after a series of steps including beating, soaking, filtering, and flattening, finally turned into sheets of white paper, the sense of accomplishment was delightful.

Xiangxian Shrine (Worthy Men's Hall) displays outstanding figures from Longchuan Ancient Village, the "Jinshi Village," from the Jin Dynasty onward. I think it is perhaps this reverence and commemoration of outstanding talents rooted in the hearts of children that have fostered the atmosphere of respect for culture here. For thousands of years, talents have continued to emerge. Respecting culture and rituals, cherishing and honoring the worthy, have long become a belief and fashion rooted in the marrow of the villagers here.

Crossing Longxing Bridge and climbing a short mountain path to the right, there is a Guanyin Buddhist temple inside. The temple is small and slightly dilapidated. Further into the mountains, there are sites such as Hu Zongxian's Tomb, Hu Fu's Tomb, and ancient post roads, rich in cultural relics.

Returning to the homestay, it was already brightly lit. The moon had silently climbed into the sky. Looking up at the quiet night, I hadn't seen such a bright starry sky for a long time.

Early the next morning, we drove straight to the Jixi County Museum to visit this museum with a rich Huizhou cultural heritage. The Huizhou culture of the Huizhou region and even Anhui Province originated here. The roots of Huizhou culture spread from this place. To understand Anhui, how could we not come here? Thanks to a recommendation from a Shanghai friend whose family is in Jixi, a two-hour visit left us with a full harvest.