Series Travel Notes IV: Descendants of the Dragon – A Trip to Longchuan, Jixi, Anhui

Longchuan, China, located in Longchuan Village, 11 kilometers east of Jixi County, Anhui Province, is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction and national scenic area. In the early autumn of the Year of the Goat, at the invitation of a friend, I, along with my wife and eight others, rented an Iveco and traveled 320 kilometers over three and a half hours to arrive in Longchuan. In the early autumn of the Year of the Goat, we traveled to Longchuan, a blessed land with green mountains and clear waters, where the Hu family produced many celebrities, and the descendants of the dragon thrive for generations. Longchuan, China, boasts beautiful landscapes and outstanding people. To the east rises Longfeng (Longxu Mountain), to the west stands Shihu Mountain, to the south lies Tianma Mountain, and to the north flows Dengyuan River. Nestled against green mountains and beside clear waters, with vast fields and curling smoke from chimneys, Longchuan Creek winds eastward through the village, merging into the Dengyuan River, forming the most beautiful village water mouth in ancient Huizhou. The village is shaped like a boat, resembling a dragon boat heading out to sea, making it a feng shui treasure. Along the water street on both sides, ancient dwellings are densely arranged, with quiet alleys, white walls and black tiles, and soaring horse-head walls, exuding the charm of an ancient Huizhou village. The national key cultural relics—Hu's Ancestral Hall, Yishi Shangshu Archway, and Hu Bingheng's residence of a Huizhou merchant—are masterpieces of Huizhou's three types of carving. Hu's Ancestral Hall, renowned as the 'Wood Carving Art Palace' and 'First Ancient Ancestral Hall South of the Yangtze River,' houses the wood carvings 'Four Harmonies' (Harmony, Peace, Beauty, and Concord), which have become symbols of a harmonious society. The Yishi Shangshu Archway, a stone archway from the Ming Dynasty, is a typical representative of Huizhou stone carving. Hu Bingheng's residence (not open to the public) preserves the original look of an ancient Huizhou residence, faithfully recording the history of a tea merchant. A grand ancestral hall inevitably has two auxiliary buildings: the Wenchang Pavilion and the Special Sacrifice Hall. The Wenchang Pavilion was a place for the family to worship the Wenchang Emperor, manage cultural education, and honor those who passed imperial examinations. The Longchuan Hu family produced numerous jinshi and juren over generations, so when the hall was expanded in the Ming Dynasty, the Wenchang Pavilion was added. Located east of Hu's Ancestral Hall, it was later converted into a residence after the Republic of China period. Behind the Wenchang Pavilion is the Special Sacrifice Hall, which follows the Huizhou ancient residential style with upper and lower halls and three rooms with two side halls, comprising five parts: courtyard, lower hall, side halls, courtyard, and upper hall. The Shiliang Bridge, built during the Song Dynasty, has a history of over 800 years. The bridge is 10.4 meters long, 2.3 meters wide, and 0.4 meters thick, with one pier and two arches, each made of five giant granite strips. The bridge's builder, Hu Nianwu, hoped that his descendants would strive for perfection in self-cultivation and character development when passing here. According to the Longchuan Hu Family Genealogy, the Longchuan area produced 11 jinshi in the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties alone, with seven in the Ming Dynasty, earning it the reputation of 'Jinshi Village' in Huizhou. This archway commemorates 'Hu Fu, a jinshi of the Chenghua Wuxu Year and Minister of Revenue, and Hu Zongxian, a jinshi of the Jiajing Wuxu Year and Minister of War.' These two prominent figures, sixty years apart, both served as 'Shangshu' and held the title of 'Gongbao,' hence the name 'Yishi Shangshu' and 'Yishi Gongbao.' With the same surname and the same archway, each has a moving story. Located in Longchuan Village, Jixi County, the Yishi Shangshu Archway was built for Hu Fu, Minister of Revenue, and Hu Zongxian, Minister of War. Erected in the 41st year of Jiajing (1562 AD) during the Ming Dynasty, it features four pillars, three gates, and five stories, with a total height of 10 meters, a width of 9 meters, and a depth of 3 meters. It is carved from granite and tea garden stone. The beams and pillars are adorned with openwork carvings of dragons, lions, cranes, and deer, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and vivid imagery, making it a masterpiece of Huizhou stone carving. It was rated as a provincial cultural relic protection unit in July 1986. Hu Zongxian's Shaobao Residence: Hu Zongxian, styled Ruzhen and known as Meilin, was a famed Ming Dynasty official during the Jiajing period who fought against Japanese pirates. He served as Minister of War and Governor of Zhejiang and Fujian. Hu Zongxian was the first person to include the Diaoyu Islands as Chinese territory. The Ming Shenzong Emperor posthumously honored him with the title Xiangmao. In 1562, Hu Zongxian, as Governor of Zhejiang, compiled the 'Chouhai Tubian' (Maritime Defense Charts and Records), which contained 114 maps and about 260,000 words. In the 'Coastal Mountain and Sand Map,' it marked islands off the coast of Luoyuan County and Ningde County in Fujian Province, including 'Diaoyu Islet,' 'Huangwei Islet,' and 'Chi Islet.' This important document indicates that the Diaoyu Islands were already included as Chinese territory in China's maritime defense zone during the Ming Dynasty. Hu Zongxian's Shaobao Residence, now a museum commemorating his resistance against Japanese pirates, showcases his life story in four exhibition halls: Hall One: Hu Zongxian's Life; Hall Two: The Wrath of Pirates and His Appointment Amid Crisis; Hall Three: Wisdom and Courage in the Southeast; Hall Four: The Unjust Imprisonment and Eternal Sorrow. The exhibition halls use innovative forms and atmospheres to highlight images and multimedia, employing modern sound, light, and electricity technology to vividly depict Hu Zongxian's heroic achievements in suppressing pirates and securing the seas. Hu Zongxian's Shaobao Residence officially opened to the public in March 2010, enriching Longchuan's tourism culture and promoting Jixi's cultural tourism. The Anti-Japanese Pirate Museum (Shaobao Residence) faithfully records Hu Zongxian's contributions, including his earliest placement of the Diaoyu Islands on China's maritime defense map. Hu Zongxian (1512–1565), Han Chinese, styled Ruzhen and known as Meilin, was a Ming Dynasty general from Jixi, Huizhou (now part of Anhui). In the 17th year of Wanli (1589), he was granted a burial at his hometown's Tianma Mountain with the posthumous title Xiangmao. This section of Longchuan River flows through the village, with densely packed residential buildings on both sides, forming a typical Huizhou ancient village layout with mountains at the back and water in front. The Hu family used the riverbanks as streets, hence the name 'Water Street.' From a feng shui perspective, the two riverbanks each have significant names: Dragon Embankment and Phoenix Street! Under our feet is the Dragon Embankment, derived from the Dragon Mountain to the east, while the opposite Phoenix Street is named for its connection to the Phoenix Mountain to the west. The construction is meticulous. The Dragon Embankment has a central longitudinal stone slab representing the 'dragon's spine,' with cobblestones on both sides representing 'dragon scales.' The opposite Phoenix Street uses white phoenix granite transversely laid, representing the feathers of a phoenix. Together, they are called 'Dragon and Phoenix Bring Prosperity.' The walls of the houses along the water street are folded like stairs, rising and falling—this is the important feature of Huizhou architecture: horse-head walls, always in the timeless black and white colors. The Anhui residence depicted in Chinese residential stamps features horse-head walls. They not only contributed positively to China's fire prevention history but also hold profound significance for Huizhou scholars studying the historical evolution of Huizhou architecture. Their main functions are fire prevention, wind protection, theft prevention, and retaining wealth within. Local worthies: According to the county annals, Hu's Ancestral Hall in Longchuan was first built in the Song Dynasty, and the current scale was established in the 26th year of Jiajing (1547 AD) during the Ming Dynasty, covering an area of 1,729 square meters with a total building area of 1,564 square meters. In January 1988, it was approved by the State Council as a key national cultural relic protection unit. The massive Hu's Ancestral Hall has survived over 500 years of vicissitudes and remains well-preserved. Apart from human protection, the architecture has many unique features and strange phenomena that await study and exploration. One such phenomenon is the absence of cobwebs in the ancient hall. From the gate tower, courtyard, corridors, main hall, side rooms, sleeping hall, to the Special Sacrifice Hall, not a single cobweb is found, past or present. As the saying goes, when you open the central lattice gate of Hu's Ancestral Hall, two armored ancient warriors in brocade robes stand before visitors: the door gods Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong, who have guarded the hall for over a thousand years. Door gods are widely worshipped deities in Chinese folk culture. Every New Year's Eve, families put up new door god images on their doors to ward off evil and ensure safety. Some might wonder: weren't the traditional door gods Shentu and Yulei? Why are they Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong? The evolution from Shentu and Yulei to Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong has a process. In fact, the earliest door gods were not Shentu and Yulei. The term 'door gods' first appeared in the 'Record of Mourning Attire' in the 'Book of Rites' compiled by Dai Sheng in the Western Han Dynasty. Later, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the main hall was the place for the clan leader to hold sacrificial ceremonies. It features 14 columns of ginkgo wood, each 166 cm in diameter, with column bases carved from jujube wood into lotus petal supports, carrying 54冬瓜 beams of various sizes, combining lifting beam and through-joint structures, presenting a majestic sight. Each beam in the main hall has elliptical beam supports at both ends, carved with colorful clouds and ribbons, with dragons, phoenixes, and tigers in the middle. The purlins are inlaid with floral carvings, even the beam hooks are carved with coiled dragons, peacocks, daffodils, and evergreens. Looking up, they are exquisite and unique. The carvings on both sides and above the main hall are particularly distinctive. The ten floor-to-ceiling doors on each side feature lotus flowers as the main motif, symbolizing 'emerging unstained from the mud.' The flowers vary in form—some are budding, some blooming, some standing gracefully, some lying flat on the water like paintings—none identical. More delightful is that within the flowers, there are objects and scenes. Lotuses sway in the pond water, sometimes with gentle ripples, sometimes with splashing waves. Among the flowers, birds soar in the sky, fish dive to the bottom, ducks play in the clear waves, frogs leap in the lotus pond, and mandarin ducks entwine their necks, depicting the whole scene vividly and interestingly... The row of floor-to-ceiling doors above the main hall features a 'Hundred Deer' carving, set against various landscapes and flora from all directions. The deer, in various poses, live freely here—some stroll leisurely, some flee in fright, some look back to call companions, some raise their heads to bleat, some drink by the stream, some hold ganoderma in their mouths, and fawns suckle while mothers lick them—truly vivid and lifelike. Ascending the steps to the rear of the ancient hall, another 'fairyland' appears. The rows of floor-to-ceiling doors are entirely a world of vase carvings, including hexagonal, octagonal, semicircular, diamond-shaped, wide-mouthed, long-necked, and other shapes, finely carved and delicate. The vase mouths are carved with the four seasons' flowers: plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, peony, hibiscus, and crabapple—truly 'heavenly work can be imitated by man, but man's work surpasses heaven.' Exiting the main hall and entering the side room east of the main hall, the structure has upper and lower halls, only half the height of the main hall, with simple wood carvings and a different style. The ancestral tablet of Hu's Ancestral Hall: The former residence of Hu Shi is located in Shangzhuang Village. Built in the 23rd year of Guangxu (1897), the house faces south, with brick and wood structure, two sections and three rooms with two wings, and a 'hui' shaped surrounding corridor. It covers 208 square meters with a building area of 350 square meters. The gate has two pillars and one door with brick carvings. Above the door hangs a black-background gold-character plaque reading 'Former Residence of Hu Shi,' below which hangs a mid-life portrait of Hu Shi, with couplets on both sides: 'Travels halfway around the world, eyes look down on all with empty pride.' The eastern and western sides display tea tables and armchairs, with a family tree of Hu Shi's direct relatives on the wall. The western side is the wedding room of Hu Shi and Jiang Dongxiu, furnished with a wooden bed, tables, chairs, cabinets, and stools. The front wing room was Hu Shi's childhood study. The eastern room and wing were used by Hu Jue (Hu Shi's second brother). The main hall and side halls display Hu Shi's family manuscripts, some works, the Hu family genealogy, calligraphy and paintings from domestic and international celebrities, poems, and a family photo of Hu Shi. The rear hall is shallower, with a portrait of Hu Shi's father, Hu Tiehua, hanging in front, and a photo of his mother, Feng Shundi, on the east side. Above hangs a large red-background gold-character plaque with the four characters 'Chi Jie Xuan Wei' (Hold the Tally and Proclaim Authority), written by Cheng Dongping and inscribed by Jixi County Magistrate Zhu Yayun in 1942. The twelve floor-to-ceiling doors in the residence are engraved with orchids, and the four window frames have carved plants and inscriptions, made by the master ink mold carver Hu Guobin. The residence also displays photos of Hu Shi from various periods, a hanging scroll of Hu Shi's calligraphy of Fan Zhen's 'On the Extinction of the Soul,' a hat holder presented by Zhang Zhidong to Hu Tiehua, Hu Tiehua's seven-star sword, a decree box, and conch shells brought back from Taiwan. Updated on