Ancient Chinese Village: Kucun

Author: Liu Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Here, ancient scenic spots are everywhere to behold, and the beautiful mountains and rivers can all be painted one by one. China has a very long history of natural agriculture, and farmers still account for the majority of the population. Over five thousand years of Chinese civilization is essentially an agricultural civilization. The foundation of agricultural civilization is the social life in rural areas. In the vast countryside, with farmers as the main force, along with small-scale artisans, small merchants, and a few local intellectuals, they have together created an ocean-like profound and magnificent rural culture. Rural architecture is the stage and material environment of rural life and is a widely existing, highly informative component of rural culture. It has a high degree of integration and is closely linked with many other rural cultural elements or even serves as an important carrier for them. Without studying rural architecture, one cannot fully understand rural culture. It can even be said that the study of rural architecture is the foundation of the systematic study of rural culture. Rural architecture is also part of traditional Chinese architecture that is simple, sincere, life-oriented, and full of human warmth. They not only have high historical and cultural research value but may also provide direct reference value for architects. A Chinese architectural history without rural architecture is incomplete. As a researcher deeply passionate about rural architecture, southern Zhejiang's Taishun has long attracted my attention. Its preserved rural architecture and intact settlements are so numerous that they seem like scattered pearls. Among them, Kucun, with its great roots, is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding gems! Kucun was established in the late Tang Dynasty, and even today, one can still sense the village planning ideas of that time. It is the birthplace of Taishun culture. Here, ancient scenic spots are everywhere to behold, and the beautiful mountains and rivers can all be painted one by one. The buildings are mostly built of simple wood and rough stones, naturally unadorned, like lotus flowers emerging from water under the backdrop of surrounding green mountains. Kucun is Taishun's earliest settlement and the earliest developed area. More importantly, in a region where Wu-Yue and northern Min cultures blend, Kucun represents the mainstream of Wu-Yue culture. The study of Kucun is extremely important and crucial for Taishun.