Baiyu Ancient Town · Zhongshan

Author: Li Zheliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The architectural art blends harmoniously with the natural environment, exuding a unique charm and vitality. For thousands of years, the indigenous people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and migrants have lived here, weaving countless simple yet beautiful stories. The region of Bazhong boasts majestic mountains and rivers, a long history, and rich cultural heritage. From the establishment of villages by indigenous settlers around 4,000 years ago to the emergence of cities along the river in the Spring and Autumn period, and from the elevation of Gongzhou to Chongqing Prefecture in the eighth month of the sixteenth year of the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty (September 18, 1189), to its becoming the largest commodity trading hub in eastern Sichuan during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, the system of market towns has grown alongside the times. As regional economic and social hubs, many of these towns originated in the Qin and Han dynasties, flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties, or reached their peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Each is an important cultural symbol of the evolution of Bazhong civilization, making them highly worthy of attention. Lost ancient towns cannot be, cloned, or replaced, and the remaining ones are all the more precious due to their rarity. Most of Chongqing's historical and cultural ancient towns were built near mountains and rivers, reflecting the unique architectural style of the Bazhong region while absorbing cultural influences from areas such as Huguang, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. They embody the humanistic pursuit of harmonious coexistence between people and nature. From the grand selection of sites based on feng shui principles to the intricate details of mountain walls, ridges, eaves columns, door lattices, almost all residential buildings, ancestral halls, guild halls, temples, theaters, enclosed gates, covered bridges, cobblestone roads, half-side streets, and wind-and-rain bridges are simple yet functional. The freestanding houses, suspended wooden structures, and courtyard-style wind-and-rain courts particularly showcase ingenuity amidst their casual designs. The architectural art harmoniously integrates with the natural environment, exuding a unique charm and vitality. For thousands of years, the indigenous people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and migrants have lived here, weaving countless simple yet beautiful stories. Under the relentless noise of modernization, they face the risk of disappearing at any moment. However, as long as they endure, the cultural lineage they carry—such as architecture, history, art, and folk customs—remains visible, serving not merely as a refuge for urban dwellers to reconnect with nature but as a profound cultural heritage. This book, richly illustrated with photographs, vividly recreates the original appearance and folk customs of the ancient towns through its prose-style narrative and visual materials. It delves deeply into the ethnic transformations and historical reforms of the towns, arguing for the practical significance of their development. The book's analysis and research on the suspended wooden structures of the ancient towns from an anthropological perspective also holds academic value.