Discovering 28 Town - Traveler 04

Author: Fu Guoyong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: I don’t know if there is any place in the Jiangnan ancient towns like Erba Dū that preserves such well-preserved Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture in such large clusters, with entire streets and alleys intact. No ancient town is more enigmatic than Erba Dū. It’s like a mystery, existing in the vast and wild mountains.
—Writer Wang Zhecheng
Remember this place, Erba Dū. It has stories. One day, it will become famous.
—General Pi Dingjun
Erba Dū is an ancient town under the jurisdiction of Jiangshan City, Zhejiang Province, located at the of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. It is a mountainous ancient town known as the "Rooster that Crows Across Three Provinces," carrying a touch of mystery. From ancient times to the present, Erba Dū has almost completely preserved the marks of every era. It encompasses at least three layers of history. First, there is the over-1,100-year-old history since Huang Chao opened the Xianxia Ancient Road. Second, there is the history of hundreds of years as an important commercial and transportation hub, from prosperity to decline. Third, there is the history of the past half-century, especially during the People’s Communes, communal dining, and the Cultural Revolution.
The greatest traveler of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake, passed through Erba Dū three times, lingered there for four days, and recorded his travels in the classic Travel Notes of Xu Xiake. The national hero Zheng Chenggong once garrisoned at Xianxia Pass, leaving behind traces of his youth. The talented writer Yu Dafu also visited Erba Dū.
Today, the town has over 3,600 residents with more than 140 surnames, and there are over a dozen spoken dialects, making it a "town of the people" and a "kingdom of dialects." The ancient town is filled with architectural features of Huizhou, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian styles, and even Western styles. The preserved buildings, murals, ink marks, couplets, slogans, and other artifacts from different historical periods not only hold tourism and cultural value but also serve as witnesses to history and civilization.