Old Chinese Village: Zhang Guying Village

Author: He Linfu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Zhanggyuying Village is located on the east side of Mount Weidong Bijiashan in Yuyang County. Experts believe that the scale of Zhanggyuying Village's architecture, its unique style, and its artistic beauty are worthy of being called the "Village of the World." It has existed for over 500 years. Five hundred years ago, the Feng Shui master Zhanggyuying, seeking a livelihood, brought his entire family from Jiangxi westward and arrived here. He saw that the place was surrounded by mountains, with layered peaks, lush forests, and flowing streams, making it an ideal land for settlement. He built a home here and settled down. Later, as his descendants multiplied, they formed a large courtyard with staggered pavilions, crisscrossing paths, interconnected roof ridges, and connected skywells. The descendants of the Zhang family named their settlement Zhanggyuying Village after their founding ancestor.
Zhanggyuying Village is crescent-shaped and distributed at the foot of the mountains. The main house serves as the gate, with lush green mountains behind it. The Weixi River in front of the gate becomes a natural defensive river. A Tai Chi diagram is carved above the gate, symbolizing the well-being and prosperity of the entire clan. Inside the gate, there are two large ponds on either side of the courtyard. They represent the two eyes of a dragon, serving both as fire protection and for aesthetic purposes. The Weixi River winds through the village, with 47 stone bridges of various sizes crossing it. The walls and beams of the houses are interconnected, forming a layout where "the stream flows beneath the steps, and the gate opens toward the water." A long corridor is built along the river, paved with flagstones, connecting each family's entrance and linking the alleys. The walls of the alleys are built with blue bricks, towering over 10 meters high. These high and thick walls are ideal for fire prevention and are known as "wind-and-fire walls." There are 60 such alleys in the large courtyard, crisscrossing and interconnected, with the longest alley measuring 153 meters in length. The total length of all the alleys reaches 1,459 meters. The villagers here can live in such a way that "on sunny days, they are not exposed to the sun, and on rainy days, their shoes remain dry."
Inside the eaves, the round pillars are carved with Tai Chi diagrams, while the beams below are intricately carved with small deer. The window lattices, partitions, and screens are mostly embedded with carved panels, depicting patterns such as magpies, plum blossoms, and fierce beasts, all vividly rendered. Among the more complete gateways in Zhanggyuying Village are the "Shangxin Layer," "Shidamen," and "Panjiachong." These three gateways are oriented east, west, and south, respectively. The main gateways have high walls and thick eaves, with layered enclosures that are interconnected yet self-contained when separate, forming a unified whole with a total construction area of 10,800 square meters. Each gateway, varying in size but interconnected, consists of a hall, a meeting hall, an ancestral hall, and a rear hall—forming a "four-hall" structure along with three skywells formed with side rooms and ear rooms. It can be said that the entire architecture of Zhanggyuying Village is composed of countless "well" characters.
The halls are lined with corridors, and the skywells are densely distributed, arranged in a neat and symmetrical layout. The forms, scales, and decorative colors are harmoniously unified, demonstrating exceptional architectural craftsmanship. The main building materials are wood, supplemented by blue bricks and granite. The largest skywell in the village is approximately 22 square meters, providing both light and ventilation. Inside the skywell, there is a flower bed built with granite. At one corner of the skywell, there is a drainage system, allowing rainwater to flow directly into the Weixi River. The buildings on both sides of most skywells are symmetrical. The main reception hall in the front is particularly tall, often reaching around 10 meters, keeping the room warm in winter and cool in summer. Behind the main house are side rooms used as cow pens, pigsties, (firewood storage), grain storage, and tool sheds. The elderly and children often relax and play in the skywell in front of the house.
The people of Zhanggyuying Village have always upheld Confucian and Mencian teachings, emphasizing etiquette, education, filial piety, and respect for the elderly and children. They follow the rhythm of "working from dawn to dusk," and the clan members live in harmony. They do not oppress neighboring families of different clans due to their large population and maintain friendly relations with neighboring villages, helping each other. Many elderly people voluntarily assist young people in taking care of children, enjoying the joy of family life. Even after the laborers return home in the daytime, there is no phenomenon of closing doors and gates.
The people of Zhanggyuying Village take reading as a source of honor and illiteracy as a disgrace, and the tradition of valuing education has been passed down through generations. During the imperial examination era, over 40 people achieved success. In recent years, 85 people have graduated from universities, and there are even doctors and overseas students. The people of Zhanggyuying Village not only love books but are also skilled in martial arts, with many having mastered excellent martial arts skills. Professor Wang Shaozhou of Tongji University in Shanghai said: "Zhanggyuying Village can represent the Han Chinese tradition of living in clans. It embodies the essence of traditional Chinese culture, popular consciousness, architectural art, and aesthetic tastes, holding significant value in the history of Chinese and even world architecture."