Zhangguying Village in Yueyang

Zhangguying Village in Yueyang

Zhang Guying Village, an ancient village with many years of history, is located in the Zhang Guying Town, Yueyang County, Yueyang City. Despite the changing world around it, it remains fairly true to its original state. The building materials in the ancient village are mainly wood, supplemented by blue granite bricks. The overall layout has a honeycomb-like structure. The rooms are centered on patios. Each module has an integrated courtyard.
English Name: Zhangguying Village in Yueyang
Chinese Name: 岳阳张谷英村
Opening Hours: Whole day
Ticket Price: 50 yuan
Best Time: May- October
Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 day
Location: Zhangguyingzhen, Yueyang, Hunan, China

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Zhangguying Village

Zhangguying Village (simplified Chinese: 张谷英村; traditional Chinese: 張谷英村; pinyin: zhāng-gǔ-yīng cūn) is an ancient village. Located in Zhangguying Town, Yueyang County, Hunan Province, China, the village is named after the forefather Zhang Guying. 

Why is Zhangguying Village So Special

Zhangguying Village is famous for its ancient building complex (古建筑群) in the Ming and Qing dynasties. As vernacular residence in scale in South Central China, the ancient building complex is the best preserved in China; Constructed broadly in scale and decorated splendidly, it covers more than 50,000 m2 (540,000 sq ft) with 1,732 rooms, the complex has been placed on the list of Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level on June 25, 2001. The village was also included on the first batch list of National Famous Historical and Cultural Villages on October 8, 2003; and became one of the AAAA-rated tourist attractions on December 18, 2014.

Introduction of Zhangguying Village

The 600-year-old village is named after its founder Zhang Guying, an ancient feng shui master who is considered the common ancestor of most of the thousand or two people who now live there. What distinguishes this village from so many others across China is the dragon-shaped, connected complex of houses and courtyards, mostly still intact, that were built centuries ago for extended families. The whole cluster of buildings is linked by eaves and corridors, the towers and pavilions are in diverse profusion, and the courtyards are connected with each other.

Dragon
The “dragon” comprises 658 households and 1,700 rooms, sprawling over about 5 hectares. It is organized into three large courtyards connected by four halls.

Dang Da Men
The most prominent — Dang Da Men, which means “first big gate” — was built 471 years ago. It has 422 rooms and 24 smaller courtyards. Its main hall serves as a site for village ceremonies, like weddings and ancestor worship. The original hall was destroyed during the “cultural revolution” (1966-76).

Town’s Plaza
In the town’s plaza, about 300 young people are gathered around a bonfire, making the noise of merriment amid the ghosts of the past! Some dance to pop music. They are part of a matchmaking excursion from a city nearly three hours away by car.

Courtyards
Courtyards in the family compounds of the village are flanked by a symmetrical household unit typical of ancient Chinese residences. Sky wells and halls in the centers. Several bedrooms in both wings. Kitchens and other common areas in the back.

Feng Shui Master-Zhang Guying

The village is named after its forefather and first resident Zhang Guying, a feng shui master who came from an eastern coastal area to settle here about 600 years ago. He and his two friends, Liu Wanfu and Li Qianjin, were attracted by the splendor in the mountainous area. Reading the landscape and following feng shui rules, Zhang picked three spots for settlement: one great for a career, one for wealth, and another that would guarantee many descendants to keep a bloodline running forever.

Liu picked the wealth spot and later became a millionaire. His friend Li chose the career spot and became a royal court official. Zhang was left with the place promising enduring generations, and his many descendants in the village were protected from family, natural disasters, war, and turbulence for six centuries.

Feng shui has a lot to do with the natural environment of a spot, especially the position of mountains and water, and the relationship between the natural surrounding and manmade structures. When Zhang’s descendants began building the large compounds, they adhered to the feng shui rules of their forebear. All the houses were built along a winding creek that runs through the village. The position of the front gates was carefully designed to look out on the best possible mountain view, which was believed to bring good luck.

Amazing System of Zhangguying Village

“When reports about the village appeared in media in the early 1990s, many domestic and international experts came to visit,” according to the village administrator. “Some stayed here for months to study our drainage system.”

That system is still a mystery today. For hundreds of years, nobody could figure out where the dirty water from all the households went. One Japanese scientist even used colored water to try to track the outflow but found no traces of the dye anywhere. The creek never gets dirty, flooded or dry.

Such an excellent water source has made tofu a specialty of the village. Almost every family makes its own bean curd, and some of it is sold to restaurants and hotels in nearby cities.

How to Get There

1. Take a bus from Changsha Long-Distance Bus Station; the fare is 20 yuan. The bus leaves at 1:50 p.m. every day.
2. Drive from Yueyang County to the village along the newly built highway.

Useful Travel Tips

  • Be sure to try some special local food such as fried bean curd and bacon.
  • Hostels are available in the village.
  • There are some restaurants in the village. The dishes here are very expensive. You may have a dinner in the farmhouse. It is much cheaper but more delicious.
  • The charges of hostels or restaurants are often negotiable.

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Edited by  Lynette Fu/付云锐