Tonglu Here lies a secluded ancient village with few visitors

Tonglu Here lies a secluded ancient village with few visitors. Walking through the old streets of Hui Gang ancient village in the drizzling rain feels like traveling back in time, with no tourists in sight. Strolling down the long rain-drenched alleys, one can see late cherry blossoms blooming beside the old houses, elderly cooking inside, village women washing clothes by the Ao mouth, and friendly dogs. The whole ancient village is quiet and peaceful. Hui Gang Village originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, took shape during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Hui Gang was named by Liu Bowen, who lived in seclusion here during the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He believed that the terrain resembled a phoenix ready to take flight and inscribed the plaque 'Phoenix Soaring High Ridge', leading to the village being renamed 'Hui Gang', which is still used today. The long history of Hui Gang and its strategic geographical location have shaped a multicultural tradition and a village pattern with multiple surnames, making it a critical junction to Fuyang in the east, Puyang in the south, and Jinqiu in the west. There are 88 ancient buildings in Hui Gang ancient village, including 8 from the Ming Dynasty. The simple and elegant Hui-style architecture, the deep and winding alleys, and the exquisite wood and stone carving art make it one of the most complete and largest ancient villages in southern Tonglu. The Yuan Dynasty-built water Ao is still in use today, forming the characteristic 'Kan Er Well' of the Jiangnan region. The water system inside and outside the village is integrated. With the changes in social development, the use of water for daily life has gradually decreased, and the number of Aos has also been decreasing. There are still about sixteen or seventeen Ao mouths in the village, with underground living water flowing and villagers occasionally coming to wash clothes. 🧭Navigation: Phoenix Soaring High Ridge Ancient Village 🎫Ticket: Free 🚘Travel: It takes just over 2 hours by high-speed train🚅 from Jingdezhen 🅿️Parking: Free roadside parking spaces, nearby free parking lot 🥢Dining: Many small restaurants on the street, no food inside the ancient village ⏰Visiting Time: One to two hours ⛰️Surroundings: Coming from Hangzhou, you will pass Longmen Ancient Town, Dongzigu Village, Shen'ao Ancient Village, and Tonglu Daqi Mountain, Tongjun Mountain, etc., all not far away 📷Photography Date: 2024.5.20 ☘️Zhongxiao Tai Gate: Built in the late Qing Dynasty, the original building has been destroyed, only the middle part of the brick carved wall remains, with 'Descendant of a loyal official of the Eastern Jin, family of filial governance of the Southern Qi' inscribed in seal script on the brick pillars on both sides of the gate, and the words 'Zhongxiao Gate' on the gate lintel, with small characters on both sides (vaguely seeing the words 'Imperial Academy'). ☘️Zhangqing Hall: Built during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, it is grand in scale, covering an area of 1078 square meters, originally consisting of four main halls and four side halls, all of which were two-story buildings. The original building had a backyard garden 'Ying Su Garden', one of the three famous gardens in Tonglu during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with rockeries, paths, and fish ponds, now only a few rockeries remain on the original site. Zhangqing Hall is the most representative ancient building in Hui Gang ancient village. ☘️Wanguo Mountain Petroglyphs: Seen in the village history museum, Wanguo Mountain is located on the east side of Fengchuan Hui Gang Dayuan Creek, on the horizontal Ao rock of the third peak of the three consecutive mountain ridges at the top of the mountain. There is a group of mysterious cliff carvings that look like pictures but are not, like paintings but are not, indecipherable to anyone. Locals call it 'heavenly script'. Experts preliminarily identified these carvings as 'petroglyphs', dating back to sometime between the Yuan Dynasty and the Han Dynasties.