Walking into Anshun Benzhai: Feeling the Warmth of a 600-Year-Old Ming Dynasty "Living Fossil"

【Walking into Anshun Benzhai: Feeling the Warmth of a 600-Year-Old Ming Dynasty "Living Fossil"】 Driving west from Guiyang for over an hour, a dialogue across six centuries quietly begins in Anshun Benzhai. When the wind sweeps over the bluestone roads, it seems to carry the historical echoes of the early Ming dynasty’s "northern adjustment and southern expedition"—this is not an ordinary ancient village, but a brilliant pearl of Han and Qian cultural fusion, with every stone engraved with the mark of ethnic coexistence. Every brick and tile hides military strategy and poetry Stepping into Benzhai, the first thing that shocks you is the "dual character" of the architecture. Tall stone walls enclose the courtyards, with arrow towers and gun holes hidden within, showcasing the defensive wisdom of the Ming military garrison; yet, opening the weathered wooden doors reveals the "corner tower for horse riding" in the siheyuan courtyard, with carved beams and painted rafters. The window lattice patterns are half the delicate style of Jiangnan and half the heavy style of the mountains, blending the border soldiers’ homesickness into this small architectural space. Every garment and word vividly brings Ming daily life to life Walking through the streets and alleys, figures in sapphire blue long robes paired with embroidered aprons stand out. The embroidery patterns on the cuffs and collars conceal the design codes of Ming dynasty clothing. If you happen to visit during a festival, you can also encounter lively Tunpu folk customs: actors in local opera wear fierce wooden masks, performing stories of heroes from the Three Kingdoms, a way for soldiers to express their homesickness; elders sit together making Tunpu cakes, where the ancient craftsmanship is filled with the sweet fragrance of time. Standing in front of the ancient opera stage, gazing at the green mountains surrounding the stone houses, you suddenly understand: 600 years have passed, yet Tunpu culture has never faded. It is a "living fossil" of Ming dynasty culture and a vivid footnote to the multi-ethnic unity of the Chinese nation—visiting here truly lets you feel the historical warmth of Guizhou. the Hidden Ming Dynasty Military Ancient Village in Guizhou