Guangxi Hezhou Fuchuan's little-known ancient villages
Many people know about the ancient town of Huangyao in Hezhou, Guangxi, but they don't know that there are many lesser-known, beautiful ancient villages in Fuchuan, Hezhou. The best part is that there's no entrance fee!
1. Fuxi Ancient Yao Village
Fuxi Village is named after the Fuxi River within its borders. It is an administrative village under the jurisdiction of Chaodong Town, Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, Hezhou City, Guangxi, and a traditional Chinese village. Located beside the ancient Qin and Han Xiaoge Road, it is surrounded by mountains, facing east and west, with a village area of 4.5 square kilometers. Fuxi Village is an ancient Yao village from the Tang and Song dynasties in Fuchuan, featuring rich pastoral scenery and karst landscape. The historical streets, residential houses, gate towers, and ancestral halls in the village basically maintain traditional architectural forms. Many buildings, stone carvings, and stone arts reflect the characteristics of Song dynasty culture and traditional craftsmanship. Fuxi Village has many historical and cultural relics, forming an ancient village structure system of 'one stream, two temples, three bridges, four ancestral halls, thirteen gate towers, fifteen streets, and twenty-four opera stages.' The Ma Yin Temple and Zhongling Wind and Rain Bridge in the village are national key cultural relics protection units.
2. Xiushui Scholar Village
Xiushui 'Scholar Village' is located in Chaodong Town, Fuchuan County, Guangxi, 30 kilometers from the county seat. It is located on the side of the Futao Highway leading to Taoyuan Town in Jiangyong County, Hunan, and Gongcheng County, Guangxi. The scenic area connects to the golden tourism line of Guizhou, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in the front, and relies on the large tourism circle of Guilin and Yangshuo in the back. A flat and wide tourist road runs through it. Within the village, there are eight major scenic spots: 'Three Rivers Surging Waves,' 'Lingshan Stone Treasure,' 'Sleeping Rabbit Hidden in Smoke,' 'Natural Jade Mirror,' 'Green Dragon Rolling Mist,' 'Ao Peak Immortal Rock,' 'Great Roc Spreading Wings,' and 'Carp Transforming into Clouds,' hence the nickname 'Little Guilin.'
In addition, Xiushui not only has beautiful natural scenery but also is a place of outstanding people and talents. According to records, since the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, among the 133 Fuchuan scholars recorded in the county annals, 27 were from Xiushui Scholar Village, including Mao Zizhi, the top scholar in the first year of the Kaixi era of the Song dynasty. Therefore, it is also known as 'Scholar Village.' The village has a batch of scenic spots such as Scholar Tower, ancient opera stage, ancient archway, ancient spring pool, and ancient screen wall; a batch of various ancient plaques bestowed by emperors and congratulated by officials from various dynasties; and a batch of ancient residential buildings and gate towers from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, thus enjoying the reputation of 'Open-air Museum of Ancient Buildings from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.'
3. The First Village of Xiaoge Ancient Road - Chashan
Chashan Village is located in Chaodong Town, Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, Hezhou City, Guangxi. It is an ancient village with a history of over 600 years from the Ming dynasty. The village was built in the early Ming dynasty and flourished in the mid-Ming dynasty. It was the first entrance from the Central Plains to Lingnan through the Xiaoge Ancient Road during the Qin and Han periods, hence it is known as 'The First Village of Xiaoge Ancient Road into Guangxi.' The name Chashan Village comes from the natural landscape of a strange stone falling from the sky, splitting the mountain into two forks. The village is filled with ancient residential houses, stone-paved roads, stone bridges, stone inscriptions, ancient wind and rain bridges, ancient opera stages, ancient passes, ancient temples, ancient ancestral halls, ancient trees, and ancient wells, making it a living dictionary of Xiaoge Ancient Road culture.
These three places are all within a 10-kilometer range of Chaodong Town. These ancient villages have been spared from commercialization due to inconvenient transportation. They are suitable for self-driving, but taking public transportation is very troublesome. You need to take a bus from Hezhou Bus Station or Hezhou High-speed Railway Station to Fuchuan County, then take a township bus to Chaodong Town. Once you reach Chaodong Town, you can only take a motorcycle taxi as there are no ride-hailing services available.