[2025 Lanxi Attraction] Travel Guide for Changle Ancient Village (Updated Mar)

Located at No. 30, Guyidong Road, Changle Village, Zhuge Town, Lanxi City, the Jin Grand Ancestral Hall boasts a square, courtyard-style layout, facing south and covering an area of 1,570 square meters. It was built during the late Ming Dynasty. The hall features a front gatehouse leading to a courtyard with a freestanding central hall. Behind the central hall are bedrooms, flanked by seven side rooms on each side. The gatehouse has five bays, with a central entrance flanked by intricately carved drum-shaped stones, and three bays of flat-roofed structures on either side. The beams and frames have been replaced, and the rear eaves columns are made of square bluestone without bases. The central hall also has five bays, surrounded by a corridor and topped with a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof. The central bay has a five-frame beam with double corridors at the front and back, featuring moon beams. The four main pillars are made of cypress, catalpa, tung, and toon wood, respectively, symbolizing "a hundred sons sharing the same spring." The pillars are so thick that one person can hardly embrace them. The secondary bays combine raised beams and penetrating tie-beam structures, also with moon beams. Each pillar has a bracket complex at the top. The central bay has a single-eaved archway-style structure with upturned eaves supported by brackets. The front forehead beams are all moon beams. A horizontal plaque bearing the inscription "Admired for Generations" hangs above the gatehouse. The corridor has a flat ceiling and 16 square bluestone pillars, each with a bracket complex at the top and a square base. The east and west corridors have four pillars and three-frame beams with single corridors at the front and back. The west corridor has collapsed, leaving only the outer wall of the rear eaves. The bedrooms have seven bays, and the beams and frames have been replaced. The front eaves columns are square bluestone without bases. The floor is made of rammed earth, and the roof is a hard-mountain style. This large-scale building, constructed with thick materials, is the main structure in the village and holds significant cultural relic value. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

The history of Chang Le Village can be traced back to the late Yuan Dynasty. When Zhu Yuanzhang led his army through this area, he saw the villagers living in harmony and couldn't help but exclaim: "This is truly a village of Chang Le (everlasting happiness)!" Thus, the name "Chang Le" was spread and gradually evolved into "Chang Le." Designed according to the principles of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Chang Le Village ingeniously blends natural and cultural landscapes, earning it the reputation of being a real-life version of the famous painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains." Chang Le Village preserves a large number of ancient buildings from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with a total of 127 ancient buildings listed as national-level protected structures. It is the first village in China to be entirely included in a key protection unit. These ancient buildings not only showcase the artistic charm of ancient architecture but also carry a rich history and culture. Ancestral halls and temples within the village, such as the Jin Dazong Ancestral Hall and Chongde Ancestral Hall, are not only places for villagers to worship their ancestors but also precious legacies showcasing ancient architectural art and culture. In addition to the well-preserved ancient building complex, traditional activities such as releasing seven-star lotus lanterns, the Xiangyinjiuli (village drinking ceremony), the medicinal cuisine workshop, and Wu Opera performances attract many tourists. Chang Le Village is listed as a second-batch Chinese Traditional Village, a 3A-level scenic spot in Zhejiang Province, and its ancient building complex is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Xiangxian Hall in Changle Village was built by Jin Lian, the 21st generation of the Jiahui branch of the Jin family of Changle. According to the Jin family genealogy, it was built during the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty (1450–1457). Covering an area of 738 square meters, it faces south and features a layout of three rooms, four entrances, and a passageway. The first entrance is the foyer, the second is the secondary hall (theater stage), the third is the main hall, and the fourth is the ancestral hall. The beams and columns inside the hall are thick and tall, and the brackets and beams are exquisitely carved. The front facade of the foyer is designed in the style of a pailou (traditional Chinese archway). The roof of the central bay is elevated, and under the eaves are three layers of elephant-trunk style ang (bracket arms) with seven stepped dougong (interlocking wooden brackets). The roof is in the xieshan style (hip-and-gable roof), with a double-eaved structure in the secondary bays, slightly lower than the central bay, creating a richly layered facade that evokes a sacred atmosphere. Xiangxian Hall is also known as Jiahui Hall, named after the two characters "Xiangxian," which come from a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi: "A capable minister can establish a state, but having a son doesn't guarantee he'll be virtuous like his ancestors." The hall is primarily used for theatrical performances and funeral ceremonies. The ancient stage in the courtyard bears the inscription "Mirror of Life." The wind blows through the wooden beams, emitting a few mournful sounds, and the costumes hanging on the stage sway gently, as if waiting for the moment to take the stage. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Located in Lanxi, just 1 km from Zhuge Bagua Village. As the first national key cultural relic protection unit with the entire village as a unit, it preserves more than 130 ancient buildings from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, such as the Jindazong Ancestral Hall, Xiangliang Hall, and Garden. Changle Village was originally named Shangkenzhuang. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang attacked the central Zhejiang region and led his army through this place. Seeing the simple folk customs and the people living and working in peace and contentment, he sighed, "This is indeed a village of constant happiness." Later, the name "Chang Le" was passed down and evolved into "Changle." Legend has it that Zhu Yuanzhang once worshiped the Big Dipper here and was blessed. This place is regarded as his founding place of blessing. The layout of the village's buildings and some characteristic landscapes, such as the north-facing doors, the sun and moon-shaped ponds, and the seven-star wells, are said to be related to Liu Bowen's design using the energy of the Big Dipper in the universe.

Changle Ancient Village, along with Zhuge Bagua Village, belongs to the Ming and Qing ancient architectural complex. Compared to the bustling and more expensive Bagua Village (entrance fee 90), Changle Ancient Village offers a more leisurely and serene atmosphere. The houses are built along the riverbank with earthen walls and tiles, and the ecological environment is well preserved. Villagers wash and sunbathe by the river in front of their homes, quietly enjoying the slow pace of life.

Unrelated to the romantic charm, they are simply frozen in time Just like the old days, songs echo in the empty valley, the ridges sway, watching the rain fall in the courtyard, guarding the blooming of a garden In these five villages, with very few tourists, one can watch the seasons change, spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvesting, winter storing... simple and prolonged through the daily meals and overnight stays. Zhejiang Lishui Longquan Xia Zhang Village. The mountain springs babble, the houses stand dignified, a waterfall hangs flying, resembling a scene from a Song Dynasty painting. Zhejiang Jinhua Lanxi Changle Village. The ancient village has a rich texture and orderly heritage, where lovers of ancient architecture can find high-quality examples of large Ming Dynasty woodwork from the Jiangnan region. The He Garden upper hall, Jin Dazong ancestral hall, and Xiangxian Hall are all spectacular. The village is quiet and tidy, with very few tourists, and the villagers are simple and hospitable. Hunan Yongzhou Shang Gantang Village. A village that seems to have walked out of a painting, with the Song Dynasty bridge quite mottled, ancient houses lined up in order, under the setting sun, intense and profound. Anhui Shexian Hongkeng Village. The archways are extremely beautiful, and the Hong family ancestral hall is also a rare example of a Ming Dynasty ancestral hall in the Jiangnan region. The village is not large, but it has many treasures and almost no tourists. Anhui Yixian Shiting Village. The original appearance of Huizhou, with mottled support, light chanting of small characters, hastily exchanging time for years...