Zhangguying Village

Today we drove up the narrow, curving, bumpy roads into the mountains surrounding Yueyang to visit the Zhangguying Ancient Village.  Built originally around the Ming to Ching eras some 600 years ago, by a fellow named Zhang.  Zhang was a high ranking military officer who wanted to avoid a cleansing of the ranks by the emperor of the time.  He built a village for his family  and servants up in the mountains where he could be sheltered from the unrest and trade his war horse for a plowman’s life.  Well, not exactly, but he was wanting to pursue the beauty of nature and preserve his head!

Many generations later, there are still families living there, all with the sir name “Zhang”.  We wandered through the village, much like a giant maze-like Houhai houtang.  One room might be for display and the next, someone’s kitchen.  Then an open meeting room, and oh look! Someone is napping on their bed in the next room!  I felt uncomfortable taking photos at first, but it is their livelihood and so I felt more at ease after awhile.

Samuel’s highlights were the chickens roaming through the rooms and the ducks floating down the moats that run between the buildings.  There are narrow alleys between the rooms and it was quite cool and refreshing with the mountain breeze that would blow through them.  The outdoor passageways were lined with board benches that leaned way out over the flowing creek moats.  Apparently it was on a postal route (probably a courier route) and people wold have to lean out and off the narrow passageways in order to let the  couriers pass quickly.  The Chinese are apparently called a “people who lean together” and it comes form this way of leaning out of the way of the couriers.

The people living in this mountainous region grow rice, lotus, grapes, chilies and many many types of herbs, spices, sweet potatoes, corn, squashes and melons.  What they lack in land, they maximize to the nth degree.  It pays off with their twice yearly growing season and the bountiful produce on display for sale and use.

It was a 40 degree C day plus high humidity. My face was purple as usual and everyone was very excited to enjoy the a/c in the van on the way home, but it was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience, with incredible scenic views on both on the trip up and down the mountain and in the nooks and crannies of the village itself.