Shangjingcun

Shangjing

Shangjing (上境) or Shangjingcun (上境村) or Shangjing village (audio file) is located in the west of Jinhua, Zhejiang province, 30km away from Jinhua City and 2,5 km away from the town of Tangxi. The village is bordered by Yue Stream in the east, Houdayuan Stream in the south, and Jiufeng Mountain in the west.
The village was formerly known as Fenglinzhuang (or Maple Forest Village) and changed to the current name due to its "wind and water favourable" location, according to the principles of fengshui characteristics.

History

Since 1048 when Liu Qing, the first ancestor of Liu clan, brought his family to this village and settled down, the clan has been living here for 36 generations. Shangjing is laid out in the shape of a boat setting sail, implying that "the boat sets off smoothly for a long and good journey".

Architecture

The village is surrounded by two streams, called East Zhen and West Zhen, respectively and dotted with ancient alleys, houses, halls, and wells here and there.

To date, Shangjing still preserves more than 50 ancient houses and 20 grand halls that can be dated back to Ming and Qing Dynasties. The village’s buildings are of a typical Wu-style and feature white walls, black tiles ornate wooden cornices, high doors, and lattice windows. Its wood carvings and tile carvings are typical elements of ancient Chinese architecture.

Among them is the provincially unique five-room ancestral hall, known as Lui Clan Ancestral Hall, and six other architectural sites: Baishun Hall, Liuji Hall, Qianji Hall, Xizhen Lane, and Folk House 48 (the Upstairs Hall).The Trail Gate Tower, Dragon Eye Well and Lui Clan Ancestral Grave were all named the "Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units" in January 2017.

The village is known for its rich cultural heritage and untouched nature, its farming tradition, tea plantation, historical buildings, traditional cuisines, traditional dances and costumes, and sites such as the Xifen artificial lake and a 1500 years old Buddhist temple accessible via hiking trails leading to Jiufeng Mountain.

Jinhua Homestay Project

Jinhua homestay is a project organised by the Municipal People’s Government of Jinhua and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office for participants from all over the world. The project’s aim is to promote an understanding of the historical villages of Jinhua, their traditions and cultural treasures, by direct experience of the local culture. International participants are given an opportunity to live in a village for three weeks (quote) and carry out a variety of activities to help the promotion of local villages as a future touristic destination.

The sixth session of the Jinhua Homestay Project took place on September 6th –September 26th, 2017 in Shangjing attracting 48 participants from 15 different countries. The Fairy Tale Trail built by the team is a unique tourist sight and a monument to the international cooperation and world’s folklore. Visitors are offered to follow the trail of 11 folk tales (The Three Piglets, Little Red Riding Hood, The Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackall etc.) spread all over the village and presented in a form of creative installations with the use of audio and visual support tools.

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