Luodai Ancient Town, known as the world's largest town of Hakka, is 18 kilometers (11 miles) away from downtown Chengdu. There are more than 20,000 Hakka people settled in this town, making up nearly 90% of the local population. The Hakka refers to a kind of Han ethnic group, which is a large part of many south China cities. Long ago they migrated from their hometown to others parts of China, and even outside China. Luodai Ancient Town is famous for the Four Guild Halls (Guangdong Hall, Jiangxi Hall, Huguang Hall and Chuanbei Hall), the Hakka Museum and the Hakka Park.
Map of Luodai Ancient Town
Map of Luodai Ancient Town (Click to Enlarge)
Luodai Ancient Town has a long history. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period (220 – 280 AD), this place was a street named Wanfu Street. According to legend, the prince of the Shu Kingdom, Liu Edou, dropped his jade band in an old well in this town while trying to catch a carp. Luodai means dropping a band in Chinese. So, this town was called Luodai afterwards.
In Luodai Ancient Town, the buildings and the Hakka culture are well-preserved. Walking down the old streets in this town, visitors will feel immersed in Hakka culture. The old street area is one main street (upper and lower street) crisscrossed by seven lanes. It is 8 meters (8.7 yards) in width and 1,200 meters (1,312 yards) in length. The seven lanes crisscrossing the street are North Lane, Fengyi Lane, Huanshu Lane, Jiangxi Hall Lane, Chaishi Lane, Macao Yan Lane and Kangshi Lane. The buildings in Luodai Ancient Town include elements of the traditional Chinese architectural style, especially the curved roof. This type of roof towers into the sky forming a curved slope stretching out of the upwardly sweeping eaves. The brackets under the eaves (Dou Gong) play an important role in supporting the roof.
Four Guild Halls
The most distinctive edifices in Luodai Ancient Town are the guild halls. The Four Guild Halls are Guangdong Hall, Jiangxi Hall, Huguang Hall and Chuanbei Hall. The four halls were all built in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) and feature the compound courtyard house style. The layout of the halls is symmetrical along a central axis. The wall paintings and the carvings are exquisite and detailed, making the four halls worthy of study.
Among the four halls, the most famous is Guangdong Hall. It is also known as Nanhua Palace and was built in 1746. It has an area of 3,310 square meters (3,959 square yards). Guangdong Hall is one of the most well-preserved and largest guild halls in China. The couplets carved on the wall reflect the ancestors' hardships starting a new life and their loneliness while being away from their hometown.
Hakka Museum
The Hakka Museum in Luodai Ancient Town, located in Huguang Hall, is a comprehensive Hakka Museum in China. It demonstrates the Hakka migration to Sichuan province and their achievements. The cultural relics displayed in the museum include bronzes, potteries, irons, carving stones and coins. Visitors can have a careful look at these hand-made arts and crafts in the museum.
Hakka Park
The Hakka Park in Luodai Ancient Town is to the north of Fengyi Lane and covers an area of 40,000 square meters (10 acres). There are plenty of trees shadowing the garden. Flowers and grass are also plentiful. There are teahouses and pavilions here to let visitors have a rest. The most unusual one is the Women's Teahouse. It was a place for Hakka women to have a cup of tea and relax in the olden days. It was not open to the men.
Fire-dragon Festival and Water-dragon Festival
Liu Family Dragon is the most prestigious of the Hakka dragon dance groups in Luodai. The actors are all from the Liu family whose ancestral home is in Jiangxi. They perform both the fire dragon dance and the water dragon dance at different times for different purposes. During the Lantern Festival, the fire dragon is played to pray for blessings, while the water dragon is performed in summer time to beg for rain. The audiences can join in the performance by holding fireworks or sprinkling water on the dragon. Fireworks and water are both good signs of luck and fortune.
How to get to Luodai Ancient Town from Chengdu
1. Take a bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station directly to Luodaihe Guzhen (Luodaihe Ancient Town).
Note: If you cannot get the tickets to Luodai at the booking hall of Xinnanmen Bus Station, you can try to buy tickets at the Tourist Distributing Center next to the station.
2. Take Metro Line 4 to Xihe and leave from Exit A. Then, transfer to Bus 219 to Luodai Passenger Transport Center.
3. Take bus 2, 4, 4 Express, 23, 58, 66, 71, 91, 92, 94, 122, 141, 200, 223, 855, 856, 857, or 858a to Wuguiqiao Bus Stop, and then take bus 219.
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