Guifeng Village lies in the northeastern part of Yangzhong Town, bordering Zhanghuban Town of Nanping City. The village committee is merely 13 kilometres away from the interchange of Fuyin Expressway.
The village covers a total land area of 1,593 hectares. The ancient building protection zone occupies 13 hectares, and the traditional block complex spans 26,000 square metres. Thirty-nine ancient buildings dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties are well preserved here.
In ancient times, it was known as Guiling, Cailing and Lingtou. It has earned the reputations of “Pearl Hidden in the Mountains”, “Scholarly Valley in Hills” and “Fairyland Amid Clouds”. On June 9, 2007, it was officially named a Famous Historical and Cultural Village of China.
Guifeng boasts a long history. In the seventh year of the Chunyou reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1247), Cai Chang, the ninth-generation descendant of the famous Northern Song minister Cai Xiang, founded the settlement. More than 750 years have passed since then.
In the mid-to-late Southern Song Dynasty, northern nomadic troops invaded the south. The imperial court retreated to the southeast, shifting the nation’s political, economic and cultural centre southward.
As a descendant of an eminent clan, Cai Chang followed his ancestral precepts to live in seclusion and uphold the tradition of farming and studying. Guifeng became his ideal settlement.
Later, an official road from Youxi to Fuzhou ran through Guifeng. It was the only stopover for dignitaries, merchants and boatmen travelling between inland Youxi and Fuzhou. Trade boomed rapidly, and Guifeng gained the nickname “Little Fuzhou”.
An old poem vividly depicts its prosperity back then:
“Inns stand every few paces, towers rise one after another;
Music drifts from every household far and wide.
Travellers dream of staying in such a nice place,
And keep looking back reluctantly as they depart.”
Over centuries of hard work, the Cai clan prospered into a prominent local family.
The village features a unique architectural layout. Houses are built along three mountain slopes, layered and staggered in perfect harmony. Small bridges span flowing brooks, and winding lanes lead into quiet corners. Surrounded by mist-shrouded green mountains, the village enjoys beautiful scenery and a mild climate. Every step reveals a new view, just like a fairyland in a dream.
Many experts and scholars who have visited Guifeng commented:
“Every house carries profound culture, and every street is filled with history.”
The whole village abounds with historic relics: ancient paths, old streets, venerable trees, traditional study chambers, stone inscriptions, ancient paintings and genealogical records. The most outstanding treasures are the well-preserved ancient buildings.
The representative structures include: the Cai Ancestral Shrine, the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall, Stone Lion Residence, Louping Hall Mansion, Houmenshan Mansion, Houmenling Folk Residence, Houmentian Mansion and Zishou Temple. Detailed VCD video materials are kept for all these historic buildings.
In total, there are 39 pre-Qing ancient buildings. The key landmarks are described below:
Cai Ancestral Shrine
Located at the village centre, facing north with its back to the south, it covers a land area of 1,390 square metres and a construction area of 731 square metres.
It is a two-bay wooden structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, the original founding site of the Cai clan.
With green hills behind and clear streams in front, the feng shui pattern was praised by geomancers as “a flying phoenix holding a scroll in its beak”.
Though the building is not luxuriously decorated, it holds an irreplaceable spiritual status among Cai descendants.
Cai Clan Ancestral Hall
Situated upstream of Shiyin Bridge.
It was initiated and presided over by Cai Maoxiang (also named Yunhe) in 1669, three years after he passed the metropolitan examination and became a jinshi in the eighth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty.
According to the Cai Clan Genealogy of Guifeng, the clan was then at the height of its prosperity:
“Funds were allocated to launch the grand construction, making the hall magnificent and splendid.”
Ever since, it has remained one of the most important memorial buildings of the Cai clan.
Stone Lion Residence
It stands on the right rear side of the village committee, facing 113 degrees. The residence got its name from an exquisite stone lion kept inside.
Built by Jiachaogong, the 25th generation of the Tianfang branch of the Cai clan during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, it has five bays across the front and three bays in depth.
The land area is 590 square metres and the floor area 486 square metres. It is a two-section wooden post-and-lintel building with a hip-and-gable roof.
Louping Hall Mansion
Located behind the village committee, facing 170 degrees. It occupies 594.6 square metres of land with a construction area of 520 square metres.
This two-part wooden building was the childhood home of Mr. Cai Longhao, a Taiwan compatriot.
Due to the steep terrain, an extra wooden-floored hall was built on the right side, hence the name “Louping Hall” (Platform Hall). The main structure remains well preserved to this day.
Houmenshan Mansion
An independent complex first constructed at the turn of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
It covers more than 3,000 square metres of land with a building area of 1,400 square metres, facing 113 degrees.
It is a three-section wooden post-and-lintel building with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof.
Records show that this residence produced one civil juren, one military juren and seven xiucai scholars. It boasted a strong scholarly atmosphere and exerted great influence across Guifeng Village.
Houmenling Folk Residence
Built on the hillside to the left rear of the village committee, oriented 45 degrees.
It is a two-section single-eave wooden post-and-lintel structure. Along the central axis lie the rear hall, side chambers, the second hall and the front gate pavilion, flanked by side wing buildings. An ornamental archway stands on the left.
The land area is 1,026 square metres and the construction area 893.75 square metres. Construction began in the 12th year of the Qianlong reign (1747) of the Qing Dynasty.
Houmentian Mansion
It sits on the hillside to the right of the village committee, facing west from the east.
The land area exceeds 1,000 square metres, with a floor area of more than 600 square metres.
It is a three-section wooden building with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, five bays wide and three bays deep, enclosed by high walls.
Construction started during the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, unexpected misfortunes befell the owner in the later stage of construction, so the ground decoration was never finished, leaving some unfinished details.
Nevertheless, it ranks among the finest historic buildings in Guifeng and stands out uniquely among Fujian folk dwellings.
In particular, its wood carvings feature exquisite craftsmanship and a huge quantity, unsurpassed by any other ancient building in Youxi County.
Zishou Temple (also known as Huangshan Temple)
This thousand-year-old ancient temple is located 2 to 5 kilometres east of the village.
It was first built in the fourth year of the Qianning reign of the Tang Dynasty (897), reconstructed in the 12th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1640), and renovated again by Monk Ruiguang in the 27th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1762).
The main structure retains typical Tang architectural style. The temple compound covers over 4,000 square metres, with 500 square metres of existing buildings.
Along the central axis are the Guanyin Hall, the Buddha Hall of Three Treasures, a releasing-life pond, a winding corridor and the front gate.
The whole temple climbs upward along stone steps with more than 30 tiers, presenting a solemn and imposing look.
In 1992, Zishou Temple was listed as a County-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit of Youxi County.
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