Peitian Ancient Village Scenic Area

Peitian Village lies in Xuanhe Township. Three rolling mountain ridges — extensions of Guanzhai Mountain, Bijia Mountain and the Wuyi Mountains — stretch down from the north and embrace the village like three coiled dragons. Five hillocks outside the village resemble five tigers standing guard. The crystal-clear Heyuan Stream winds around the ancient building complex famed for its layout of Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards. With its distinctive landscape and well-arranged ancient houses, the village unfolds as a magnificent wall-free manor for visitors.

As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Peitian served as a postal station on the official road connecting Changting and Liancheng Counties. It also functioned as a land-and-water transfer hub for timber, handmade paper, salt, oil and other daily commodities traded between Tingzhou Prefecture and the Zhangzhou-Longyan trade route. Xiang Chaoxing, an official of the Qing Dynasty Postal Department, inscribed a couplet in the Zhide Residence: "Orchids bloom gracefully in the courtyard; market bustle lingers just beyond the gate." The line perfectly captures the elegant dwellings and prosperous marketplace of old Peitian. Blessed with outstanding natural scenery and a strategic geographic location, and guided by the Hakka ancestral ethos of farming and studying alongside hard work, villagers built a splendid civilization and flourishing economy over centuries, leaving behind precious vernacular Hakka architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The ancient residential cluster comprises more than 30 grand mansions, 21 ancestral halls, 6 private academies, 2 cross-stone memorial archways and a one-kilometer-old street. The towering Enrong Archway at the village entrance honors Wu Bazhen, a Peitian native who served as an imperial bodyguard for the Guangxu Emperor. The emperor granted this special recognition to him. Facing it from the far end of the village stands the Charity Archway, erected by imperial edict for Wu Changtong. The pair bears witness to Peitian’s glorious past, when civil and martial talents thrived, virtuous deeds were celebrated, and military officers dismounted while civilian officials stepped out of sedan chairs upon entering the village. Beside the archway, slowly turning waterwheels and pounding trip hammers stand like weathered elders, recounting the hardships endured by the Hakka pioneers who founded the village.

Past the Enrong Archway rise ancient buildings with upturned eaves: the Temple of Civil and Martial Saints, Yunxiao Nunnery and Wenchang Pavilion. Nestled among Chinese hibiscus and maple trees, the premises are fragrant all year round: purple magnolias bloom in spring, Chinese redbuds blossom in summer, chrysanthemums flourish in autumn, and wintersweet stands proud in winter. Camphor and nanmu trees cast dense shade, and mountain goats and silver pheasants roam nearby, enchanting every visitor. The temple enshrines Confucius, the Sage of Letters, and Guan Yu, the Martial Saint under one roof — a unique Hakka marvel renowned across China and overseas. The iron bell in Yunxiao Nunnery was cast during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty by ancestors of five clans including the Wu, Zhong and Lei families. Its chime could carry for ten li when struck with wood. Dr. Lagerwey from the École française d’Extrême-Orient studied the bell as a key cultural relic documenting the coexistence of She and Han peoples. From Wenchang Pavilion, visitors enjoy refreshing breezes. The stream shimmers like white silk; every grain of yellow sand on the riverbed is visible, and fish dart and play in the current. On both banks stretch lush tobacco paddies, rice fields, sweet potato plots and vegetable gardens. Amid such breathtaking scenery, travelers step into this splendid ancient village with relaxed hearts.

The most celebrated residences are the Grand Master’s Mansion, Yanqing Hall and the Official Hall, each covering over 6,000 square meters and built in the iconic Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards style. The Grand Master’s Mansion earned its name because its owner Wu Changtong was conferred the official titles of Fengzhi Dafu and Zhaowu Dafu. It also bears the secondary name Jishu Hall, derived from the Confucian maxim: "Carry forward the aspirations of ancestors and recount their deeds faithfully." Construction began in 1829 and took 11 years to finish in 1840, covering an area of 11 mu. The spacious main hall could host 120 banquet tables without anyone stepping outside the compound. Following the traditional principle of prioritizing order and hierarchy, the layout features a main longitudinal axis paired with secondary horizontal wings, separating the main buildings from auxiliary quarters. Every detail — ventilation, natural lighting, drainage, sanitation and even descendants’ future development — was carefully planned. Three generations of master carvers adorned the beams and lintels with relief scenes including tea picking, fish selling, umbrella lending and the story of crossing the Tanxi Stream. Each carving conveys classic allusions and auspicious blessings. Its cantilever beam structure, famed for the property that "walls may collapse, yet the house remains standing", has been hailed by Chinese and foreign specialists as world-class anti-seismic architecture. A French architectural scholar made three field trips here, praising the building as "a perfect integration of construction craftsmanship and scientific technology."

Yanqing Hall dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Its structural layout largely mirrors that of the Grand Master’s Mansion. Outside the gate lie winding paths beside a lotus pond, and stone lions stand guard before the entrance. The paired gate ornaments match those of Beijing courtyard houses, embodying the inheritance of Central Plains culture. The paired carvings symbolize yin and yang forming heaven and earth, and men and women creating human society. Female motifs represent good fortune, while farmhands signify prosperity. Their union promises thriving clans and enduring family fortunes. This philosophy reflects the Hakka migrants’ deep longing for generations of descendants to prosper as they settled far from their original homeland.