Shizhai, also known as Stone City, was originally a settlement for three clans: the Shi, Chen and Xie. Research traces its founding back to the Wude reign of the Tang Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, the Huang clan moved in. Gradually, the other families relocated elsewhere, leaving only the Huangs. Today, the village is home to several thousand residents who speak the Minnan dialect.

Shizhai boasts a rare and extraordinary terrain. Encircled by rolling mountains and traversed by a winding stream lies a flat valley spanning ten li. At its center rises a small hill shaped like a majestic male lion, upon which the village of Shizhai perches. The hill stands dozens of meters high and stretches hundreds of meters across. Its ridges, peaks, hollows and gullies are distinctly defined, resembling a miniature of a grand famous mountain. The lion-shaped landform looks alert and ready to pounce, brimming with vitality.

The hill was once covered with jagged boulders and tangled thorns. The early settlers labored tirelessly to develop the land. They quarried local stones to build the village ramparts, hence the name Shizhai (Stone Stockade). The ten-meter-high wall encircles the hill, imposing and grand, like a silver collar draped around the lion’s neck. Houses inside the stockade are built tier upon tier following the hillside terrain, laid out in neat order.

In front of the wall lies a lake whose water shines like a mirror. Beyond the lake stands a hill shaped like an upturned cauldron, standing solemnly like an altar table. Surrounding peaks stand guard around the village in stately formation, much like noble attendants lined up in ceremony. Dense woods grow outside the stockade, home to hundreds of rare flowers and herbs. The air is filled with the chirping of birds, creating a lively scene. Blessed with singing birds and fragrant blossoms all year round, Shizhai is like an earthly paradise.

Endowed with exquisite natural scenery, this land has nurtured outstanding people. Local villagers are kind-hearted and refined, and talents have emerged in every generation. Legend tells of a talented woman of the Shi clan who wittily responded to a question about her surname with a clever verse, a tale still widely told today. One jinshi scholar each came from the Chen and Xie clans as well.

Father and son Huang Xingcong and Huang Zhijian traveled across Fujian and Guangdong in search of an ideal place to settle. Enchanted by Shizhai’s breathtaking scenery, they chose to make their home here. The Huang clan has since flourished and multiplied. About four li to the east of the original stockade, they spent eighteen years building another settlement named He’anli, commonly known as the New Stockade.

Over the past two hundred years in modern history, the Huang clan produced one jinshi, seven juren, thirty-six tribute students and hundreds of xiucai scholars, making it a family of distinguished scholars and officials. Forty-eight merit plaques once hung in the Huang Ancestral Hall, and twenty-eight flagpole stones stood outside the west main gate of the stockade. Unfortunately, these relics were later demolished.

Many clan members who took official posts achieved remarkable feats. Huang Yi served in Fujian. Remaining loyal amid rebellions, he sacrificed his life for justice and was posthumously granted the title Loyal and Upright by the imperial court, with a temple built in his memory. Huang Dexing held office in Guangxi. Honest and caring towards the people, he was praised for his integrity and benevolence. These are but two examples.

Upholding ancestral teachings, the Huang people value education and etiquette deeply. They stick to the traditional way of farming and studying. It was common to see herdsmen and farmers studying late by lamplight, while scholars would take up ploughs and work the fields. Regardless of occupation, all villagers are well-educated, courteous and respectable.

The clan always honors its ancestors. Ancestral worship is held on eight major traditional festivals every year, and grand spring and autumn rituals are regularly conducted in the ancestral halls. Ceremonies follow the Lantern Festival and the Winter Solstice, accompanied by opera performances to give thanks to deities. These traditions fully reflect the villagers’ reverence for filial piety, benevolence and righteousness.

While preserving fine traditional culture, the people of Shizhai never stand still or cling to old ways. They keep pace with the times. In this prosperous era of national rejuvenation, villagers strive to develop technology and economy, achieving remarkable results. Rows of new high-rise buildings now stand outside the ancient stockade, forming a delightful contrast with the old stone ramparts.

Like a lustrous pearl that never fades through the ages, Shizhai will continue to shine brightly forever.