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Post by NZBC on Nov 22, 2007 21:35:22 GMT 12
Latest Updated by 2004-10-22 09:12:06
Occupying an area of over 100 mu (66,666 square meters) and hosting a total population of 630, Gualing Village of Xintang Town in the city of Zengcheng is known as an emigrant village, with over 3000 of its residents living abroad. The village has been listed as historical culture protection site by Guangzhou city.
Established in the early days of the Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty (1465), the village boasts a history of 539 years. The land used to be enclosed by water and all the local-style dwelling houses are built up above the water-surrounded land. A late resident Huang Guomin, who was a loyal supporter of Sun Yat-sen and who acted as the head of Zengcheng county, named the village 'Guazhou' in the hopes that his descendants would thrive and prosper on the land. Later, the village was renamed 'Gualing'.
With the passage of time, the water areas in the west, south and north have been filled and leveled off, leaving only the 20-meter-wide river in the east. However, with the lush foliage and shimmering waves, the village gives the impression of 'a land of rice and fish'. The ancient buildings in the village are kept in good shape, setting off the modern western-style ones and providing delightful contrasts. Watchtowers, at a height of over 20 meters, rise high against the land, looking refreshingly beautiful.
Water-encircled architectural complexes of the Qing Dynasty
More than 200 ancestral temples and residential houses, which were built above the water, can be found in the village, they are well laid out with 11 stone lanes extending among them. Gualing Village is said to have been detected during the fourth general survey of cultural relics in Guangzhou in 2002, since then it has been listed as a historical culture protection site. The ancient buildings found here are said to be the first and only batch of Qing residential houses to be build over an expanse of water.
Editor: Catherine
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Post by NZBC on Nov 22, 2007 21:46:53 GMT 12
Deep and quiet stone lanes
Counting from the north end of the Qing buildings, the first stone lane running between the residential houses is marked on the wall at the entrance "Lane 1 of the old village ". To the south, the lanes are numbered second, third, etc, and altogether, there are 11 such lanes. Each lane is about 80m wide, covered with stone slates about 3 meters long and 20 centimeters wide. Looking from east to west at the entrance, it seems like four stone slates, rather than stone lanes, are extending into the west.
**Vivid carvings in ancestral temples
The stone carvings under the eaves of Huang Aixian Ancestral Temple are a stunning sight. On each side of the girder which crosses the walls of the ancestral temple, there is a stone carving of kylin with a bright pearl in the mouth and a blooming glossy ganoderma on the head. The kylin and glossy ganoderma are an eye-catching combination. In other ancestral temples, pictures of nature, such as tigers, pine trees, cranes, suns and eagles can be found under the eaves, which are more exquisite in appearances and more demanding in technical skills, providing a glimpse into the advanced carving techniques and sculptural culture in Lingnan (south China).
There are seven ancestral temples altogether in Gualing Village. They are invariably decorated with wooden carvings. The color of which has deteriorated due to years of exposure to wind and sunshine. Quite a variety of colors were employed in the carvings, with the seven major colors, including red, yellow, green, purple, etc, applied to various pictures of nature, especially the wing-spreading swallows and the blooming silk cotton flowers.
On the other hand, the brick carvings under the eaves of the ancestral temples in Gualing Village are a pathetic sight, as the brick carving figures and landscapes have all been changed and distorted beyond recognition. These carvings are said to have been destroyed by the Japanese army who invaded in 1941 as well as by the post-liberation Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution.
**Damaged carvings not hard to repair
Located at the south end of the village, an ancestral temple by the name of "Guazhou Primary School" has been emptied and the doors locked. On each side of the temple, brick carving figures and landscapes were crafted in small brick holes measuring only 20 centimeters in diameter. On the left side of the temple, a 30-centimeter brick carving of a landscape with the letters "Tiantai Moutain" can still be faintly seen, but the drawing was largely destroyed, leaving only a dimly visible pine tree. The brick hole on the right side is decorated with a dragon throne and sidesteps, along which stand brick carving figures of generals and civil officials. Unfortunately, the heads of the figures are lost. According to the chief of Xintang Cultural Station, the organization will work in cooperation with the local government to restore the carvings to their original state, a task that will not be difficult with the advanced technology available.
Four-squared Watchtower
Other famous buildings located in Gualing Village include two watchtowers rising high in the eastern and western ends of the village. The more unique of the two is named "Ningyuan (peaceful and graceful) Watchtower". It is strange because the upper part of it is bigger than the lower part and it is shaped like a square, forming four angles in the upper part. It was built on top of a water area, with the third and fourth floors equipped with square inverse-cone shaped embrasure towers, in which holes for aiming cannons and scatter-guns were built and observation windows can be found. Besides these features, the suspension bridge outside and the huge well inside the watchtower have always been a target for visitors' unrelenting admiration.
Built in 1930s, this four-squared watchtower is the only building combining European and Oriental cultural styles in Guangzhou and is also the only watchtower with a suspension bridge in China. Besides that, it is also the strongest and most peculiar among the watchtowers discovered to date.
** Miracles of the four-storied watchtower
Extra buildings have been added to the four-storeyed tower above the second floor. However, the combination of the two upper bullet holes on the extra buildings and a lower one makes it resemble a human face if at looked from a distance. As explained by the locals, the face is constituted by two scattergun holes on the fourth floor and a cannon hole on third floor.
The blue-brick tower, with water on either side, was constructed with its foundation in an annular pool with a depth of 5 meters and a width of 4 meters. The tower is 21 meters high and 5.2 meters wide. In the west, an iron suspension bridge spans the pool, providing the only way to reach the watchtower. Round holes appear on every floor of the tower, they were used for communication between people on different floors as well as for commanding battles.
On the second floor, holes of different sizes and shapes can be seen. Among them, there are three observation windows, seven scattergun holes and one cannon hole. On the iron door by the northern observation window are three distinct bullet holes left, each measuring 10 millimeters in depth. These bullet holes are said to have been left by the Japanese army who tried to launch an offensive against the watchtower but failed in the end.
Three observation windows can be seen on the wall by the side steps leading to the third floor. On the cemented floor lies a portable wooden cannon shelf with the tracks along which the shelf was once moved are still visible. Cannon holes can be found in the east, north and south, and the number of scattergun holes reached 10. Surprisingly enough, the embrasure towers, which were built especially for shooting, were positioned at the corners of the third floor. The tower measures 2 meters in height and have room for three people to shoot from the inside. In the towers, a cannon hole was built right under the central gun hole, as the gun hole on the left side cannot be seen from the outside, the embrasure tower looks much like a human face with two eyes and a mouth when looked from outside the watchtower.
On the walls of the fourth floor, the number of gun holes reaches as many as 24 apart and are accompanied by four observation windows and three cannon holes located in different positions. According to the locals, this is because of the high position of the floor, an advantage for shooting from afar. Moreover, the diameter of the cannon holes measures about 25 centimeters.
** A Legend about the "four-squared watchtower."
As told by the secretary of Gualing village committee of the communist party, during the Republic of China , there was a celebrity named Huang Guomin who was a devoted supporter of Sun Yat-sen and acted as head of the Zengcheng county in 1922 in this village. He was also a thorough opponent of Japanese invaders during the eight-year anti-Japanese War. In 1941, the Japanese army swept into Gualing Village, prompting the whole village, men and women, young and old, to take shelter in the two watchtowers and to fight back against the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese, although in possession of superior weapons, had to retreat in face of the solid and unconquerable tower.
It is said that in 1954, a division of soldiers from the PLA took residency in the tower for more than a year. The soldiers were said to be there for air defense. Scatterguns were also placed on the gun holes in case the enemy's airplanes entered the airspace of Guangdong Zengcheng.
A visit to Gualing Village is certainly a worthwhile experience. Apart from the above sights, you can also have a walk around the Zengcheng county where there are a great many scenic spots, such as the ancestral temple of He Xiangu (one of the eight immortals) and an ancient architectural complex from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
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Post by NZBC on Nov 23, 2007 20:56:50 GMT 12
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Post by NZBC on Nov 25, 2007 22:00:08 GMT 12
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Post by NZBC on Nov 25, 2007 22:06:17 GMT 12
Satellite view of the Village can be found here:- maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=23.147917,113.659272&spn=0.007616,0.010031&z=17&om=1 * The location of Village is at Latitude = 23.147917 : Longitude = 113.659272 * Nearest Major Town - "Xintang" (Sun Tong) latitude =23.11824, longitude =113.610497 * Nearest Highway is GuangYuan Expressway which runs 50m due South of the village * Easiest route via private car to Village is to take the HW 107 eastbound from Xintang, find the 'Jean City' (Nau Jai Sing), then after about 1km, take a left (head north) for 10 minutes till you reach the Guangyuan Expressway. The village is immediately after the GuangYuan expressway (see video B above) * Nearest Exit to Village is 'Sun Sa' exit (this would provide a more direct path to the village in future, assuming that you take the right exit). * School Teacher's Email address = hjm001008@163.com |
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Post by NZBC on Nov 25, 2007 22:13:27 GMT 12
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Post by nzbc on Oct 24, 2022 21:33:05 GMT 12
Gualing Village 瓜岭村 Country 中国 China Province 广东省 Guangdong City 广州市 Guangzhou District 增城区 Zengcheng Town 新塘镇 Xintang Full Address (EN) Gualing Village, Xintang Town, Zengcheng District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China Full Address (CN) 中国广东省广州市增城区新塘镇瓜岭村 www.mychinaroots.com/places/18036/gualing |
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Post by NZBC on Jul 30, 2023 11:38:57 GMT 12
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