Shandong's Hidden Paradise, Ranked Among 'China's Top 10 Largest Rural Areas,' Largely Unknown
Yinan County is a county under the administration of LinYi City, Shandong Province, it is a historic county town, and Zhuge Liang, a famous military strategist, was born here. The county boasts numerous historical relics and monuments, earning it the reputation of 'Jinru Dunhuang'. Due to its location in the Yi Nong Mountains, Yinan has beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, and is home to a large number of ancient villages. One of these villages is renowned as 'China's Top 10 Most Beautiful Villages'.
It is ‘Ziquan Village’, located in the Copper Well Town of Yinan County, about 20 minutes’ drive from Yinan County. Ziquan Village is the first systematically developed ancient village tourism scenic area in Shandong Province, and it is a national 4A-level tourist scenic area. However, it seems few people know about it.
To visit Ziquan Village, you need to purchase a ticket for 80 yuan per person. Although Ziquan Village has beautiful scenery, many tourists have complained online, saying that the ticket prices are expensive, the scenery is average, and it lacks cultural connotations.
Ziquan Village is a historic ancient village with a history of over 400 years. In the late Ming Dynasty, the brother of a Hunan governor, Gao Mingheng, migrated here and settled down. With the development of successive generations, they gradually clustered together to form a village. Today, most of the villagers are primarily surnamed Gao.
The geographical location of Ziquan Village, surrounded by mountains on three sides and a river, and with tens of thousands of acres of arable land, due to the existence of a spring in the village, and the abundance of bamboo growing around the spring, the village was named Ziquan Village. It is rare to find villages like this with bamboo springs and clear water surrounding them, and it is beautiful and suitable for human habitation, which is a hidden paradise in people's eyes.
When walking on the stone-paved roads in the village, especially when there is morning mist rising, you feel like you have stepped into ‘Peach Blossom Source’. Generally, northern ancient villages are mostly characterized by their rugged and profound atmosphere, while Ziquan Village has a rare Jiangnan water town's exquisite scenery. In 2014, it was listed as ‘China’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Villages’, and in 2016, it was listed in the ‘China Traditional Village Register’.
Most of the houses in the village are made of stone, called stone houses. Each house has a bamboo forest in front of the door, and flowing water, which has the style of a Jiangnan water town. However, because few people know about it, there are not many tourists coming to the village, making it even quieter.
To allow tourists to experience the life of northern ancient villages, some of the houses in the village have been renovated as residences. Tourists can stay here for one or two nights to enjoy a ‘Peach Blossom Source’ life. The courtyards have been maintained in their original state, with wells, grinding mills, and agricultural tools, which are representative of northern rural life. There is even a small field opened up in the courtyard.
There is also a bamboo weaving workshop here. The life tools used by the villagers who live here are mostly handmade by themselves, such as brooms, baskets, and scoops. Visitors can learn to weave them and experience the fun of handmade crafts.
In Ziquan Village, if the spring is the lifeblood of Ziquan Village, then bamboo is the soul of Ziquan Village. Here, bamboo is everywhere, bamboo adds many beauty and charm to the village. Not only do writers and gentlemen love bamboo, but the people of Ziquan Village have a special affection for bamboo.
Do you know or have you been to this ‘Peach Blossom Source’ version of the ancient village in Yinan, Shandong? What impression do you have about it? Welcome to leave a comment.
