Hunan Yongxing Baishu Ancient Village
Baishu Village is a settlement of the Huang clan. Its founding ancestor, Huang Menghuan, originally hailed from Shangqing Village in Santang. Legend has it that his family's cattle would often wander to a mountain pond under a cypress tree thirty miles away. Interpreting this as an auspicious sign, Huang Menghuan relocated to the site during the Ming Dynasty's Zhengde era (1506-1521). There, he diligently farmed and studied, raising three sons who established three family branches. The village was subsequently built against the mountains and by the water, officially named Baishu (Cypress Tree) Village.
Huang Menghuan was the 12th-generation descendant of the Shangqing Huang lineage. Today, the Baishu Huang clan has flourished through 19 generations since Menghuan, now comprising over 500 households with more than 2,000 people. Over these 500 years, the Huang family has prospered in both population and wealth, gaining renown throughout the Jiangzuo region.
A small stream flows through the village, merging southward into the Jiushan River—a configuration likened to "a golden belt embracing the settlement." Only three ancestral halls face south, while other structures back against Houlingshan Mountain, oriented west-east and expanding north-south along the terrain. The northern layout resembles a rooster and snake, the southern a coiled tortoise shell, and the eastern front a plump pig pushing through a gate. Houlingshan boasts lush forests featuring Tiger Rock, Immortal's Footprint, and limestone caves. Six ancient wells with square openings lined by bluestones provide perpetual water flow.
The village preserves 94 late Qing-early Republican era dwellings covering 22,969m². This architectural ensemble includes ancestral halls, schools, residences, bridges, wells, and ancient post roads, with compact yet harmonious layouts of alleys, streams, and spring wells. The blue-brick and gray-tile structures exhibit elegant simplicity, adorned with elaborate features: horse-head walls, double eaves, lintel carvings, painted beams, brick/stone reliefs, and lattice windows. Most brick carvings are in raised relief depicting motifs like "Wealth and Honor Complete," "Prosperity for Generations," and "Heaven Bestows Abundant Blessings," though one "Flourishing of Humanities" carving appears in sunken relief. Hall interiors showcase well-preserved stone pillars, corner plinths, courtyard stonework, moonbeam woodcarvings, and inscribed plaques.
Some construction techniques from Baishu's heyday are now lost. Master craftsmen reportedly could lay only seven or eight specially prepared bricks daily—each washed, ground, and mortared with poured slurry to form interlocking dovetail joints so tight no nail could penetrate. This laborious, material-intensive process reflects the extravagance of wealthy families. The village has long valued both scholarship and martial arts, producing notable figures across dynasties. Clan records mention a divine archer who followed Hong Xiuquan, renowned for throwing darts and Iron Palm techniques. Late Qing scholars emerged, while several martial masters taught Divine Lion techniques in Fujian. Baishu merchants also thrived, pivotal to Youma Market's prosperity—about 100 market households today trace roots here.
Since the 1920s, Baishu's opera troupe has maintained over 30 repertoire pieces, gaining fame for combined flower lantern, flower drum, and Xiang opera performances across neighboring towns. The current 31-member troupe spans generations: an octogenarian, six septuagenarians, two 10-year-olds, and middle-aged artists. Remarkably, twelve antique costumes survive, including a dragon robe worth hundreds of thousands. During festivals, they perform classics like "Qin Xianglian," "Fifteen Strings of Cash," "Imperial Library," "Guo Ziyi's Birthday Celebration," and "Heavenly Official Bestows Blessings." Designated among China's Fifth Batch of Traditional Villages.