Chikan ancient town

Chikan ancient town has a history of 350 years. It was once one of the most prosperous central market towns in western Guangdong. It has the reputation of Lingnan Town, century old commercial port and hometown of overseas Chinese. The Tanjiang River in the ancient town passes through the town. A large number of commercial arcades built in the 20th century stretch for several miles. The vicissitudes of the cobblestone street, the empty window pattern, and the exquisite gray sculpture form the unique style of the ancient town. There are many overseas Chinese coming out of the ancient town, and now they are mostly distributed in the United States, Canada and Southeast Asia. There are sanmenli village, Yinglong tower, Canadian village, film and Television City, European style street, situ nationality, Guan nationality library, situ Meitang former residence and other scenic spots in the ancient town.

Chikan town

synonym

Chikan ancient town generally refers to Chikan town

Chikan town is located in the Southwest Economic Development Zone of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, on the Bank of Tanjiang River in the middle of Kaiping City. It is adjacent to the three ports of Kaiping City, 12 km away from the central urban area of Kaiping City. It connects Enping and Yangjiang on the top, Jiangmen on the bottom, Guangzhou, Heshan, Gaoming and Xinxing on the north, Taishan on the south, with an area of 62.1 square kilometers (2017) < I < / I, a population of 27564 (2017), overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan There are more than 90000 compatriots. Historically, it used to be the seat of Kaiping county. Later, it was moved to Sanbu Town, which is now the urban area of Kaiping. Chikan town was originally separated from Xinhui County, because the tributaries of Tanjiang River surrounded Chikan town

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Chikan is built along the Tanjiang River. On the south bank is the countryside, and on the north bank is the city. The Didong Dixi road along the river, which is parallel to Zhonghua Road, is sandwiched between the two main roads. There is also a small road called "Er Ma Lu". This is the three horizontal roads parallel to the river, and there are many vertical roads crossing with them to form the urban road network. Chikan town has a combination of traditional Chinese and Western flavor. Therefore, it is called "the fifth ancient town in China"

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Chikan town has been rated as a famous historical and cultural town in China, a national key town, a central town in Guangdong Province, a strong education town in Guangdong Province, and one of the top ten Characteristic Towns in Jiangmen City (as of January 5, 2013)

In October 2016, it was selected as the first batch of small towns with Chinese characteristics.

Evolution of organizational system

Kaiping county was established in the early Qing Dynasty. Chikan was divided from Xinhui county. At that time, there were 26 natural villages, which increased to more than 230 in the period of the Republic of China. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 40000 people living on the land of more than 60 square kilometers. During the period of the Republic of China, there were more than 70000 people. The town area of Chikan ancient town is only three square kilometers. During the period of the Republic of China, about five or six thousand people settled here for a long time.

At that time, Tanjiang River was the main channel to Chikan. Chikan ancient town, located in the upper reaches of Tanjiang River in Kaiping, is as famous as Changsha and Shuikou towns in the middle and lower reaches. There are regular flights to 39 ports outside the county, including Macao, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Jiangmen, Xinhui, Taishan, Chencun, Daliang, Jiazhou in Shunde, Xiaolan in Zhongshan, Juntang in Enping, and Cangcheng, Magang, lougang in the county There are 23 towns and townships, such as Changsha, Shuikou, Chishui, Tangkou, Sijiu, Dongshan and Baihe, which are connected by docks. The number of passenger and freight water transport routes of Changsha Town and Shuikou Town, which are also water transport hubs, can not be compared. Under the Chikan ferry, there are 13 secondary ferries < I (locally called "hengshuidu") < / I distributed in all townships, forming a water transportation network in the area. According to the records of Chikan town of Kaiping compiled in 1991, the earliest hengshuidu was shuiguidu, which was opened in the 15th year of Kangxi (1676). A large number of hengshuidu were opened in the 27th year of Guangxu (1901) < / I, of which four were located in the town.

In the Qing Dynasty, wooden sailboats were used for water transportation. After 1914, long-distance transportation was replaced by electric ships, which were called "blue chimney" by local people. Each steamer has 50 or 60 seats, among which xinxingye, dabiye, daguangda, dachikan, renshengli, dafeiteng, xinzaohou, Dongli, Dongfa and Haili were famous. Hengshuidu has been using wooden sailboats. By 1950, there were still 150 tons of wooden sailboats of more than three tons engaged in passenger and cargo transportation in hengshuidu.

In the Qing Dynasty, the means of transportation after landing was sedan chair, which was a popular means of transportation around Chikan Zhan town since the Ming Dynasty. There are four kinds of sedan chairs in Chikan area, one is the official sedan chair, one is the civilian shoulder, one is the eight hanging sedan chair (small sedan chair carried by two people) < / I, one is the roller coaster sedan chair (the seat is inclined and flat, you can lie on your back) < / I.

The journey is 125 kilometers, with 42 passenger and freight cars. For example, during the period from 1947 to 1949, six transportation companies participated in the operation of a total of 31 vehicles every day, with a total of 127 flights, a total journey of more than 3700 kilometers and a total carrying capacity of more than 9300 people.

In the late Guangxu period, after Chikan ancient town formed a whole, the construction of shops also started with road reconstruction and river embankment construction.

Shops were set up along shangbuti West Road, where the Guan people lived together, mainly before the 20th year of the Republic of China. Guan guonuan, who came back to his hometown to preside over the foundation of the family library and supervise the construction, is also an important presider of the construction of Dixi Road shops. During his two years in Chikan, he not only completed the construction of "chunrulou" villa in Chikan shrimp village, where he was born, but also built a foreign house in the town and opened a business. At the same time, on behalf of his cousins Guan guoqiong, Guan Guoxin, Guan Guojun and Guan Shaozhen, they bought land and built western style houses on Dixi road. Some overseas Chinese of the Guan nationality entrusted him to transfer money to their relatives in their hometown to buy land and build houses in the ancient town.

In 1877, a believer named Zhao xuchu followed Mu Xinwen of American Presbyterian Church to Chikan, rented Yiwen shop on the east side of Shaoyuan pawnshop in Xiabu Lianxing street, and founded Presbyterian Church. This is the first time that Christianity was introduced into Kaiping.

In the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Guan Zhenren and Guan Maolong rented a house on Shangbu Xilong road and founded the Christian Methodist Church. The Baptist Church also entered Chikan ancient town in the period of the Republic of China and established the Evangelical Church on Henan road.

In the 23rd year of Guangxu, there was an internal dispute between the descendants of leiqianzu and the descendants of lehengzu in Shuxi Longkou. Eighteen young people of yueqianzu were arrested in the county jail. At this time, a Catholic of Le qianzu came back to the village to visit his relatives. Seeing this, he went to Guangzhou Shishi Catholic Church and asked father Wei Changmao to mediate. With the help of father Wei Changmao, 18 young people of yueqianzu were released. Ninety percent of the members of the leqianzu clan joined the church.

After entering the Republic of China, the traffic pattern of the hometown of overseas Chinese changed, and the highway construction of Kaiping first started in Chikan town. Chikan town is the largest polder city in the area. It is said that it was built in Kangxi and Yongzheng years. During the polder period on the third and eighth day of the lunar calendar, in addition to the local villagers, the nearby villagers also came to the market.

In 1916, the situ family introduced Catholicism to Chikan ancient town, and established a Catholic hostel on the side of the situ family in Tangdi street to receive priests and Catholics, which later developed into a church.

In 1922, situ Zirui built a new Presbyterian Chapel at 6 jinniuxu street, Xiabu, with the funds collected from the fundraising of believers and pastors, as well as the financial support from the higher church. The three storey building is 14 meters high, covering an area of more than 340 square meters, with a construction area of more than 680 square meters. The chapel on the third floor can accommodate 400 believers at the same time, with a bell on the top The big clock hanging in the building is donated by the American Chinese elders self care mission in San Francisco, USA. This Christian Church is the largest church in Kaiping and one of the three Presbyterian churches in Wuyi. Situ Wenyuan and situ Wenzong actively launched donations from domestic and foreign Catholics and built a new church in longkouli, making Chikan an ancient town the communication center of Christianity and Catholicism in Kaiping. In addition to missionary work, the church also carried out activities such as sending doctors and medicine, writing letters for others, and running English classes. In the same year, the robbers still ransacked Chikan middle school, abducted more than 20 teachers and students, and attempted to kidnap and extort them.

In 1924, the baichi Mao highway in Yixing market of Baihe Town was opened to traffic, and the first imported Ford convertible car was put into operation. This is the first highway, the first operating company and the first car in Kaiping.

In the 15th year of the Republic of China, Chikan rebuilt streets, expanded buildings and shops, built long dykes, built arcades and decorated towns. Residents in Shangbu and Xiabu took the initiative to demolish and build roads. Shops with arcades were built in all the fairs. Returned overseas Chinese and nearby villagers invested in business. Chikan business entered its heyday. At this time, many primary schools were set up in Chikan town. Just within the short road to Shangbu, there were Guangyu primary school, Zhenhua primary school, natural primary school, genius primary school, adult school, English school, Chinese and abacus classes.

On March 27, Guan Guoxin wrote a letter to Guan guonuan, suggesting that the design should be assisted by the engineers who built the library of Guan nationality. At the same time, he hoped that it would be similar to the style and size of Guan guonuan's western style building. The total cost budget is nine thousand yuan, and the capital in place at the start of construction is eight thousand yuan.

The 17th year of the Republic of China<

Chinese PinYin : Chi Kan Gu Zhen