Xiwan Village

Xiwan village is only one kilometer away from Qikou ancient town. It is famous for its unique residential buildings. This complete residential complex was built by the Chen family who prospered by shipping on the Yellow River. It has a history of 300 years from the end of Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China. It covers an area of more than 30000 square meters. It is close to the mountains, facing the water, and facing the sun from the leeward. It rises with the trend. It has a strong sense of hierarchy. There are two horizons and five horizons in the village There are more than 40 well preserved courtyards, which are connected with each other and connected with each other. The walls of buildings and courtyards are not limited to one style, and the styles are changeable. The buildings and courtyards are well arranged in different terrain. They are in harmony with the surrounding environment. The facilities for anti-theft, fire prevention, drainage and flood discharge are very exquisite. Every brick, stone and wood here is full of charm Strong traditional culture atmosphere, all kinds of carving ideas exquisite, delicate depiction. In 2003, Xiwan village was named "national famous historical and cultural village".

Xiwan Village

Xiwan village is about one kilometer away from Qikou town. It is built near the river. The ancient houses in the village are scattered on the hillside of the river, with distinct layers. The ancient houses are exquisite and beautiful, and the workmanship is exquisite.

It is famous for its unique residential buildings. This complete residential complex was built by the Chen family relying on the shipping of the Yellow River. It covers an area of more than 30000 square meters. It is close to the mountains and faces the water, and faces the sun from the leeward. It rises with the tide and has a strong sense of hierarchy. In the village, there are two horizontal, five vertical and seven alleys connecting the courtyards Up to now, there are more than 40 well preserved courtyards, which are connected with each other and connected with every household. The walls of the buildings are not stick to one pattern, and the styles are changeable. The accompanying procedures of different terrains are well arranged. They are very harmonious with the surrounding environment. The various facilities of anti-theft, fire prevention, drainage and flood discharge are very exquisite. Every brick, stone and wood here is permeated with a strong flavor of traditional culture and various carving structures Exquisite thinking and delicate depiction. Xiwan village was rated as "national famous historical and cultural village".

Main structure

It's a small village by the mountain and the water. It's from northwest to Southeast. According to local people, the site selection of Xiwan village was based on the traditional geomantic theory of "back to the mountain and face to the water" and the principle of "negative Yin embracing Yang".

The main part of the village is built in the middle of two stone mountains. The residential buildings are located on the slope of 30 degrees, which are stacked in layers. The space and plane layout are rich and colorful, and the highest place can reach six floors. It is uneven and varied. It gives people a sense of harmony and beauty. Qiushui River flows quietly in front of the village, witnessing the establishment, prosperity and decline of Xiwan village. The origin of Xiwan village is closely related to the rise of Qikou, a land and water wharf.

Get honor

At the end of 2003, Xiwan village was selected as one of 22 famous historical and cultural villages in China by the Ministry of construction and the State Administration of cultural relics, and became the only village in Shanxi Province to receive this award.

History and culture

This is a village with a single surname. Almost all the families in the village are Chen. Their first ancestor was Chen Shixue, the founder of Xiwan village. At the end of Ming Dynasty, Chen Shifu moved to Qikou and made use of the commercial conditions of Qikou to start his business as a local porter. Later, he opened a shop to manage all kinds of goods and materials. Chen Shixue, a wealthy businessman, built a village near Qikou on the Qiushui River. After hundreds of years of expansion, the later generations finally built Xiwan village into a castle like complex with dozens of houses.

Most of the lintels of Xiwan houses are inlaid with stone or wooden plaques, which were inscribed in the reign of Daoguang and Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty. The plaque on the courtyard is engraved with three big characters "Sui Jin Shi". It is said that this is the old residence of Chen Huizhang, the master of blue roof, who is the third grade military officer. And this plaque of mingjingdi is more interesting. As a matter of fact, the Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty and the Jinshi of the Sui Dynasty are not official Jinshi, but a kind of comfort to the old scholar who has failed in many examinations. Although Chen's family once became an official and became a nobility because of the charity of disaster relief and payment, it was a relatively professional merchant family after all. It was difficult for them to be the first to have the imperial examination spectacle of "nine Jinshi in one school" like the scholarly schools of Yangcheng and Qinshui in Southeast Shanxi.

Characteristics of folk houses

The overall design of Xiwan residence is peculiar. The whole village is separated by five north-south vertical lanes. The five vertical alleys are the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth, representing the five branches of the Chen family. The people of each branch live in these five alleys, which is not only easy to manage, but also easy to expand the village to the left and right in the future. The houses in each vertical lane can be connected with each other. As long as you enter a courtyard, you can travel all over the village. It can be said that the village is a courtyard and the courtyard is a mountain village. Such a design is not only to solve the horizontal traffic in the village, but also to facilitate the rapid transfer and collective defense in case of emergency. The ground of the alley is paved with stones, and there are stone parapets on both sides. In some places, there are battlements and wall roads for inspection. In the past, there were closed village walls around the village, but now they have collapsed. At that time, the whole village was like a fortified castle. Only three gates were built in the south of the village, which meant heaven, earth and man. Obviously, Xiwan, an ancient village, is closed and introverted to the outside world, but open and extroverted to the lifestyle of the extended family, reflecting the traditional mentality of external defense and internal convergence.

The characteristics of Xiwan dwellings are as follows: they are close to the mountains, connected with streets, alleys, and courtyards. Another feature is different from other buildings. They are all cave dwelling style buildings with high eaves. On the front is the courtyard with high eaves. On the south is the living room, or the horse shed, toilet, and gate. This is the building form. On the other hand, because It is built along the hillside. The roof of the courtyard below it is called "naopan" here. Naopan is the courtyard above it, which is built layer upon layer.

Value evaluation

When American professor weizhiming visited Qikou Town, he was very impressed by the residential buildings in Xiwan village nearby. He commented: Xiwan residence is not only a precious cultural heritage left by the local people in Shanxi for hundreds of years, but also an outstanding example of human settlements in human history. It reflects the perfect harmony between human and mountain, and finally creates a unique style of "three-dimensional blend" of local architecture.

Folk evaluation: the geographical location is superior. The main body of Xiwan village is Chen's surname. In the late Ming Dynasty, Chen Shifu was the ancestor of Xiwan villagers. At that time, he made use of the commercial conditions of the Yellow River ancient ferry in Qikou to do contract work and open shops. Finally, he became a developed businessman who managed all kinds of goods and materials. As a result, Chen Shifu built a village on Qiushui Dongya, a superior location close to Xiwan of Qikou, with mountains on its back and water on its surface. From then on, the present Xiwan village gradually came into being.

Press evaluation: Xiwan residence is a typical courtyard in Western Shanxi style, with strong historical and cultural atmosphere and strong loess cultural characteristics. The residential houses in the whole village are about 250 meters long and 120 meters wide, covering an area of about 30000 square meters. They are connected by five stone streets of cash, wood, water, fire and soil. Surrounded by high walls, they form a huge castle like enclosed space, with only three gates in the South. An old man introduced to us that there are many mountains and little land in Xiwan area. The village is built on the slope of the stone mountain, facing the southeast from the northwest, forming a pattern of sheltering from the wind and facing the sun, relying on the mountains and near the water. It also embodies the philosophy of harmony of heaven, earth and man.

Address: Xiwan village, Linxian County, Luliang City, Shanxi Province

Longitude: 110.80999755859

Latitude: 37.646999359131

Chinese PinYin : Xi Wan Cun