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Study on evolution process and mechanism of Huizhou ancient village

2004; Wiley; Linguagem: Inglês

1745-5871

Yang Xing‐zhu,

Financial Crisis of the 21st Century

Ancient Huizhou once was an administrative unit,which governed six counties. They were Shexian, Xiuning, Qimen, Yixian, Jixi, and Wuyuan.This kind of administrative structure—six counties under Huizhou Prefecture had continued till the mid 19th century. Living through more than one thousand years,a stable integrated regional culture—Huizhou culture had come into being. Huizhou ancient village, as a main media of Huizhou culture and one of the ancient village complexes, is most abundant in number and best preserved in China. The most typical ones are the residential houses of Xidi Village and the paleo-ox-shaped Hongcun Village in Yixian County. Xidi and Hongcun are the only ancient village-style World Cultural Heritage sites in China.A vast amount of historical information is well preserved in Huizhou ancient villages, which provide substantial data for studying aspects such as Chinese history, society, economy,culture, geography, etc. From the point of view of the settlement and culture geography, the study on evolution process and mechanism of Huizhou ancient villages is of significant academic and practical value. Surrounded by continuous stretch of mountains, ancient Huizhou, which abounds in bright mountains and limpid waters, was an important settlement for people migrating from northern China in Chinese history. They established early-period villages. With time passing on, people had gradually migrated from original villages and built new ones within Huizhou boundary. From Eastern Jin Dynasty to Southern Song Dynasty, namely the early-period villages stage, the people lived a simple and unsophisticated life.From Southern Song Dynasty to Yuan Dynasty and then middle-period of Ming Dynasty, the stable development in Huizhou villages was gained in society, culture and economy. Accordingly, Huizhou villages entered the stable development stage,during which the basic characteristics of valuing agriculture and learning are embodied. After that, with Hui-merchants starting up, Huizhou villages entered a flourishing age and city-like villages with beautiful mountains and rivers were well developed. But after middle-period of Qing Dynasty, owing to Hui-merchants losing their power and wars during Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Huizhou villages gradually declined. However, in the 1990s and early stage of the 21st century, Huizhou ancient villages are considered as a media of traditional culture. Typical villages,such as Chengkan, Tangyue in Shexian County and Hongoun Village, Xidi in Yixian County and so on,are the well-kept representatives of old villages in Ming and Qing dynasties. The primitive flavor deriving from 2000 years of history makes the people simple and unsophisticated, and the beauty landscape unpolluted. Most of them are listed as nationally important culture protected units and world cultural heritage sites. These beautiful architecture and special characteristics also arose people's attention and interest.