Jingping Ancient Village in Zhongfang County is located 15 kilometers from the downtown area of Huaihua city, covering an area of 1.5 square kilometers. It is a national 3A tourist attraction, a national agricultural tourism demonstration site, a national cultural relics protection unit, a historically and culturally significant village in Hunan, and a provincial famous village for characteristic tourism.
The ancient village boasts a history of over a thousand years and is the birthplace of the Wushui Culture. According to research, the village used to serve as the capital of Zangke Kingdom during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). In the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), it was the site of Wuyang County; during the Tang and Song dynasties, it was the site of Xuzhou Prefecture. The village was abandoned during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) due to war, gradually turning into a bramble-covered land. Pan Zhenzhou, grandson of the Song Dynasty prime minister Pan Renmei, led the Pan clan to flee into exile here, cleared the brambles, and established the settlement, hence the name Jingping (clearing brambles). The village currently has more than 20 ancient cultural relics, including ancestral halls, ancient courier routes, old trees, ancient wells, and historic residences, demonstrating a profound cultural heritage. Jingping is also the hometown of Pan Shiquan, the tutor of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Major sights include Pan Clan Ancestral Hall, Wutong Temple, Pan Shiquan’s Former Residence, ancient well dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), ancient tree group, the Hydrological Monument, the Bagua Alley, and the Chaste and Filial Archway. According to cultural relic authorities, a Paleolithic site dating back 50,000 to 100,000 years, named the Xinyuan site, was found in the village, filling a previous gap in the knowledge of Hunan’s Paleolithic era.
1. Pan Clan Ancestral Hall: According to the Jingping Pan genealogy, the earliest Pan Clan ancestral hall was built during the Song Dynasty. At that time, the custom of building large-scale ancestral halls was uncommon, so only a single ancestral hall was built for enshrining ancestral tablets and simple rites. The existing Pan Clan Ancestral Hall was first erected in the Hongwu period (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and expanded or repaired six times in 1811, 1834, 1882, 1947, 1993, and 2002. The ancestral hall is more than a mere record of the clan and commemoration of ancestors; it is also a symbol of spiritual belonging and an embodiment of family culture. Situated by the Wushui River within Jingping Ancient Village, the hall nestles against the mountain and is surrounded by ancient trees, presenting a picturesque setting that integrates the essence of Jingping’s feng shui. Viewed from the riverside, the grand archway adorned with coiled dragons is imposing yet finely crafted, exuding solemnity and majesty.
2. Wutong Temple: Located on the left side of the Pan Clan Ancestral Hall, the Wutong Temple is connected with the by ancestral hall through a small door on the right side. The temple was originally built in the 19th year of the Wanli reign (1591) of the Ming Dynasty and was relocated from Shunfu Village, five kilometers downstream. The commemorative stone inscription from its initial construction remains inside. Architecturally, Wutong Temple is similar in structure and size to the adjacent Guan Sheng Hall but differs in topography; Wutong Temple is built upward on a slope with buildings on all four sides. Unlike Guan Sheng Hall, its front garden only has a skylight, flanked by the Guanyin Hall and the Caishen (God of Wealth) Hall on each side, both rebuilt in 2008. The temple gate is at the site of the ancient Zhongfang courier station. Wutong Temple guards the waterway; the ancient courier route connects the north to Chenzhou Prefecture, south to Jingzhou Prefecture, east to Baoqing Prefecture, and west to Yuanzhou Prefecture, serving as a crucial passage linking the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. With many merchants and travelers passing through, the temple was built for people to pray for their safety, dispel local disasters and epidemics, and enshrine the mighty Lingguan Official. For four centuries, the Wutong deity has protected Jingping, ensuring household peace, healing illnesses, averting disasters, and granting prosperity.
3. Pan Shiquan’s Former Residence: Situated in the fifth courtyard of the Pan family mansion, Pan Shiquan’s former residence originally covered more than 1,000 square meters, composed of a main gate, entrance hall, courtyard, left and right wings, main house, and rear yard. The courtyard is spacious, and the two-story entrance hall connects with the side wings through a corridor balcony. Inside the fireproof walls is a concealed mezzanine only accessible via a movable wooden board in the upstairs floor. From outside, no trace is visible. In case of bandit invasion, the elderly, women, and children could hide there with supplies for several days, safely avoiding danger. However, in 1921, a destitute landowner from the Pan family in Tongling killed the local bandit chief after refusing to pay protection fees, provoking more than a thousand bandits in Xiangxi to burn down much of the Pan residence. Most of Pan Shiquan’s former residence was destroyed then; the main gate and entrance hall were dismantled by the owners in the 1970s. Today, the residence is still inhabited by direct descendants of the ninth generation. The front half of the original brick screen wall, four fireproof courtyard walls, the foundation of the main gate, and the blue stone courtyard floor remain preserved.
4. Tang Dynasty Ancient Well: Located on the Longyan, the dragon vein site of Jingping Ancient Village, ancestors of Jingping carefully “measured Yin and Yang” and carved this thousand-year-old well. For centuries, its sweet water has continuously sustained generations of Jingping people. According to village elders, even during severe droughts, the well never ran dry. The water level remains about twelve meters below the mouth (well depth 19.5 meters) thanks to the unique “thousand-layer masonry” technique employed in its construction. This technique involves laying one layer of stone slabs and lime mortar inside the well, then tamping a layer of clay soil, followed by another layer of stone slabs outside, layering many times. This method ensures high water quality by preventing surface water contamination and guaranteeing pure groundwater. An ancient stele next to the well, erected in the 36th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1771), records that the well is “very old”, making its exact founding date unknown. The stone well rim shows signs of use with 36.5 deep grooves carved by ropes from daily water drawing, the deepest groove reaching 10.5 centimeters, indicating the well has been in use for at least over a thousand years. This also suggests a historically sizable population in Jingping.
5. The Big Dipper Ancient Tree Group: Jingping Ancient Village is home to seven millennium-old trees, arranged to mirror the positions of the constellation. Forestry authorities estimate these trees to be over 1,000 years old. Historically, these seven trees were planted by the founding patriarch of Jingping. He had settled in Jingping approximately 936 years ago, which aligns closely with the forestry department’s age estimates. According to the 1874 “Qianyang County Gazetteer”, “Shuangfeng Bridge is located 60 li north of Qianyang County at Jingziping. There are two bridges, beside which stand seven Chongyang trees; they date back to the Song Dynasty.” This historical record supports the claim that the seven trees were planted by Pan clan ancestor Zhenzhou Gong. When Zhenzhou Gong found that among the many peaks facing Jingping there was no “Wenfeng Mountain” (in geomancy, a tall pointed mountain to the southeast symbolizing literary fortune), he planted these seven Chongyang trees in the southeast entrance of the village to fill this “literary spirit” gap. The seven trees correspond to the Big Dipper, which symbolize cultural and scholarly luck. Furthermore, at the “Wenqu Star” position among the seven stars, the Pan clan built the Wenchang Pavilion and the Zizhi Tower to pray for thriving literary success. As a result, Jingping’s Pan clan once enjoyed a flourishing scholarly tradition with many talented individuals emerging. The Pan clan and the village preserve these trees, believing the seven trees to be guardians of their descendants’ prosperity and the village’s cultural vitality.
6. Hydrological Monument: On the fire-sealed wall of the ancestral hall to the right side of Wutong Temple’s entrance, about 4.5 meters above ground, a rectangular bluestone plaque measuring 32 cm by 20 cm is embedded. It is inscribed in regular script, saying “Record of floodwater rise to this point on the third day after the Dragon Boat Festival, in the sixth year of Jiaqing” (1801). This hydrological monument records the water level of the Wushui River during a severe flood when the entire village resembled an ocean. It constitutes the earliest recorded flood mark in the Wushui River basin, providing valuable historical data for studying hydrological changes and flood prevention in the region.
7. Bagua Alley: The alley was designed by the ancestors of the Pan family during the initial construction of the Pan family mansion, dating back to the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Today, it mainly houses about 500 villagers from about 100 households. The alley consists of nine parallel bluestone lanes, each about a hundred meters long. At each of the eight directions of the alley entrances, fortified gates of square and arch shapes (reflecting the ancient concept of “the heaven is round and the earth is square”) are installed. These nine lanes, each two to three meters wide, differ significantly from southern ancient village alleys; they adopt a northern village style with wide lanes and high walls and all run north-south. Numerous T-shaped intersections and “S” bends are designed between the nine lanes. This layout turns the Pan family mansion into a nine-palace and eight-trigram formation. Firstly, this design optimizes feng shui by “hiding the wind and gathering the qi.” Ancient beliefs hold that cross-shaped junctions cause wealth to leak away and are inauspicious, whereas T-junctions and S-shaped curves help to gather wealth and energy. The nine north-south lanes also promote ventilation, helping inner courtyards stay warm in winter and cool in summer. Secondly, it serves as a defense against theft and banditry. The eight gates at the village’s eight directions are tall iron doors, and the winding lanes with multiple bends make it extremely difficult for outsiders to find their way out. If bandits were to enter through one gate, villagers could shut all gates, effectively trapping them inside. Legend says a thief once climbed into the Pan mansion at night stealing many items but got lost within the maze until dawn and was caught by villagers. Though today the Bagua Alley is no longer fully intact with only four lanes and two gates remaining relatively complete, nevertheless, some visitors even today can spend hours wandering there unable to find an exit.
8. Chaste and Filial Archway: The archway was originally constructed in May of the fifth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (1727) and completed in July of the seventh year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (1729). It was built to honor Madam Li, the aunt-in-law of Pan Shiquan. After marrying into the Pan family, fourteen years later, her husband Pan Jun, a fifth-rank official, died on duty. Madam Li endured hardships and widowhood for half a century, raising their four sons to adulthood, all of whom successfully passed the imperial examinations and became officials. Her exemplary virtue was commemorated with this chastity archway at the age of 51, bestowed by the Yongzheng Emperor. The arch is constructed of blue bricks and red sandstone, featuring four pillars and double eaves. The characters “Jie Xiao” (chastity and filial piety) are inscribed prominently on the arch. At its top are designs of twin dragons and phoenixes, with the ridge embedding two dragons fighting for a pearl and a centrally carved character “Zhi” indicating an imperial decree. The horizontal beams bear carvings depicting stories from “The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars” and “Madam Li Teaching Her Sons.” Behind the arch’s brick wall are two inscribed bricks: one above the lintel notes “Completed in July of the seventh year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign”, confirming the construction date; the other in the lower right corner reads “Made by craftsmen from Shunfu Village”, attesting to the bricks’ origin and quality.
(Translated by Yang Hong)