Walking tour of Jing County - visiting the ancient village of Chaji

Ancient villages are the crystallization of my country's thousands of years of farming culture. They preserve a long period of historical evolution and are one of the unique forms of historical and cultural relics. Southern Anhui is the place with the highest concentration of ancient villages in my country, mainly distributed in the counties under the jurisdiction of Huangshan and Xuancheng. However, the geographical environment surrounded by mountains and rivers has given birth to a completely different cultural ecology. Ten years ago, I traveled to southern Anhui, walking alone through the low mountains and hills of southern Anhui, visiting the ancient villages hidden in the mountains of Jixi, Shexian, Yixian, and Xiuning... For me, it was an unforgettable travel experience... Time flies... Ten years later, I set foot on southern Anhui again, but this time I did not revisit the old place, but chose the quiet little town - Jingxian. "Whose house is deep in Wuling? Let's check it out on both sides of the river." Hidden in the deep mountains about 60 kilometers away from Jingxian County, there is an ancient village that looks like a paradise on earth - Chazhi Ancient Village. Chaji, formerly known as "Cha Village", is one of the largest existing ancient villages from the Ming and Qing dynasties in my country. The surname Cha is one of the ancient Chinese surnames, and there are many different opinions about its origin and history. The name of Chaji Ancient Village comes from the settlement of the Cha clan and the commemoration of their ancestral hometown, Jiyang, Shandong. Chaji Village was first built in the early Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, reached its peak in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and declined in the late Qing Dynasty and modern times. It has a history of more than 1,300 years. It is reported that during the heyday of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chaji built a total of 108 ancestral halls, 108 temples, and 108 bridges. Because Zhaji’s ancestral home is in Shandong, he worships the 108 heroes of Song Jiang in “Water Margin”. Therefore, the number “108” is emphasized in the building to demonstrate the power of clan and faith. The Taiping Rebellion and the Cultural Revolution destroyed the ancient village buildings. The Chazhi Ancient Village complex is located on both sides of the Chazhi River and stretches for 10 miles. After thousands of years of wind and rain, there are still nearly 200 ancient buildings, including more than 40 bridges, 30 ancestral halls and 4 temples. Buildings such as the "Degong Hall" built in the Yuan Dynasty, the "Yongqing Hall", "Jinshi Gate", "Erjia Temple" and "Honglou Bridge" built in the Ming Dynasty have important historical and cultural value. Chazhi is a village filled with ancient charm and history. Here, the streets and alleys are connected, the houses are scattered, and the eye-catching pink walls and black tiles are full of the distinctive characteristics of southern Anhui folk houses. The five-fold horse-head walls, undulating ups and downs, are like flowing music under the bright sky between the mountains. Chazhi is a low-key, original ancient village, which is different from Hongcun's great reputation and strong commercial development atmosphere. "Ten miles from Cha Village, nine miles of smoke, three streams converge to flow into thousands of households." Chazhi, this quaint village, still has smoke from chimneys rising from every household within a mile. For lovers of history, architecture and humanities, Chazhi is worth a visit. Time flies, and seasons flow, but we can also slow down time, let our mind take the breeze to wander in the vast countryside of southern Anhui, and experience the "slow life" of the countryside in southern Anhui... Shanghai, China