The next village waiting for us to explore is Shanggantang Village, which is located in the south of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. It is claimed to have a history as long as at least 2,200 years. In 111 BC, it was directly under the jurisdiction of Xiemu County, newly established by Emperor Wu of Western Han (157-87 BC). In 589 AD, Xiemu County was abolished, therefore, Shanggantang returned to be a common village again.
  • Gantang is a kind of wild pear. The Book of Odes recorded a story about how the ancestor of a Zhou Clan protected the wild pear trees from being picked. Before 1949, the family name Zhou was the only surname for the local villagers. In memory of the ancestors, the local people call the village Gantang.
  • Gantang Village is composed of two parts based on their locations. The first one is called Shanggantan (upper part of Gantang) because it is located around the upper part of the Mu River. The other one is called Xiagantang, which is situated at the lower part of the River.
  • The history of the 10, 00-year-old village was recorded on this stele.

    A Stone pavilion or stone tower, later called Yuepi Pavilion was built along the courier road at the Xiemu riverside, located at the southeast of Shanggantang Village. There is no way to know the time when it was built and destroyed. The Chinese name of the pavilion was engraved on a stone wall which is over 10 meters in height and approximately 100 meters in length. 12 tablets used for keeping records of events and advocating charitable and pious deeds, 10 poem tablets and 2 exhortation tablets were also inscribed on the wall side by side. Engraved from Song Dynasty till Qing Dynasty, these tablets tell the history of the village.
  • IBu'ying Bridge, a three-hinged arch bridge stretching over the Mu River, is preferably called as Half Bridge by the locals.
  • It is the oldest bridge existing in Hunan Province. It is commonly heard in the village that a talent will show up if a piece of stone dropped from the Half Bridge. With its profound culture tradition, a lot of talents were fostered, who later on walked across the bridge towards the outside world.
Next to Bu'ying Bridge is Wenchang Tower, built around the Ming Dynasty when it was ruled by Emperor Wanli. Stepping into the tranquil tower, you will be fascinated by several pieces of broken steles and stone door heads engraved with Chinese dragon and phoenix lying in the grass with dazzling sunshine glistening.
  • The clear and shallow Mu River flows quietly for almost 2200 years.
  • When approaching the once crowded and busy ancient village, you may feel that time stops at this moment. The further you walk the more peaceful in your heart.
You may by chance come across a couple of old people who are dozing off in the sunshine.
You will also meet some children, who are happy with their own businesses.
The blue stone slab under feet and those elaborately designed carvings seen everywhere are the evidences of the village's prosperity in the past. The sealed history begins to be disclosed to the public again.
  • Photos taken by Ma Jinhui
  • Tanslated by Liu Pingbo
  • Chinese script edited by Zang Jie
  • Designed by Yang Lu, Miao Lin
English Edited by Qiu Xian & Pang Yuehui