| Xiamei Ancient Village |
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Xiamei is a quintessential village in Wuyi area. From the slow pace
to smiley face, everything seems simple yet heart-warming.
Well-preserved ancient buildings are the highlights of many villages
in Wuyi. Surely, the grandest of all is always the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall of Zou family in Xiamei is a building that exemplifies
the architectural achievement of the area in Ming and Qing Dynasty.
The prosperity back then could be attributed to the thriving tea
business.
Listening to the typical southern drizzle, sipping tea with old
granny here, it's almost like time machine has sent me back to couple
hundred years ago in Qing Dynasty. And judging from the intricate
wood carvings, stone carvings, this house definitely belonged to
a high- ranking official at the time.
Some of the decorations are only to be found in such families.
There is always a certain good wish behind each pattern, such as
passing imperial exams and getting promoted, or having longevity
and lots of kids. Some designs were taken after the traditional
operas of auspicious meaning.
Around 30 ancient buildings built couple hundred years ago are
still well in existence now in Xiamei village.
In ancient time, this part was considered the far side of China
because Fujian was never the center of prosperity two thousand years
ago. At the time, the capital city Chang'an was located way up north.
But can you imagine that right in this area, a capital city of an
ancient Kingdom was excavated. And judging from those tiles, and
the structure of this whole kingdom relic, their civilization has
reached a certain high level. So follow me to check out some of
the cool details in the ancient Minyue Kingdom relics. Every morning,
all the officials would come in from that end of the palace to report
to their king. And they would follow some strict rules before coming
into the main palace. Such as taking baths, and changing into official
robes. And lastly, they would kneel down before their great king. |
