Page 61 - JCAU-5-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Protection and utilization of traditional villages

15 horizontal lanes.” The lanes are paved with red
sandstone or hemp stone strips, ranging from 1 to
2 m wide, with 3 vertical lanes running North-South
and 15 horizontal lanes running East-West, effectively
building a favorable and convenient transportation
system within the village, and connecting to the
pond in front of the village to form a perfect drainage
system, which has never been blocked for hundreds
of years. There are 96 historic houses in the village,
with 13 ancestral halls, four schoolhouses, 12 old
wells, three gates, and five bawling towers (destroyed),
Figure 1. Location map of Jiangbian Village. Source: Compiled for the mostly built during the Ming and Qing dynasties,
present study. with the most well-preserved buildings being those
from the late Qing dynasty. There are several large and
River in the north, formerly known as “Jiangbin” and is small ponds in the village, and most of the ancestral
now called “Jiangbian.” Jiangbian Village was established halls are built along the ponds. There are 13 ancestral
around the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368) and gradually halls, with the Huang Ancestral Hall as the main
developed into a village, and flourished through Yuan, representative. In addition, there are seven ancestral
Ming (1368–1644), Qing (1616–1911), and Republican halls arranged in a single line from east to west in
(1912–1949) eras for more than 700 years. It was not until front of the village, and the rest of the ancestral halls
the reform and opening-up that the village environment are scattered across the village, and the houses in the
and infrastructure could no longer meet the demands of village are arranged in groups around each ancestral
increasing population that villagers chose to find new land hall (Figures 3 and 4).
to build new homes. The village construction of Jiangbian (iii) Featured vernacular culture and surrounding
Village is divided into two parts: one part is the traditional- resources.
style area, that is, the “old village,” where the historical Jiangbian Village, as a historic village on the shore
buildings and spatial pattern are relatively well preserved; of the Dongjiang River, is rich in cultural practices,
the other part is the “new village,” that is, the new houses with distinctive clan culture and folk customs. The
built around the old village after 1978. At present, most of importance attached to the clan ancestral hall reflects
the villagers live in the new village, and in the old village, the people’s identification with and reliance on the
the village pattern, street space, and traditional buildings clan system and reflects the culture of filial piety
of the Ming and Qing dynasties are preserved, which and ritual. Various historical buildings and the main
has high historical, cultural, and landscape values. The streets in the village are important places for cultural
Jiangbian Village described in this article refers to the old activities. Festivals such as “Marching over the Palace”
village area. and “Wong Tai Sin Festival,” as well as local dishes
and folk crafts such as Jiangbian Meatballs have a long
(i) Settlement pattern by the mountain and water: history.
Jiangbian Village is built on the back of the mountain
and faces the water, along the gentle slopes. Luowuling In addition to the historical settlement, there is Neolithic
Mountain behind the houses and Moyanting Pond in Wanfu An Shell Mound, which is about 5000–6000 years
front of the houses paint a picture of “geese resting next old, to the west of Jiangbian Village (named “Wanfu An
to the water in a beautiful environment.” Gangbeiling Shell Mound” because of an old temple called “Wanfu
1
Mountain on the left is the Green Dragon; Hubanling Temple” ). It is also one of the earliest Shell Mound seen
Mountain on the right is the White Tiger; Luowuling in the Pearl River Delta region. In addition, in the Qiufeng
mountain at the back is the Black Tortoise; the former Park of Jiuwei Village in the south of Jiangbian Village, there
2
Luofu Mountain remnant is the Vermilion Bird; and is a Bischofia javanica tree that is more than 1000 years old ,
the Dongjiang River is the White Jade Belt, which has which is still green and vibrant after 1000 years of wind and
a strong traditional Chinese fengshui cultural meaning rain, reflecting the pleasant beauty of the traditional and
(Figure 2). historic village of Lingnan (Figures 5 and 6).
(ii) Rustic and distinctive building system: The Jiangbian
Village is bounded by an old wall, covering an area 1 The people of Qishi used to refer to temples “An,” so this place
of about 71,600 sqm, and is laid out in a well-shaped is called “Wanfu An.”
network, forming a lane system of “three vertical and 2 The only existing thousand-year-old tree in Dongguan City.

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.406