The district with the largest number of ancient villages in Beijing

The district with the largest number of ancient villages in Beijing is Mentougou District.

Mentougou District is Beijing's largest number of ancient villages, the best-preserved suburban counties, according to the relevant departments, the city reached the standard of 53 ancient villages, 38 of which are in Mentougou, in the process of ancient village protection work. So far, the selection of traditional villages in China, Beijing has nine villages elected, and Mentougou District accounted for six seats.

Mentougou District, 186 natural villages were formed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the earliest ancient villages originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty. 186 villages, villages with monuments, of which 33 villages are still more intact to maintain the original appearance of the ancient villages, accounting for the city of the existing ancient villages of 70%.

Mentougou District Cultural Committee Director Yan Hongliang introduced, Mentougou is a natural barrier to the western part of the capital, since ancient times is a place of war, with the local political, military and economic development, garrison military households settled into the village. At the same time, Mentougou was historically an ancient trade route to Shanxi, once prosperous, the merchants in the construction of this ancient road in line with the northern traditional courtyard "mansion", and gradually gathered into villages.

Mentougou ancient village well-protected historical reasons, but also practical reasons. Mountainous areas, inconvenient transportation, slow economic development, history, few large-scale war damage, and thus the ancient village can be preserved; since modern times, the decline of the ancient trade routes, Mentougou become less developed areas, the villagers settled down, few out, coupled with the economic inability to transform the courtyard villages, and over time to preserve the original appearance of the ancient village.