Quiet Dongping Village Prose

After crossing the small stone bridge covered with ivy, we entered Dongping Village. A quiet, simple, rich and mellow, picturesque farmhouse style comes to your face. Stop and take a closer look. The background is the green rolling hills behind the village, and in front of you is a thin and winding street. On one side of the street are rows of houses, and on the other side is a gurgling creek. An old man held a cigarette in his mouth and looked at us with narrowed eyes. It seemed that the dogs were already used to it and didn't care about us rash intruders, just playing around. The spring sun enveloped the houses, the streets and me, making everything feel so peaceful and comfortable. I have been to many ancient towns and villages, and this is the first one that is so original. Dongping is like a village girl hidden in the mountains, without any makeup, no artificiality, beautiful and refined, charming charm.

Dongping Village is located in Hengdu Town, Sanmen, Zhejiang Province. It is named Dongping because the Dongkeng Mountain to the east of the village resembles a curtain screen. There are more than 700 households in the village and a population of nearly 2,500. It is the largest village in Sanmen County where the surname Chen lives. There are still more than 300 relatively complete ancient dwellings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties remaining in the village. Walking into the depths of the ancient village, you feel as if you have traveled back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The road is paved with cobblestones, with green grass on both sides; the wall is made of random stones, with moss hanging on the bottom; the window is round-arched, filled with human fireworks; the door is made of wood, and when you push it gently, it sounds like "Yiya". ring. Wandering in such a quiet alley, you can feel nostalgic or nostalgic for the past, and your impetuous heart will gradually calm down. Walking into a deep courtyard, I saw a big knife. The knife is shaped like the Qinglong Yanyue Knife and weighs 120 kilograms. It is said that it was used by Chen Shidong, a martial arts examiner who won the first place in Zhejiang Province and the fifth place in the country during the Qianlong period. It was this Chen Shidong who was later appointed by the imperial court as the garrison of Qiantang, Zhejiang, equivalent to the current commander of the provincial military region.

In Dongping, you will see a sign in front of almost every house that says - so-and-so authentic place. After asking the local villagers, I realized that Daodi refers to a house. In Dongping, there are still many large-scale tunnels preserved. Although they are dilapidated, we can still feel the charm and grandeur of those years from their architectural remains. The first authentic spot I saw was called "Shitan authentic spot". It is an early Qing Dynasty building, covering an area of ??475 square meters and a construction area of ??762 square meters. It is a double-story courtyard house with wooden structure. To the south is the big stone gate, and to the east are two gates. The three entrances and exits are connected by corridors. Because it was built on the rocky beach, it was named "Shitan Road." This road is recognized by the people of Dongping Village as relatively exquisite. Although it is not large in scale, it has a rigorous structure, reasonable layout, stone paving, and exquisite courtyards. There is an interesting story about this place. In the early years, due to disputes between township parties, the gate of the yard was piled with straw and the house was set on fire. The raging fire burned through the gatehouse. Unexpectedly, the gatehouse was a soybean warehouse. Several tons of soybeans poured down like mud, extinguishing the fire and the yard escaped disaster. Today, the traces of fire on the gatehouse and the burned hole are still visible like a scar that is difficult to heal.

There is also a famous Taoist temple in Dongping, known as "Huatang Santai". According to the "Chen Family Genealogy of Dongping Village", after the "Sea Ban" was opened during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the ancestors of the Chen family were good at business, accumulated a lot of wealth, and built a complex of residential buildings represented by "Huatang Santai". The most well-preserved among the "Huatang Santai" is "Chen Fanglai Residential House", also known as "Shangxinwu Authentic House". The site faces the north and south, faces the street and the stream, and covers an area of ??860 square meters. It has a second courtyard and wing rooms on the left and right. The exterior of this house has cornices and high corners, and the tall horse-headed wall is exquisite and elegant. The large patio inside is surrounded by a small patio, and the drum-shaped pillars are engraved with exquisite patterns. The doors, windows, beams and pillars are all carved with dragons and phoenixes, giving them an ancient charm. According to reports, this tunnel is an outstanding representative of Dongping’s ancient dwellings and is of great ornamental value. It also provides physical data for studying the architectural features of local ancient dwellings.

With the passage of time, most of the houses in Dongping Village have become like waning old people. Many of the former exquisiteness and beauty only have faintly visible marks and remaining carved beams and paintings. Walking through the cobbled courtyards and alleys, watching the sunlight reflecting off the dappled light and shadow on the uneven stones, I can only imagine the glory and splendor that Dongping Village once had. Fortunately, in 2013, Dongping Village was shortlisted in the second batch of Chinese traditional villages list announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. The county has also established the Dongping Historical and Cultural Village Protection and Utilization Headquarters. On the basis of not destroying the "authenticity" of the village, a detailed protection plan has been formulated and partial repairs have begun.

When I stepped out of the stone bridge at the entrance of the village, the setting sun was caressing this quaint village soothingly, and the colorful halo made this small village beautiful and enchanting. An eighty-year-old farmer came along the village road carrying bamboo shoots just dug from the mountain. I couldn't help but think of that song: "The blue sky has the sunset on my chest, and the colorful clouds are the clothes of the sunset...". Isn’t Dongping Ancient Village just solidified classical music?