Chinese Traditional Village - Gaocun Village, Maqiao Town, Rucheng County, Hunan Province

Описание: Gaocun Village, formerly known as Gaogui Village, was founded in the Tang Dynasty. It was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, Song Jing and Song Shenxi, and produced over 50 talented individuals from various dynasties, including Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. Gaocun has a long history and has always been known as a cultural village. It has a rich cultural heritage and is renowned far and wide, just as the couplet on the gate post of the ancestral hall reads: "The high mountains are lined with treasures of the sky, the magnificent scenery is renewed, and the martial arts are upheld; the Gui River, the jade belt, the earth, the people, the mountains and rivers still shine with literary integrity.

According to records, Song Jing (663-737 AD), a member of the Song family in Rucheng, was known as Duke Wen Zhen and was one of the "Four Great Ministers" of the Tang Dynasty (the other three being Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yao Chong). During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, he held various positions including censor and Fengge She Ren, and was renowned for his integrity and righteousness. Before entering the capital as an official, he had just passed the imperial examination and was appointed by the court as the county magistrate of Yichang (now Rucheng). When serving as a county magistrate in Rucheng, his second son Song Cheng married the daughter of Zhang Jiuling (later a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty) from Qujiang, Shaoguan, Guangdong. After Song Jing was transferred from Rucheng, Song Cheng settled in Shitang, Rucheng, and was immediately regarded as the ancestor of Zhaoji by the Song family in Rucheng. Song Shenxi, the son of Song Cheng, served as the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty's "Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhang Shi" (Prime Minister) in 830 AD, earning him the nickname of "Three Prime Ministers of Ancestors and Grandchildren" of the Song family in Rucheng. After settling in Rucheng, Song Cheng passed down the six generations to Song Fang. Song Fang gave birth to eight sons, who moved to various places and distributed a large number of them, continuing to thrive. The eldest son Ruiqi resides in the ancestral home of Quanshui Shitang; Second son Ruizhen moved to Maqiao Gao Village; Sanzi Ruifeng moved to Chengshui (Zixing) in Xingning; Fourth son Ruixiang moved to Maqiao Hetang; Wuzi Ruilong moved to the Guidongdong River; Liuzi Ruiweng moved to Quanshui Nantuan; Seven sons Ruilin moved to Dejing and then moved to Quanshui Dianhua; Bazi Ruifeng moved to Xitou. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the Song family in Rucheng lasted for over 1200 years and multiplied for more than 40 generations.