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

Описание: The villagers of Waisha Village are mostly descendants of Zhu Ying, the Crown Prince's Tutor in the Ming Dynasty. Since their migration to this place in the mid-Ming Dynasty, the Zhu family has continuously lived and multiplied here, gradually forming a settlement family village dominated by the blood ties of the Zhu family. The village is centered around the Zhu Ancestral Hall, with more than 100 ancient residential buildings. There is one ancient ancestral temple, three ancient temples, one ancient academy, over 100 ancient residential buildings, one ancient bridge, one ancient tomb, about 10 ancient sculptures (referring to independent stone horses, Buddha statues, etc., excluding stone carvings, brick carvings, and wood carvings attached to buildings), about 10 ancient stone inscriptions, and four ancient plaques.

Centered around the Zhu Ancestral Hall (Taibao Di), other ancient residences are neatly arranged around the ancestral hall and the main alleyway. This layout underscores the ancestral hall's status as the spiritual and public activity center of the village. The alleyways within the village crisscross, paved with bluestone slabs and river pebbles, and equipped with drainage ditches. This design is not only practical but also effectively connects over 100 ancient residences like beads on a chain, forming an orderly framework of the village.The height of buildings strictly follows old customs, which stipulate that "the front building cannot be taller than the rear building, and the tallest cannot exceed the ancestral hall", in order to maintain the dignity of the patriarchal clan system and etiquette.