On weekends, when the weather is good, go to the countryside of Meizhou to walk around and listen to the crisp song of birds in the mountains, play in the creek and catch fish and shrimp, or go to the rice field to smell the fragrance of rice flowers, feel the joy of living together with egret birds and big buffaloes, and enjoy the old Hakka houses with carved beams and paintings, and listen to the stories of the ancestors told by the owners of the houses...... This is a good way to relax after staying in the city for a long time, and Zuitou Village in Bingcun, Meixian County can basically meet your above requirements at the same time.
On May 9, 2020, my wife and I were invited by a fan friend of the Xie family who we had never met to enjoy the Hakka houses and rural scenery in his hometown Zuitou Village, Bingcun Town, Meixian District.
Zuitou Village is about 8 kilometers away from Bingcun Town, which is the water source of Lei Gongkeng in Bingcun.
The houses in Zuitou Village are distributed in three relatively flat ravines, and the stream flows from the end of the village to the vicinity of the village head, and then merges into a small river that flows to Leifeng Village (known as "Lei Gongkeng") and joins the Meijiang River.
Most of the houses in Zuitou Village are built on the mountain, and there are flat rice fields in front of them. Walking on the village road, enjoying the rural scenery full of life, the mood is particularly comfortable. If you go at the right time, you can also smell the fragrance of rice flowers and breathe in the fresh air on the side of the road.
The widening and construction of the roadbed of the main village road along the river was a practical thing that Mr. Xie Shihua, the deputy mayor of Guangzhou at that time, did for Zuitou Village. Walking on the village road, you can not only enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside along the way, but also easily go to the small river to play fish and catch shrimp.
This stream is not big, the water is not deep, the water flow is relatively gentle, some sections of the river have a stone bottom, adults play in the water is generally not dangerous, of course, do not be careless, as the saying goes, "strange mountains do not bully the water".
Walking up the creek to the meadow near the end of the village, we saw an interesting picture of a herd of buffalo grazing slowly, and egrets strolling leisurely beside the buffalo, occasionally pecking at bugs on the grass, and the egret and the buffalo seemed to have become good friends. When they saw me pick up my camera and point it at them, the egret thought I was going to shoot at them, and flew away with a frightened thud.
The largest existing old house in Zuitou Village is Huaiyong Building, which consists of two halls and eight horizontals. Among them, the two halls in the middle and the front of the bucket square (the outer wall of the door is called the bucket square) and the side of the bucket square door form a whole, which should be the earliest house pattern of Huaiyong Building. There are 3 horizontal houses on the left and right sides, which should be gradually expanded outward with the continuous increase of population in the later period. There is a water canal about one meter wide outside the wall, and the water in the canal meanders to the outer gate, symbolizing the wealth rolling in.
Exterior view of Huaiyong Building
Huaiyong Building Doorway
Huaiyong Building
Zuitou Village cannot fail to mention the Guanghua Building built at the foot of the mountain behind the rice fields eighty or ninety years ago, and the beautiful murals in the front of the house show the luxury of the old house. According to the hostess, their ancestors went to French Réunion to make a living, and a hundred years ago, the main means of transportation was by fireboat, and to go to Réunion had to pass through the "Seven Continents Ocean". The hardships along the way are unimaginable, and there are very few people who can earn money to return to their hometowns to buy land and build houses. The former owner of Guanghua Building is one of the lucky few, and the ups and downs of it are probably only known to the builders themselves.
Exterior of Kwong Wah Building (partial)
One of the murals of Guanghua Building
There are many people in Zuitou Village who go abroad to make a living, and some of them return to their hometowns to build houses after success, and Yiyi Building is one of them. Yiyi Building was built by the overseas Chinese Xie brothers in Singapore during the Republic of China, and it took 8 years to build. The murals of flowers, birds, insects and fish above the gate of Yiyi Building and in the house are closer to the modern style.
The overseas Chinese in Zuitou Village love their hometown and are enthusiastic about the public welfare undertakings in their hometown, such as the existing teaching buildings, school gates, school roads, fences, basketball courts, etc. of Zuitou Primary School. In the early days of reform and opening up, there were also overseas Chinese who invited the Xie villagers in the village to dinner, and some overseas Chinese sent towels and soap to every household. "Thousands of miles to send goose feathers, the courtesy is light and affectionate", the affection of overseas Chinese in Zuitou Village to their hometown can be seen from this.
Tourism is not only about enjoying the beautiful scenery and relaxing, but also about increasing knowledge. Follow me, more beautiful scenery of Meizhou is waiting for you!