Guan Guonuan's former residence is like a building.
The architecture of Shrimp Village New Village blends Chinese and Western cultures, which has a unique taste.
Chikan developed from the Tanjiang River system, rooted in this vicissitudes of land, absorbing the nutrients of the red clay under his feet, giving birth to an extraordinary legend, but also refining the excellent quality of the people on this land to work hard, love the country and love the hometown. In the northeast of Chikan Town, Kaiping City, there is such a legendary ancient village, which has been built for more than 400 years, and is called Shrimp Village because of its village area resembling shrimp, also known as Shrimp Creek. It is now subordinate to Lingyuan Village, Chikan Town.
Walking into this ancient village, it is difficult to see the traces of history. Because with the improvement of the living standards of the villagers, many people have converted the original old houses into common houses today. However, about 200 meters east of the shrimp village, there is a new shrimp village that was "born" during the Republic of China. The architectural style there is a combination of Chinese and Western styles, integrating traditional Chinese gray sculptures, Roman columns, round arches, flower carvings and other architectural arts, as if telling an indelible story in history.
origin
The 14th ancestor of the Hufu Guan clan built a village
According to the "Genealogy of the Guan Clan" compiled and revised by the Guan Library in 2005, in the seventh year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Guan clan moved from Jianning County, Shaowu Prefecture, Fujian Province to Gangzhou, Guangdong, and Chunxi in the Southern Song Dynasty moved from Tanyali in Gangzhou to Huofu in the seventh year. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the 14th ancestor of the Hufu Guan clan built a village, because its village area resembles a shrimp, so it is called the shrimp village, also known as the shrimp stream.
There are about 90 traditional houses in Shrimp Village, which were built from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and the residential buildings are basically intact, and some of them are still inhabited. Between 1923 and 1936, returned Canadians from Shrimp Village successively built new houses on vacant land about 200 meters east of the village, named Yew Wah Fong, commonly known as "Canadian Village", which became Shrimp Village New Village, which is still part of Shrimp Village. The "Canadian Village" consists of 13 buildings, with a combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles, integrating traditional Chinese architectural arts such as plaster sculptures, Roman columns, round arches, and flower carvings. From a bird's-eye view of the shrimp village, you will find that the new shrimp village is like growing in the east of the shrimp village, with a strip of water.
According to Yu Yongen, the government affairs docent of Chikan Town, the architecture of Shrimp Village New Village contains the aesthetics and wisdom of Chinese and Western architecture. "From the shape of the gray sculpture and the design of the building, we can see the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Yu Yongen said. As a lover of gray sculptures, Yu Yongen likes to look for cultural treasures left by his predecessors here. "Look, the world represented by the sphere has an international flavor, and this pattern and pattern have the auspicious meaning of traditional Chinese culture. When Yu Yongen led reporters to visit Shrimp Village New Village, she always found some small surprises, and couldn't wait to share them with reporters while recording.
There are two watchtowers in Shrimp Village, which are the four mansions and the Canlu. Sihao Building was built in 1923, sitting north to south, 5 floors high, reinforced concrete structure, covering an area of 32.98 square meters. Canlu was built in 1926, composed of watchtowers and courtyards, sitting north to south, 3 floors high, reinforced concrete structure, covering a total area of 169.81 square meters. These two watchtowers are listed as immovable cultural relics in Kaiping City.
What is strange is that the old village of Shrimp Village not far away still has an actual population of more than 100 people. However, there are no more villagers in the new village, except for the staff who manage it and the occasional idle tourists who come to visit the village.
Past
The new village is gradually becoming known as the "Canadian Village"
On January 4, 2017, CCTV Chinese International Channel (CCTV4) filmed the large-scale documentary "Remember Homesickness" of "Chikan Ancient Town - Chongwen Shangyi", and the film crew, under the leadership of Guan Bangzhong, a descendant of the Guan family in Shrimp Village New Village, filmed the Chunru Building, Sihao Building, Guotao Building and other famous buildings in the "Canadian Village".
"Canadian Village" is actually Shrimp Village New Village, which was once named "Yaohua Fang". Yu Yongen introduced that in the early years of the Republic of China, Shrimp Village ushered in an overseas traveler who returned to his hometown, named Guan Guonuan, who ran to Canada alone many years ago, and now returns to his hometown. After returning to his hometown, he built the first western-style building in the east of the village, and then led the aspiring villagers to Canada to work hard. The name of "Yew Wah Fang" is a portrayal of the glory of China after the achievements of this group of people who have worked hard overseas.
Under the leadership of Guan Guonuan, the villagers who worked hard in Canada earned money and returned to their hometowns to buy land and build houses, and the new village of Shrimp Village was officially completed, because the villagers here have become overseas Chinese, so outsiders no longer call this place Yaohuafang or Shrimp Village, but renamed it "Canadian Village". However, if you want to come here, typing "Canadian Village" on your mobile navigation may be incorrect, but typing in "Shrimp Village" and you will always find it.
future
It is expected to become another cultural tourism business card in Chikan
Yu Yongen introduced that around 1923, Guan Guotao and other returned overseas Chinese in Canada funded the construction of villas in the east of his hometown Shrimp Village, and until 1936, 10 villas and 1 watchtower were built one after another. In 1950, the villagers of Shrimp Village began to immigrate to Canada one after another, until the 90s of the 20th century, all the residents of the village emigrated overseas, and now the village is no longer inhabited.
Walking in this quiet complex, savor the blend of Chinese and Western cultures. The plants in the complex grow extraordinarily lush because of the lack of human interference, which is quite wild, no wonder many tourists have come to check in and sightsee in recent years.
"At present, the development and protection of Shrimp Village New Village has attracted several qualified enterprises to come to check, and the basic direction is to develop the cultural and tourism complex. Yu Yongen told reporters that after the coordination of relevant government departments and relevant owners and property owners of Shrimp Village New Village, the development and protection of Shrimp Village New Village has been put on the agenda. Previously, the relevant departments also connected the shrimp village new village, and I believe that in the near future, this ancient village is expected to set off again and become another cultural tourism business card of Chikan Town.
Further reading:
Shrimp village customs
Since the villagers of Shrimp Village are all surnamed Guan, every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, the second day of the first lunar month (the beginning of the new year) and the tenth day of the first lunar month (turning on the lights), the villagers will worship Guan Gong in the village's Dengying study room. The lantern worship held on the 10th day of the first lunar month and the dragon dance held during the Mid-Autumn Festival are the main folk activities in the shrimp village.
On the 10th day of the first lunar month, the lanterns are turned on, and after the ancestor worship, the ancestor roast meat called lamp meat is distributed to pray for good times and prosperity. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the shrimp village will hold a dragon dance ceremony, play gongs and drums in the old village at night, and then turn back to the new village through the gate at the west end of the village, and go back and forth through the village once, on the way to worship Guan Gong and the god of Sheji. The dragon dance is led by dragon balls, shrimp lanterns, and fish lanterns.
The four mansions made meritorious contributions to resisting the Japanese invaders
During the revolutionary war, the people of Shrimp Village made good contributions to the revolutionary cause.
In 1945, the Japanese devils invaded the shrimp village, the villagers evacuated safely in advance, Lianglu, Weilu and other houses were looted, some villagers ambushed in the Sihao Building, the military workers shot on the roof of the building when the Japanese army passed, killing several Japanese soldiers, the Japanese army finally failed to invade the Sihao Building, and there were no casualties in the village. On June 9, 1949, in order to cooperate with the People's Liberation Army to move south and prevent the Kuomintang army from retreating, the Guan Zhan Organization of Shrimp Village mobilized the villagers to cut the communication line of the communication bridge next to the village, and set fire to the wooden bridge.
Guan Library
Guan Library is located on Shangbu Di West Road, Chikan Town, and is a public library owned by the Guan Overseas Chinese Collective, which is organized and managed by the Guan Overseas Chinese Library Committee and is responsible for all expenses.
In 1931, under the initiative of Guan Chongzao and Guan Guonuan, overseas Chinese living in Canada, overseas Chinese living in the United States, Canada and Southeast Asian countries, as well as compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, jointly raised funds to build the Guan Library. The building sits northwest to southeast, with a width of 12.53 meters and a depth of 19.69 meters on the first floor. The perimeter is surrounded by a fence and covers an area of 709.5 square meters. The building is a three-storey reinforced concrete structure, a combination of Chinese and Western, and a construction area of 900 square meters. The first floor is the reading room, the second floor is the book stack, the third floor is the conference hall, and the top floor is a large German clock. The library has a collection of more than 22,000 volumes, including "Four Libraries of the Whole Book" and "Wanyou Library" and other huge works.
The Guan Library was opened in 1932, and in 1948, Guangyu Middle School was established in the library. After maintenance in 1982, the museum was reopened on September 22 of the same year, and it is one of the overseas Chinese cultural relics protection units and tourist spots in Kaiping City.
Scholar Voice
He Yan, head of the Municipal Tourism Development Promotion Association: We must work cultural imprints
In order to protect and develop the shrimp village, it is necessary to work the cultural imprint, draw the soul of the ancient village, try to retain the architecture and original ecological environment of the village, rely on the cultural and historical heritage and pastoral scenery of the ancient village, build a certain number of characteristic homestays, and strive to support the farmer's special food and cultural and creative products and coffee, milk and tea bars and other streets to meet the diversified services of tourists. In addition, it will light up the night-time economy and create an immersive travel experience.
At the same time, it is necessary to vigorously create a dynamic visual feast, combine the history of the village, local customs and overseas Chinese culture, and launch a stage scene repertoire with local characteristics, so that tourists can experience the charm of rural culture in an all-round way.
Source: Jiangmen Daily