[2024 Pujiang Attraction] Travel Guide for Songxicun (Updated Sep)
Ancient Villages
Address:
Songxicun, Pujiang, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
Opening times:
Open year round, 24/7Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
1-3 hours
Traveling in early summer? Don't miss these traditional ancient villages
Don't miss these traditional ancient villages. Songxi Village and the Zheng Residence, which is ten kilometers away, are both among the first batch of national traditional ancient villages. Compared to Zheng Residence, which has not retained many ancient relics and requires a ticket to visit the main attractions, Songxi Village undoubtedly allows for a longer stay.
【Complete Village Layout】
Songxi Village was settled by the Xu clan from the Southern Song Dynasty, and it has a history of over 800 years. The village still preserves a fairly intact ancient village layout. The sense of ceremony brought by the architectural features such as the bridge pavilion, ancient well, Guan Gong temple, ancestral hall, and stage at the entrance of the village is already more profound than many other ancient villages.
【Colorful Limestone Walls】
Songxi Village has been engaged in lime burning since ancient times, and there are lime kiln relics from the Song Dynasty beside the village. Many residential buildings in the ancient village are made of calcined limestone. The calcined limestone, with its minerals condensed like colorful glaze, is dazzlingly colorful, and each stone displays different colors and shapes, especially under the light.
【The Dark Stream Embodies Local Wisdom】
There are two streams in Songxi Village, one visible and one hidden. The hidden stream is covered by a long archway made of limestone, almost entirely covering the stream. Every few dozen meters, there is a port for villagers to use water daily. Above the archway, there are village roads or houses, and the archway itself is spacious and high, with a stone-paved bottom, making it a perfect spot to cool off in the summer.
【A Long Tradition of Painting and Calligraphy】
Songxi Village also has a strong cultural heritage. Walking through the village, one can occasionally see ancient murals and calligraphy on old walls. The village has spontaneously established poetry and painting societies that have been passed down for a hundred years, perhaps reflecting the entire Pujiang painting and calligraphy tradition. In addition to the earliest settlers, the Xu clan, there are also Shao family ancestral halls and other multi-surname residents living in harmony. In short, from the village architecture to the historical continuity, Songxi Village is a well-preserved ancient village and is one of the not-to-be-missed ancient villages in the central Zhejiang region.
Nearby attractions: Zheng Residence; Shangshan Cultural Site
VagabondDreamer
Special forces weekend trip to Pujiang, Jinhua for a one-day tour, a perfect encounter between ancient villages and gourmet food
🎉Trip to Pujiang, Jinhua, a journey of exploration into the serene charm of Jiangsu and Zhejiang🎉
🌿Location locked: Pujiang, Jinhua, a treasure land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang hiding countless quaint villages. Whether the weather is clear and sunny🌞, or misty and poetic💧, every scene here comes with a natural filter, intoxicatingly beautiful🌲.
🗺️One-day tour itinerary:
📍Starting point: Yiwu Station → First stop: The first family of the south of the Yangtze River【Zheng Yimen】👑
💡Transportation tips: Self-driving is the most convenient, taking a taxi or bus may require patience, after all, travel is not about suffering😅.
🎟️Ticket information: Some small attractions inside the scenic area charge a fee, 53 yuan per person, overall good value for money👍.
🏛️Must-visit highlights: Walking past the nine archways at the entrance of the village is like stepping into a historical corridor. The main attraction is undoubtedly the Zheng family ancestral hall, where you can look up to see the huge plaque bestowed by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and the words 'Family of Filial Piety and Righteousness' inside shine brightly🌟. The ancient cypress planted by Song Lian himself is vigorous and powerful, witnessing the passage of time. The 168 family rules of the Zheng family listed in the ancestral hall are intricate but full of philosophy, worth reading carefully for many insights📚.
→ Second stop: A paradise on earth【Songxi Ancient Village】🏞️
🚙Transportation guide: Drive to the Houfo line of Pujiang County, and Songxi Village is nestled in the embrace of mountains.
💰Ticket benefits: Free access throughout the journey, highly recommended👍!
🌟Village impression: Songxi, a place that instantly captures my heart with its tranquility. The Guandi Temple and Xu family ancestral hall stand on both sides of the village entrance, antique and charming, especially the ox-leg wood carvings are lifelike and brightly colored as new🎨. Strolling around, the ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties are well-arranged, ancestral halls, halls, murals, gable walls... all telling stories of the past📖. What's rare is that this place has not yet been disturbed by throngs of tourists, you can stroll leisurely, play with lazy cats🐈, listen to the elderly narrate the village history, time seems to freeze at this moment, peaceful and beautiful🌸.
💰Budget summary:
📈Total transportation cost: 150 yuan (including round-trip high-speed rail and local transportation)
🍲Food expenses: 13.5 yuan (tasting authentic cuisine, great value🍜)
🎟️Attraction tickets: 53 yuan (fees for some small attractions at Zheng Yimen)
Pujiang, Jinhua, the beauty of your ancient charm has been deeply imprinted in my heart❤️. Many unexplored ancient villages await discovery, looking forward to the next time, to slowly walk through the stone-paved lanes, and savor the endless poetry of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang lands and the profound heritage of traditional Chinese villages📜. 💖The future is promising, see you again!👋
ExplorerEpisodes
Songxi Ancient Village in Pujiang is known for its unique 'underground river' built from stones
Two streams, one bright and one dark, flow through the village. A narrow and long pebble path connects 1560 ancient buildings... When it comes to the largest ancient village in central Zhejiang, Songxi Village in Pujiang is second to none.
Common sense would suggest that in times when transportation and information were underdeveloped, such a secluded place, dubbed a 'Peach Blossom Spring,' would easily become a 'poor mountain valley with unmarried daughters.' However, Songxi Village has broken this curse, with many grand mansions from the Ming and Qing dynasties, whose original owners were mostly 'scholarly gentlemen.' Songxi Village has a long-standing cultural tradition, with many people changing their fate through education. There have been numerous well-known painters, poets, and scholars from generation to generation.
Songxi Village is 23 kilometers away from the county town, with over a thousand households and a population of more than 3000. Originating from Jiguan Rock, the Songxi stream, bright and dark, passes through the village and then converges into one stream at the bridge pavilion to the south of the village. The village is named after the stream, with many buildings distributed along the banks of the bright stream and spanning over the dark stream.
Architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, wall paintings from the Republic of China, and slogans from the Cultural Revolution... The 800-year-long historical scroll is engraved on the mottled stone walls, inlaid on the dark roof tiles, and written on the long stone alleys. Songxi is now recognized as a Chinese Historical and Cultural Village, a National Ecological Culture Village, one of the first batch of Chinese Traditional Villages, and a Zhejiang Province Characteristic Tourism Village.
The greatest highlight of the ancient village is the magical dark stream. It runs directly underground, with large water access points at intervals. The dark stream is entirely built from black stones, spacious and cool inside, with crystal clear water and lighting facilities, allowing visitors to walk through barefoot. The construction of this 'underground river' from stones was an extraordinary feat, and the ancient people who designed this dark stream must have had superhuman wisdom and courage.
If there is a torrential downpour, the clear stream instantly turns into the Yellow River, with raging torrents bursting forth with the force of thunder, rushing downstream. At such times, let alone a person, even if an elephant were put in, it would be immediately swept away without a trace. Hehe, on the day I visited the ancient village, I encountered the roaring Songxi. The plan to wade through the water had to be postponed.
📍Detailed address: Songxi Ancient Village, Baima Town, Pujiang County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang
Ticket price: Free
⏳Time reference: 2 hours
HarmoniousEscapes
Treasure ancient town around Hangzhou! An ancient Jiangnan village that has been forgotten
Songxi Ancient Village Scenic Area
Located in Houfo Line, Pujiang County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province (about 2 hours drive from Hangzhou)
🅿️ Free parking at the village entrance
💰Admission: Free
Almost no commercial development, the original Jiangnan ancient village, the groundwater system runs through the whole village. The village preserves a large group of ancient buildings, which is currently the most well-preserved and largest ancient village in central Zhejiang.
It takes about 1 hour to visit the whole village, and the village is basically old people. There are several homestays and small shops.
The Guandi Temple, Xu Clan Ancestral Hall, and Shao Clan Ancestral Hall are quite distinctive.
🥢 In addition to Mulian Tofu and Firewood Tofu, there is also a special 'Guanyin Tofu', which is supplemented with leaves of a certain plant, recommended to try. The local tofu skin is also famous, you can take some back.