Written by Veronica |
Taxia Village is located in a valley surrounded by mountains in Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Fujian province. It is a typical Hakka settlement, where “two mountains sandwiched between water, with an iron gate blocking the way”.
A small stream in the village flows from one end of the village to the other end of the village, in an S-shape, which is like the eyes of Yin and Yang fish in Taiji, creating a classic Chinese Taichi Village. The village is dotted with 45 round or square Fujian Tulou of different sizes, with Yude Tulou and Shunchang Tulou as the most famous.
Taxia Village is a pure Hakka village and was selected as the seventh batch of Chinese historical and cultural villages in 2018. It is now also part of the UNESCO-listed Fujian Tulou heritage. When taking a Taxia Village tour from Xiamen, immerse yourself in the Hakka ancestral temple culture and peaceful rural life.
Taxia VillageĀ Facts
- Location: Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian province
- Ticket Price: Taxia Village is free to enter, but it is located within the Tianluokeng tulou cluster scenic area, so you need to pay 100 yuan for a ticket to visit the Taxia Village.
- Opening Time: 24 hours
- Hong Long to Visit It: around 2 hours
- Best for: Anyone who are interested in Chinese architecture and traditional culture
Why Visit Taxia Village
- The living fossil of Hakka culture: It is a witness to the bloodline ethical relations and the traditional culture of Hakka people living together in clans. It is also an important example for studying the historical evolution of Fujian’s earth buildings and the construction techniques of large rammed earth dwellings.
- The forms of earth buildings are diverse, including common square and circular ones, as well as curvilinear and zigzag-shaped ones. What is most unique is that here there are also single-enclosure earth structures and brick and wood structures with hanging corners that imitate the water towns of Zhejiang and Hangzhou, forming a layout with large buildings surrounded by smaller ones and a staggered height.
- Tiaoxia Village still preserves intangible cultural heritages such as Hakka puppet showsand Hakka earth building construction techniques.
What to See in Taxia Village
There are 51 Fujian tulou and more than 30 small and unique houses in Taxia Village, and the oldest house is 391 years old. The earliest tulou is Fuxing Building, built in the fourth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1631).
Daba Tulou Cluster
Located in the Daba village of Taxia Village, there are 22 existing Hakka Tulou Clusters such as the Yanshan Building, Shunxing Building, and Wenxuan Building, among which the most distinctive ones are the Hexing Building and Sanba Building.
Taxia Tulou Cluster
ThisĀ fujian tulou complexĀ contains a total of 29 residential buildings such as the Wujiao Building, Meitou Building, and Junyuan Building, among which the most distinctive one is the Yude Building. Yude Building, with its apron-like shape, has become an amusing spot in Taxia Village. Located in the upper reaches of the river in Taxia Village, the front half of the building is four stories high, with 10 rooms on each floor. The back half is three stories high, and only a half-moon-shaped tiled earth wall stands on one side, making the whole building look like an apron.
Deyuan Hall
According to the āZhang Clan GenealogyāĀ of Taxia Village, people built their own family temple “Deyuan Hall” on the eastern hillside of Taxia Village in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty in order to honor their ancestors and inherit their greatĀ virtues, which is one of the most complete ancestral buildings of ancient family names in China.
Deyuan Hall is a typical two-layers building, crossing into the main hall, the roof ridge is composed of various porcelain reliefs, such as famous historical figures; a dragon, a phoenix and other rare birds and animals; peonies, chrysanthemums and other plants. Not only the composition is exquisite, but also the decoration is very magnificent, which is a stunning masterpiece.
There is a semicircular pond outside the front wall of the hall, and 24 stone dragon flagpoles stand on the edge of the pond, which are still well preserved. The top of the flagpole has two shapes of a pen and a lion, representing civil officials and military officials respectively. These flagpoles were erected by the descendants of the Zhang clan who had official positions since the Qianlong period (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty, in order to commemorate the outstanding Zhang people and their contributions to their hometown, which is a symbol of the Hakka people’s advocating civilization and education.
Therefore, the site is very particular, the mountain behind the Deyuan Hall looks like a lying tiger, and the temple itselfĀ is the head of aĀ tiger, whose back is the highest mountain in the Taxia Village.
Folk Customs of Taxia Village
People of Taxia Village attach great importance to festivals and hold sacrificial activities every month along with farming activities to worship the land Lord or ancestor.
Every time the villagers hold happy events in their homes, such as birthdays, marriages, relocation, and other matters, they must worship their ancestors first, and then they can invite guests to their homes to celebrate dinner. Family members also light incense to worship ancestors after returning from a long trip. After returning to Taxia Village, all the reputable overseas Zhang relatives would worship their ancestors in Deyuan Hall, following strict etiquette and procedures.
Essential Tips for Visiting Taxia Village in Fujian: Food, Weather & Transportation
Local Gourmet Food to Try
For Chinese tea lovers, Ta Xia Village has the first tea farm in Nanjing County. There, you can savor Anxi Tieguanyin, Maoxi, Mei Jian, and Wulong tea. Tea-picking experience is also available.
For foodies, the delicacies in Ta Xia Village, such as preserved pork with lotus root, dried persimmons, spring rolls, Hakka braised pork, stuffed tofu, five-spice rolls, taro dumplings, taro mash, preserved plums, and Yangmei wine, will make your mouth water.
How to Get to Taxia Village
- The best way is to take a private car to depart from Nanjing County, passing through Nanxiang Town, Chuangchang Town, Shuyang Town, Qujiang, and arrive at Taixia Village.
- If you travel from Xiamen to Taxia Village, it takes about 2.5 hours; from Zhangzhou or Quanzhou, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- If you travel on a budget, and are looking for pubic transportation, there are regular buses. From Nanjing, take City Bus No.6 to Shuyang Village, and take a taxi to Taxia. From Zhangzhou city, you can find the “Tulou Express Bus”.
Best Travel Time
The spring and autumn (March to May and September to November) with mild weather are the best time to visit Taxia Village. Some like visit it in summer to take photos of the tulou in the mist after rain. Winter is the low season without many tourists.
Attractions nearby Taxia Village
- Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster: It is one of the popular scenic spots in Fujian tulou. Four round tulou and one rectangular tulou form the renowned landscape of this complex, “Four dishes and one soup,” which attracts people from all over the world.
- Hongkeng Tulou Cluster: It is one of the outstanding representatives of Hakka tulou in Yongding, and it is also one of the living fossils of Chinese traditional residential architecture and folk culture.
- Yunshuiyao Ancient Village: There is a thousand-year-old banyan tree group, and the oldest tree needs more than 10 adults to hug. The idyllic natural landscape and well-preserved earthen houses complement each other, attracting many tourists to visit. Besides, it gained a reputation for being the location of an excellent film.
Travel to Taxia Village with Chinaxiantour and Admire Tulou Architecture
If you are interested in ancient Chinese architecture and want to learn about its styles, types, and art, we can customize a trip for you a trip to the Tulou buildings in Taxia Village, and other best examples of Chinese architecture. Just contact usĀ in a way you like and discuss with us your requirements, and then China Xian Tour will create a China tour for you.
