In Their Footsteps – The Majianglong Village
I had to hurry through the Majianglong Village because time with the hired car was up soon. Even a quick walk through the village brought forth quite a different experience from the previous two sites that I visited, the Zili Village and Liyuan Garden.
Majianglong Village became a designated diaolou viewing spot more recently than the Zili Village. As a result of becoming a designated tour site, Majianglong Village met a turnaround of its circumstances: a bridge was built to connect the village to the highway network in Kaiping.
I had no time to visit the interiors of the diaolou’s there. Instead, I rather enjoyed the shaded walk amidst the bamboo woods throughout the village. The sites are spread throughout the village, and even a quick walk would take at least 45 minutes.
The History of Majianglong Village
Majianglong Village was established in the late 19th to early 20th century. Five villages make up the hamlet. The villagers are of the Huang and Guan clans. In this village about 13 diaolou’s are located along a shady path that meanders through other shorter, century-old village homes. It is in this wholesome setting that one embarks on a heritage walk full of pleasant surprises.
A Tour of the Diaolou’s at Majianglong Village
It was near-poetic to walk through Majianglong Village and its diaolou cluster. It was a world in itself with an environ that fuses nature seamlessly with human footprints.
The first sighting of a diaolou appeared right at the village entrance.
The Tianlu Lou
The Tianlu Lou is namely the most famous of all the diaolou’s in Majianglong Village. As a zhonglou, it came into existence by the villagers’ pooling of funds intended for a communal residence with defensive features. 29 villagers of the Huang’s contributed to the construction of Tianlu Lou in 1925. It is believed that Tianlu Lou costed 12,000 silver coins to build.
The nature of a zhonglou is seen in how the villagers used this building. In this part of Kaiping at those times, the bandits menaced the villagers. The bandits eyed the enormous wealth of the overseas Chinese and abducted young children for ransom. Tianlu Lou was for the male members of those families that contributed funds to this building to rest at night.
Needless to say, such an expensive building would come with the most thoughtful amenities for its residents. There are 29 bedrooms in total from the 1st to the 5th floors. The 6th floor is a communal room, and the 7th floor is a lookout station. The very top floor is fitted with a four-cornered pavilion with a pyramidal roof.
The poetic walk into the Majianglong Village followed the brief look at the Tianlu Lou. As I walked into the dense shades of a woody area, I passed by thickets of bamboo, spreading in round groupings like roll-up curtains. A strange sensation arrived as I headed on the village path. An overwhelming din approached me as the distinct cool of spring zephyrs brushed my face. It felt as if nature turned up its loudspeaker to welcome its visitors. There must have been cicadas that woke to the call of an approaching summer. Unnamable birds chirped their spring symphonies. It felt wild walking amidst such a pleasant cacophony, but the scenery bespeaks an intention to keep the natural features in a respectable state. The efforts of tree trimming are clearly seen.
Soon the scenery opened up to the site of the next diaolou.
The Jun Villa
In terms of architectural features, I liked Jun Villa the most amongst all the diaolou’s in Majianglong. The Jun Villa is a julou, which served residential purposes. Its owner Guan Chongjun returned from years living in Canada and built this structure in 1936.
There are four stories with a flat roof. The building is a concrete structure. Its exteriors show a burgundy theme that rhymes with the tradition of auspiciousness. Western elements adorn the window sills.
The Chang Villa
The Chang Villa stands next to the Jun Villa. Also built in 1936, the Chang Villa has four stories and it is a structure of concrete. It features a small balcony with roman columns. It also shows western elements that adorn the windows.
The Baozhang Lou
Meaning “Security Building,” Baozhang Lou has 5 stories with “swallow’s nests” as its security feature and also gun holes. It was built in 1925.
The Lin Villa
Lin Villa’s owner Guan Dinglin was an overseas Chinese in Mexico, who spent 12,000 silver coins for this building. He took the last character of his Chinese name to be its name. Since 1936, the building has 4 stories and it was built in concrete with a flat roof. Like Jun Villa, this building features beautiful window décor, and also with burgundy exterior.
The Qinglin North Gate Tower
On the way to exit the village, you will see a shorter diaolou called Qinglin North Gate Tower, right at the Qinglin Village, one of the five villages in Majianglong. This three-story structure was built in the early years of the Republican period. The first floor serves as the gateway into the village. The lookout is where the four sides overhang, and it is fitted with gun holes as well.
It was an incredible experience walking through Majianglong. There are certainly other Diaolou’s there that I didn’t manage to find. I simply followed along the “suggested route” and saw what lied on the way. Suffice to say, that I had seen a number of key diaolou’s there.
The final stop of the day is the Chikan Ancient Town, where my friend and I will be staying for the evening. I hopped on the hired car and off we went to Chikan.
Sources
Descriptions on site at the Majianglong Village.
Baike.baidu.com, The Most Beautiful Village in the World.