He Ancient Town

"Hegao's scenery is as good as Gusu", Minghe Ancient Town, located in the south of Guanhaiwei Town, Cixi City, Ningbo.

The thousand-year-old ancient town is rich in natural resources and has outstanding people. It is the only provincial historical and cultural town in Cixi City. The ancient town is built on the mountain and the town is built on the river. There is a temple on the edge of the town, and fishermen and farmers live by the river.

Minghe Ancient Town was first built during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It has been 1,200 years old and is a historical and cultural protection area. According to historical records, Yu Shinan's ancestor Yu Song once built a astronomical tower here. His nephew Yu Xi used this high tower to discover the "precession of the equinoxes", which was a great contribution of ancient Chinese scientists to world astronomy and a great achievement in history.

According to local chronicles, during the Yuanhe period of the Tang Dynasty, a fellow villager named Yu Jiugao (Zi Minghe) passed the imperial examination in Chang'an, the capital, but unfortunately died of illness. In order to commemorate his and the Yu family's contributions, the villagers called his hometown Minghe. It has a history of 1,200 years and is now a provincial historical and cultural protection area.

Unlike other ancient towns in China that were built along the river, Minghe Ancient Town was built along Baiyang Lake and close to Wulei Mountain. It is a veritable mountain and water ancient town. The street was built along the mountain, the town was built because of the river, and there is a temple on the edge of the town. Today, there is no excessive commercial development. There are no tickets to visit the ancient town, and there are too many tourists. It is quiet and beautiful, especially worth a visit.

Minghe Ancient Town is mainly composed of three long streets, namely Shangjie, Zhongjie, and Xiajie. Zhongjie is the most prosperous. It was once the essence of Minghe and carried all the glory of the ancient town for thousands of years. It is about 1,500 meters long and was a prosperous place for business in the history of the three northern regions. In the early years of the Republic of China, Minghe Ancient Town was an important distribution center for the "three whites" (cotton, white cloth, and rice) in Cixi. At that time, there were more than 200 ships moored in the street river. Today, although the old street is not as prosperous as it was in the past, you can still appreciate the charm of the ancient town.

Historically, Minghe Ancient Town had a relatively developed trade and was a distribution center for cotton, white cloth, and rice. The old street is about one mile long, and the ancient style still exists. Shops and houses are built along the river. There are seven ancient stone bridges on the river, among which the steep pond, the canal, and the beach bridge are Cixi city-level cultural relics protection units.

2 Fangjiahetou Village

Fangjiahetou Ancient Village is currently the most famous ancient village cultural heritage in Cixi City. It is surrounded by Lingxu Mountain on three sides. The terrain is high in the south and low in the north. Streams flow around the village, the groundwater veins are smooth, and the village is shaded by ancient trees. Stepping into the "Hetou" realm, the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers lingers.

Hetou Village is located in the south of Fanshi, Longshan Town, and is adjacent to Huangyangao Village in the east. It is only 2 kilometers away from Ningbo Yagerda Pengshan Tourist Resort, and the administrative area is 1.2 square kilometers.

In 2003, Hetou Village was named the first batch of Cixi City-level Historical and Cultural Protection Areas for its "beautiful water, ancient trees, and numerous relics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". The villagers of Hetou Village are mainly surnamed Fang. According to legend, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the ancestors of the Fang family of Hetou moved here and gradually became a local prominent family. Therefore, the ancient village is also called "Fangjia Hetou".

"Old" is a basic temperament of Hetou Village. This "old" has nothing to do with aging. The old leaves of the trees are new, and the water of the wells is clear. There are still people living there. The wells, the short squares, and the white exterior walls in the village all indicate the history of the village. Many old houses are still inhabited by people. Under the black tiles in the gray walls, clothes are hung and meals are cooked. It is full of the breath of life, as if the old and new time and space are intertwined.

3 Shanxia Village

Shanxia Village is located in Longshan Town, Cixi City. It is the location of the Fulongshan Scenic Area and the national cultural relic protection unit - Yu's Residence.

The old house of Yu's family is a private house built by Yu Qiaqing in his hometown after he went to Shanghai to do business and made a fortune. It is a successful example of the combination of Chinese and Western architecture in modern Chinese architecture. It is a historical object for studying Yu Qiaqing, a representative figure of the modern "Ningbo Gang" and an important figure in China's modern economic and financial history. The old house of Yu's family is named "Tianxu Hall", which means "the joy of family", and was announced by the State Council as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units in June 2001.

In addition, the century-old Shuzitang and Jijintang old houses in the village are well preserved. The traditional brewing process of the century-old Wanshun Brewing Factory has been passed down to this day. It is the only modern industrial and commercial relic in the Three Norths that is well preserved and still in operation.