Chengkan Ancient Village - No.1 Feng Shui Village in China

At the first sight, you may feel the architectures in Chengkan are in a neat and uniform Anhui style with high white walls and black roof-tiles. But watch closely, you will find that the walls, beams, doors, windows or other parts of the buildings are decorated with exquisite stone carvings, brick carvings, and wood carvings in different patterns such as clouds, lotus, birds, lions, monkeys. Inside the building, there is usually an open courtyard in the middle. The halls and rooms are connected by long corridors. The decorations and the overall layout of the house show the art taste of the owner and whether it is a well-off family. As Anhui people has the tradition to build houses after getting fame or money or to honor their ancestors, you can find many well-designed and valuable buildings here. Among them, Luo Dongshu Memorial Temple is undisputedly the grandest one.

Luo Dongshu Memorial Temple（贞靖罗东舒先生祠）, built in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty in 1539, is the essence of Chengkan scenic spot. This magnificent building featuring in “ancient, elegant, beautiful, and spacious” is reputed as the grandest memorial temple in China. It consists of four rows with each higher than the former one. It is a high-level Chinese ancient architecture representing the wealth of the family. The first three rows were built following the example of the Confucian Temple in Shandong Province, and the fourth following the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Palace Museum. The fourth row, where the famous Baolun Pavilion(宝纶阁) stands, is the tallest and the most magnificent. The courtyard here is narrow and deep, which contrasts strongly with the spacious and bright one in the third row, making people feel a sense of dignity and sternness.

In Baolun Pavilion, there are 10 huge stone pillars along the corridor and 46 wooden pillars in the hall. The 26 black marble slabs in the front are carved with vivid birds and beasts patterns in different postures. People believe that they can keep the evil outside. The arches, sparrow braces, beam heads and other wooden components are exquisitely shaped in clouds, vases, flowers, etc. After over 400 years, the colored drawings on the roof beams still look bright and charming, and are known as "rare folk painting treasures in China". Anyone who sees the building will be amazed at its large scale and the exquisite construction techniques.

In Chinese, Kan means both threshold and misfortune. Therefore, people in Chengkan believe that when you pass through the threshold, you will leave all your misfortunes behind. The mysterious Kan-passing culture has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years in Chengkan. The threshold(平安坎) is set near the Yongxing Lake with a stone mythical guardian beast sitting at each side.

Kan-passing is a must-do for all the tourists coming to Chengkan. Can’t wait to have a try? Don’t hurry, there is a certain code you need to follow. When stepping over the threshold, make sure that you are crossing from the middle and keep it in mind that men should lead with his left leg and women with her right leg. If you are here hoping for a promotion, or a safe and wealthy life, you are supposed to touch the tongue and then the head of the guardian beast piously. All finished, you will be blessed with all the good luck.

Cultivate Your Character at Zhongying Street(钟英街)

Zhongying means a well-endowed region that has brought forward men of talent. As the main street in Chengkan, Zhongying street is much wider than the other streets. It is also known as the official street because here resided many official families. In China, people pay much attention to the family traditions and think they have a great impact on the prosperity of the family. Therefore, they usually have a series of family mottos that inspire the family members to grow into upright, knowledgeable, and decent people. Standing on Zhongying Street, the archaic buildings on both sides seem to bring you back to the old days when the family mottos echo at your ear to help you cultivate your character. Above the street is Zhongying Tower which was used to tell the time and enjoy the cool. Spend some self-time here and see what insights you will get.

Once you step into Chengkan, you will find the beautiful Yongxing Lake waiting for you quietly. Situated at the entrance of Chengkan, Yongxing Lake is a bit like a miniature version of the South Lake in Hongcun, however with a much larger amount of lotuses. The villagers prefer to call it "Shuikou", which means the source of water, because all the water sources in the village converge here. As the Eight Diagrams theory puts it, water gathers money. Therefore, Yongxing Lake is also considered as a place where fortunes and blessings join together. Yongxing Lake is the most beautiful in July and August when all the lotuses blossom. Imagine how relaxing it would be to sit beside Yongxing Lake with the breeze puffing across the water.

Autumn sunning is a major feature of Chengkan village which can only be seen in autumn, usually from September to November. As there is no big sunning ground in Chengkan, the villagers are used to spreading the rice, corn, pepper, soybean and other crops harvested on the large square beside Yongxing Lake to dry them up. The activity usually occurs in autumn, so it is called Autumn Sunning. As the crops are in different colors, a pleasant and spectacular picture will be formed when the colorful crops are spread on the ground and over time it has become a unique landscape in Chengkan. Sometimes, special patterns such as the Chinese characters like “国庆” or the name of the village “呈坎” may be formed to celebrate the National day in October 1st. Chengkan at this time is usually overwhelmed by the happiness of harvest.

Recommended Visiting Route

Chengkan is not large and it would not take long (about 2 hours) to finish the tour. However, the 99 interwoven lanes seem to turn this small village into a maze and want to hold you back for a little longer. Therefore, we recommend you to travel with a tour guide so that you can learn more about the culture and history of the village and avoid getting lost. The following route marked in red in the map which covers most of the sites is only for your reference:

Entrance – Yongxing Lake (recommended photo-taking spot, especially in summer) - Lower house(下屋) (where you can find the I Ching Hall) – Yanyi Hall(燕翼堂) (an ancient house built in the Ming Dynasty) - Luo Chunfu House(罗纯夫宅)- Zhongying Tower (钟英楼) - Huanxiu Bridge (环秀桥)(the oldest building in the village, recommended photo-taking spot) - Changchun Commune (长春社) –Luo Dongshu Memorial Temple - exit.

How to Get to Chengkan Ancient Village

There are no flights or trains to Chengkan, you can only get there by car. As Chengkan is only about 30km away from Huangshan City and Huangshan City is easy to reach from other major cities in China like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, etc. We recommend you to get to Huangshan City first and then transfer to Chengkan.

There are direct buses between Chengkan and Huangshan Bus Station (Tunxi) every day. The ticket price is 10 CNY per person and the whole trip will last about 50 minutes. You can buy the tickets and check the latest timetable (not fixed) at the bus station.

If you want to save all the trouble and enjoy your trip to the fullest, you can choose one of our Chengkan tour packages which will provide you with cosy vehicls, professional guides and drivers. In this way, you can focus on the trip itself without worrying about other affairs like the routes, tickets, hotels, or transportations.

Hongcun lies about 70km to the west of Chengkan and it will take about 1.5 hours to drive there. Both Hongcun and Chengkan are ancient Hui-style villages, but Hongcun is more famous for its picturesque scenery and is reputed as “a village in the Chinese painting”. The Oscar movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is also partly filmed here. Every year, thousands of tourists and photographers come here to have a view of its beauty. Compared with Hongcun, Chengkan is famous for its long history (dates back 900 years earlier than Hongcun), Bagua culture and unparalled architecture. Chengkan is a perfect choice for those who are looking for a place in real Anhui style but with less tourists. But As they are not very far, you can visit both villages if you are not in a hurry.