The Hidden Ancient Village in Ink Wash: Xiaxi Baocun

Located in Wuyi County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, Xiaxi Baocun is a low-profile treasure of an ancient village. With a long history, it was established during the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty. The village's architecture is built against the mountain and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The vegetation around the village is lush, and the mountain trees are verdant. A babbling stream flows through the village, and dozens of ancient dwellings are built along the narrow valley on both sides of the stream. From a distance, the horse-head walls and the hard mountain roofs undulate with the terrain, creating an orderly and picturesque scene, making the whole village seem like an ink wash painting of a mountain dwelling. The ancient village has various ancient buildings, mainly residential houses, but also ancestral halls, bridges, temples, and ancient wells. Despite centuries of weathering, while the outside world has undergone tremendous changes, the scenery in the village remains as it was in the beginning. Although the ancient buildings in the village are not large, they are interconnected with doors facing each other and alleys linked together, forming a large family-like community. Every household in the village retains the old and simple style, with ancestral halls, temples, stone bridges, local deity temples, ancient wells, and bluestone roads all bearing the marks of time. Here, the simplicity and tranquility prevail, with people working at sunrise and resting at sunset, leading a simple life. This place has the most primitive atmosphere and the flavor of human life. The dwellings built by the mountains and water, the historic bluestone roads that connect all the alleys, the babbling streams that reach every home, the curling smoke from the kitchens, drinking from the wells, and eating from the fields, this is the ideal 'Peach Blossom Spring,' where time seems to have pressed the pause button.