Yantou Ancient Village in Yongjia: A Picturesque Landscape

Yongjia, Wenzhou, boasts a history of over 1,800 years, predating the establishment of Wenzhou itself, and serves as the cradle of Wenzhou's history and culture. Known for its terrain of "eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland," Yongjia is home to the Yandang Mountains and the meandering Nanxi River. Amidst these natural wonders lie numerous ancient villages and a tradition of scholarly families. The beauty of the verdant mountains and clear waters has inspired countless poets and writers, including Xie Lingyun, the progenitor of Chinese landscape poetry. Yantou Ancient Village, founded during the Song Dynasty, follows the typical layout of villages in the Jiangzhe and Wan regions, with waterways dividing the streets like a chessboard. Pavilions and towers emerge at every turn. This village, built around a comprehensive water conservancy system along the Nanxi River, ingeniously integrated water usage for drinking, irrigation, washing, aquaculture, fire prevention, and landscaping by the Ming Dynasty. This self-sustaining system allowed the village to thrive. Within the village, water shimmers, while beyond, distant mountains rise like a protective screen, creating a unique scenery: "A day of autumn's cold and clear bay, countless peaks near and far. Leisurely climbing the mountain to watch the wild water, suddenly seeing green mountains reflected in the water's depths."