[2024 Pujiang Attraction] Travel Guide for Denggaocun (Updated Sep)

Denggao Village, a beautiful ancient village in the mountains of Jiangnan.

Located in the mountains to the northwest of Pujiang County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, Denggao Village is a beautiful ancient village at the foot of Xianhua Mountain, about 500 meters above sea level. The village is large and has a deep history. Its name is not only pleasant to the ear, but also has a story behind it. It is said that during the Southern Song Dynasty, the great Neo-Confucian scholar Lu Zuqian climbed the mountain to enjoy the scenery and happened upon a village in the mountains with smoke curling up from the chimneys. He sighed, "I didn't see it at the foot of the mountain, but I can see it when I climb up." Hence, Denggao Village got its name. The villagers are mainly surnamed Zhao, and it is said that they are descendants of the royal family of the Song Dynasty. According to legend, during the Jingkang Incident, the Song Dynasty moved south, and some descendants of the Zhao royal family served as Bao Yilang in Pujiang. Later, some of the clan members moved to the foot of Xianhua Mountain. Denggao Village is also the birthplace of the fairy tale "The Magic Brush Ma Liang". The author, Mr. Hong Xuntao, was inspired to write the story here in the last century. Because the village is too remote and inconvenient to reach, most of the villagers have now moved down the mountain. Most of the remaining villagers are elderly, and the half-empty village shows some signs of decay, but the overall appearance is still well preserved. The five ancient halls in the center of the village are grand and exquisitely constructed. There is also an ancient water system built with bluestone, and these ancient sites seem to embody the spirit of the village over the years.