Enter the stone kingdom of Yu Qian's descendants, it's truly stunning!

Among the ancient Taihang villages in Jingxing, Yujiacun is the top choice, purely for the Qingliang Pavilion (also known as "Shenxian Pavilion") at the village entrance. It's so beautiful; I never knew stones could be stacked so exquisitely. Located at the east entrance of Yujiacun Stone Village, Qingliang Pavilion is the village's landmark building. This three-story pavilion was first built in 1581 during the Ming Wanli period by a local stonemason, Yu Xichun. Qingliang Pavilion has no foundation and no filling materials. It's built entirely on natural rock, with stones of varying sizes stacked layer upon layer. Some stones weigh several tons, while others are several meters long. The structure is rough, yet not without delicate details, just like the simple and heavy Taihang Mountains, completely in line with my impression of northern rural villages.

Legend has it that the builder, Yu Xichun, was the seventh-generation grandson of Yu Qian, a man of immense strength, poor but righteous. He spent 16 years chiseling stones and building the pavilion. One story goes that he was accidentally injured while hanging a wind-activated plaque on the second floor and later died from his injuries. The villagers, moved by his sincerity, used bricks and wood to repair the third floor, completing the pavilion.

Stepping into this village is like entering a world of stone: stone buildings, stone houses and courtyards, stone tables and benches, stone mills and rollers, stone streets and alleys, stone bridges and railings, and even the village roads are paved with ancient stones. The village is divided into six streets, seven alleys, and eighteen lanes, with a total length of over 3,700 meters. These intricate passages cleverly connect more than 4,000 stone houses, forming a unique and magnificent stone village. The entire village is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, the only one of its kind in Hebei.

Post by JOSIE HICKS | Apr 18, 2025