Nanyuan Ancient Village, also known as Nanyuan First Village, is located in Hongguang Village, Xiantang Town, Heyuan City, China. It is independently funded by the Hongguang Village Committee and is one of the largest, oldest, and most culturally rich Hakka geomancy ancient villages in southern China. According to ancient records, since its establishment in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (738 AD), the village has a history of over 1200 years.
Nanyuan is situated to the northeast of Heyuan City, occupying a central position along the He Xi River; the Dongjiang River flows by Nanyuan, nourished by sweet springs and surrounded by a mystical atmosphere. Its dragon vein originates from the Jiesha Mountain, winding westward and then southward, creating a majestic and continuous landscape over several square kilometers. The Hakka residential ancient buildings in Nanyuan Ancient Village are predominantly structured in a mansion-style layout, emphasizing orientation, symmetry of primary and secondary structures, and an imposing and beautiful exterior. They often use blue bricks for walls, with exquisitely carved beams and brackets, and a single large ancient residential building can have hundreds of rooms, accommodating dozens of households with hundreds of residents. Toilets, wood storage rooms, and livestock pens are generally located at a certain distance from the main residential buildings on both sides. Representative buildings include ‘Dafu Di’, ‘Xin Yamen’, ‘Lao Yamen’, ‘Lao Lou’, and ‘Xin Lou’. The Nanyuan Ancient Village tourist area is composed of well-preserved Hakka ancient architectural heritage such as ‘Dafu Di’, ‘Xin Yamen’, ‘Ancient Cannon Tower Site’, ‘Lao Yamen’, and ‘Liu Xi Academy’, forming a complete village that reflects the characteristics and artistry of its ancient residential architecture, the outstanding defensive nature of the ancient village, and the Pan family’s family motto of ‘Loyalty and Filial Piety, Poetry and Books to Enlighten Future Generations’. Nanyuan has more than 30 ancient residential buildings, including Hakka enclosed houses, carved buildings, and academies, with most being structured in a mansion-style layout, focusing on geomancy layout, symmetry, and an imposing and beautiful exterior. They predominantly use blue bricks and gray tiles, with exquisitely carved beams and brackets, and the characteristics they reflect are: convenient materials, sturdy and reliable buildings, large scale, and a closed and integrated structure, while also embodying the concepts of Yin and Yang and Confucian and Taoist family governance. Representative buildings include ‘Dafu Di’, ‘Xin Yamen’, ‘Lao Yamen’, ‘Ancient Cannon Tower Site’, and ‘Liu Xi Academy’. The entire text is open from 1/1 to 12/31, 08:30-17:00 daily.
