This scenic spot is located in Zhengzhai Town, about 12 kilometers east of Pujiang County. It is about a 20-minute drive from Yiwu City. Here was once a clan village where the Zheng family lived. For more than 360 years from the Southern Song Dynasty to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the 15 generations of the Zheng family lived and ate together. There were 173 honest and diligent officials. It has given birth to rich family culture. The title of this scenic spot is not just for show. It was bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Nowadays, many exquisite residential buildings are preserved in the village. Tourists can explore the family governance philosophy of the Zheng family through the words in the plaques and couplets. Tourists need to buy tickets to visit the main ancient buildings in the village. If you are not interested in cultural and ancient buildings, you can simply stroll around without entering the scenic spot for free. At the entrance of the village, nine memorial archways are lined up in a row, forming a nearly 500-meter-long archway street, which is very spectacular. The imperial plaque is engraved on the first archway of the archway group. The Zheng Family Ancestral Hall is located in a relatively core place in the village and is also the soul of this family. The ancestral hall is quite large. The first hall after entering is named ‘Shijian’. In the center of the hall beam hangs the huge plaque of ‘Shijian’ written by Zhou Bowen. The wooden tablet in the hall is engraved with the ‘Instruction of Shijian Hall’. The plaque of ‘Filial Piety and Righteousness Family’ on it is written in person by Zhu Yuanzhang, which adds a lot of luster when hung here. The wooden tablets on both sides of the middle hall at the back record as many as 168 family rules of the Zheng family. Although the articles are numerous and complicated, every sentence is full of righteousness and reason, which is enough to perceive the orderly and noble style of this family. The orderly hall at the back is a place where descendants receive education. There are wax figures showing children reading. The Huishanzhong and Tingxungu under the back porch eaves were used to dispatch all the clansmen back then. Walking out of the orderly hall is a small courtyard. The ancient cypress planted inside is said to be planted by Song Lian in person. In the fifth bedroom, the memorial tablets of the ancestors of the Zheng family are enshrined. After visiting the Zheng Family Ancestral Hall, there are some scattered historical sites such as Xiaogan Spring and Dongming Academy in the village that are worth seeing. The Changqigong Ancestral Hall on the south bank of Bailingxi is a place where the elderly over 60 years old in the family eat. The Zheng family has a large population and strict family rules. Even eating requires eating at separate tables. Except for the elderly, men eat at ‘Tongxintang’, and women and children eat at ‘Anzhentang’. Nowadays, the tables, chairs and dishes of that year are reproduced in the hall. The ‘Eating Norms’ hung in the hall is a good material for some parents to do parent-child education. There are still many local people living in the village. Walking casually along the street and feeling the leisurely life rhythm of the ancient village is also a good experience.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 17:00. Preferential policies: Minors: those under 18 years old (inclusive) are free. The elderly: those aged 70 years old (inclusive) and above (with valid identity documents) are free; those aged 60 years old (inclusive) to 69 years old (inclusive), with valid identity cards, are entitled to discounted tickets. Students: students over 18 years old can enter the park with student ID cards and are entitled to discounted tickets. Military personnel: military personnel with valid documents are entitled to discounted tickets.The First Family in Jiangnan
This scenic spot is located in Zhengzhai Town, about 12 kilometers east of Pujiang County. It is abo[...]
