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**Zhiyan Village, constructed during the Southern Song Dynasty, boasts a rich history spanning over 800 years.** The village, once known as Zhixi Village due to the presence of the Zhixi River and a weir, is located at the confluence of Lanxi and Jiande. It was a thriving post station on the ancient route from Yanzhou to Jinhua, but with the advent of modern highways and the subsequent obsolescence of the old road, Zhiyan Village fell into a quiet slumber. This period of silence, however, has allowed its ancient structures to be perfectly preserved.
Dubbed the ‘Little Lijiang in the south of the Yangtze River,’ **Zhiyan Village** shares with Lijiang the charm of waterways meandering past every home, yet the waters here are even clearer than those in Lijiang. As one strolls through the village’s narrow alleys, the gentle murmur of flowing water is a constant companion. The village’s ancient buildings, remarkable for their early construction date, sheer number, intricate design, and pristine preservation, are indeed a rarity.
**Zhiyan Village** is home to nearly a hundred ancient structures, including Yande Hall, Xiaosi Hall, and Chengxian Hall. It is a unique gathering place for a variety of architectural styles from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, making it a ‘typical museum of ancient Chinese dwellings.’ Scholars of ancient architecture have dubbed it a ‘living fossil’ for architectural studies and a ‘village of architectural treasures of four dynasties.’ Notable structures within the village include Xiaosi Hall, Yande Hall, Jimei Hall, and Chengzhi Hall. The structure is unique and the preservation is relatively complete. Among them, Xiaosi Hall is the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, with three entrances. On the central axis, there are a foyer, a main hall, and a back hall, with wing rooms on both sides. The main hall has three bays with a surrounding corridor and a hip roof.
The dwellings of Zhiyan villagers provide important physical materials for studying traditional village culture and the evolution of residential buildings.
**Zhiyan Village** also has four natural landscapes such as ‘immortal stone’, ‘strange peak’, ‘divine ship’, and ‘divine vat’. The ‘immortal stone’ landscape is about 2 li away from the village. The stone is three or four meters high and about four or five meters long. It is divided in the middle by a line. It is said that it was sawn open by an immortal with thatch. The ‘strange peak’ landscape is about three or four li away from the village. It is like a **Shunfeng Ear**. Whenever someone in the village speaks, it can be clearly heard under the strange peak. The ‘divine ship’ is a small mountain in Zhiyan Reservoir. Its shape is like an overturned ship. It is hidden in summer and appears in autumn. It is hazy and illusory, and the scenery is very charming. The ‘divine vat’ refers to a naturally made large water vat left in the mountain stream at Kangwu Kou. It is said that this vat was used by immortals to store alchemy water. It is said that inhaling the dense qi diffused from the vat every day can eliminate wrinkles and keep one young forever.
**Opening Hours:**
– Open all year round, from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily.
**Special Discount Policy Details:**
1. **Free Admission Policy:** Children under 1.2 meters (not including) in height enter for free.
2. **Information for Reference Only:** The above information is provided for reference only, specific details
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Please note that the phrase “顺风耳” has been translated as “Shunfeng Ear”, which is a direct transliteration, as it is a specific term that might not have a direct English equivalent. If there is a commonly accepted translation for this term, it should be used instead. Additionally, the last sentence regarding the “Information for Reference Only” was left incomplete as per the original text provided.
