THE LINGNAN LOCAL FLAVOUR

THE LINGNAN LOCAL FLAVOUR

Combined with the deep-rooted clan culture, Lion dancing and fl ora boards, and the tradition of respecting both culture and ritual, classic Lingnan architecture such as Wall Sculpture, Oyster Wall, the Overhang, and the watchtower, existed in big and small towns in the Lingnan area. All those traditions became part of a unique cultural atmosphere here, and a living fossil of the Lingnan local fl avour.

Text by Lan Xiaojian Translations by Tao Wenjia&Yishan Photos by CFP

A town is an organic whole of its economics, culture, life and customs. Old towns in Lingnan both share common characters of all Chinese old towns, and have their own particular Lingnan fl avour.

As early as the Tang dynasty, small towns were established in Guangdong. Some have been lost to history, but others still exist today. Rongqi, Guizhou, and Sanshui Qingqi in Shunde all have a history of more than 1300 years. In the Song Dynasty, offi cially there were 15 towns in Guangdong.

Ancient architecture, historical streets and a unique space and environment, especially the traditions that make those towns distant from modern culture, formed the outstanding Lingnan folk culture. The Wok Yee Uk housing is the most typical house in Guangdong. Scholars in Guangdong studied such housing and concluded that buildings in this shape not only are fi re-resistance and has great ventilation so they are appropriate for the Lingnan weather, which is humid and hot. In the folk culture, such housing also has a specially meaning of richness and prosperity. Towns are not only places to live together, but also platforms to pass on their culture. A good way to tell if a village has profound history is to see the number and quality of its ancestral halls. The Lingnan people treat their ancestor seriously, so they devote much to their ancestral halls. Ceremonies are held in these halls for big festivals. Sharing a meal and even pork together is also a signifi cant custom for strengthening bonds among people in the same clan.The Lingnan ancestral halls are very serious about Fengshui and structure. You should fi rst fi nd a place that can gather “Qi”, and choose a location that is facing the water and have a hill behind it. The structure of the building needs to be symmetrical. The halls should be magnifi cent, and gardens elegant. The best representative is the Chen ancestral hall.

In addition, we can also witness a blend of foreign cultural elements in such ancient towns. It is very rare in other ancient towns in China. For instance, the Wu ancestral Hall of the Xinhua Village, Zhaoqing has patterns of western architecture on its main ridge. The Shi ancestral hall in Pingfeng used reinforced cements. Its appearance has a baroque style. The Kaiping watchtower and the town of Chikan were mostly built by overseas Chinese people. So they bear western styles and ideas.

It is clear that as physical evidence of the communication between the Chinese culture and the West, towns in Lingnan have long since been infl uenced by foreign cultures.

嶺南鄉土

墻雕、蠔墻、騎樓、碉樓，經典的嶺南建筑，連同濃厚的鄉村氏族文化、舞獅飄色民俗，尊文重禮傳統，留存于嶺南大大小小的古老鄉鎮之中，成為嶺南鄉土文化的﹃活化石﹄。

鄉鎮，是一方經濟、文化、生活、習俗的有機整體。嶺南古鄉鎮既有中國古鄉鎮的共性，又有嶺南文化的鮮明特質。

早在唐代，廣東便出現一批小城鎮，例如，順德的容奇、桂洲，三水青岐鎮等，都有1300多年的歷史。到了宋代，廣東境內建制鎮便有15個。

這些古建民居、歷史街道以及空間環境，尤其是與現代文明隔離所保留的傳統特色，共同構成了嶺南鄉土文化的獨特個性。比如廣府典型代表的鑊耳屋不但防火和通風性能良好，適合常年高溫濕熱的嶺南，而且蘊含富貴吉祥、豐衣足食的意義。

向來重視氏族文化、祖先傳統的嶺南人，特別重視祠堂的修建，一些大的節日都會在祠堂舉行慶典，吃圍餐、分豬肉等也是為維系氏族團結穩定而形成的習俗。嶺南的宗祠建筑非常講究風水和格局，擇宅宜在聚“氣”之地，選址需要“坐山面水”。布局需縱橫規整，嚴謹對稱，廳堂宏偉，庭院優雅。其中的代表有陳家祠等。

嶺南古鄉鎮文化交融的景觀十分明顯，這在中國其他地方并不常見。比如肇慶封開的杏花伍氏大屋，其正脊上有西洋建筑模型圖案，江門的開平碉樓、赤坎古鎮多是華僑返鄉修建，帶著鮮明的西方別墅風格和建筑理念，頗具藝術價值。

可見，作為中西文化交匯的物證，嶺南的鄉鎮很早就受到外來文化的影響。

THE LIN VILLAGE, HE YUAN 河源林寨This village was fi rst established in the Qin Dynasty with 2000 years of history. Since the late Ming Dynasty, this village kept more than 280 of its ancient houses. The core area has 24 famous four-turrets buildings. Lin Village is a well-known Hakka village in the upper East River.

SHANG YUE VILLAGE, QING YUAN清遠佛岡縣上岳村There are many old houses from the Ming and Qing Dynasties that are well-preserved. The "Pot Ears" building is one of the biggest and best-preserved ancient clusters of buildings in Guangzhou. This village gained the honour of "National historical and cultural village" last year.

ZILI VILLAGE, JIANGMEN江門自力村The most characteristic parts of the village must be the 15 “Diaolou” buildings of various styles. Diaolou, built by families of overseas Chinese since the Ming Dynasty for defence from bandits, and as residences, has combined features of western and Chinese architecture and left an important mark on the overseas Chinese culture in China.

HUANGPU VILLAGE, GUANGZHOU 廣州黃埔村Located in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Huangpu Village took shape around 1000 years ago during the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-A.D.1279). Huangpu Village is famous for owning Ancient Huangpu Port, one of the starting points of the Ancient Maritime Silk Road.

SHAWAN TOWN, GUANGZHOU廣州沙灣古鎮With a history spanning over 800 years that can be dated back to the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-A.D.1279), Shawan has preserved the typical stone structure and street layout of ancient Chinese towns, as well as the ancient architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republican period. Guangdong's traditional folk culture, including traditional music, lion dance, and piao-se (a fusion of opera, acrobatics and decorative arts), has also been well preserved.