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Tuanshan village

Tuanshan 13 kilometers west of Jianshui County is often referred to as Family Zhang’s Garden because Zhang Family from Jiangxi Province immigrated here for business since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and had prospered into a well-to-do family in the later years. 

 

Nevertheless, Tuanshan was originally a Yi minority village. Due to the Zhang Family’s ancestral immigration from Jiangxi Province in Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this village was named Tuanshan in Chinese from “Tushou”, a word of the Yi ethnic language meaning “a beautiful place with gold and silver”. 80% of the families who live in good harmony with the local Yis are surnamed Zhang.

 

The village has preserved a great number of ancient and traditional architectures. Most of the houses are made of clay walls and tile roofs. The entrance to it is a watchtower on which embrasures can be easily seen. Exploring into the houses, one can find lots of ages-old wood carvings on the doors and windows as special decorations. 

 

The Family Zhang’s Garden is the highlight of the village. Behind the village, there is a Temple named Dacheng where Buddhist Guardians, Buddhas and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei and Zhu Geliang (historical figures of the Three Kingdoms Period) are enshrined.

 

Other typical old constructions with it include the East Gate, North Gate, South Gate, Upper Temple, Lower Temple, and Family Zhang’s Ancestral Hall etc.  

 

In Tuanshan, there are over 26 well-preserved folk residences combining Chinese Han and Yi ethnic styles, for which Tuanshan is regarded as the most primitive and beautiful old architecture complex in Yunnan Province. The year of 2006 saw Tuanshan Village inscribed on the list of “the 100 Protected Memorial Architectural Heritages” by the World Cultural Heritage Fund.