Xiaozhou Village is located in the south-eastern part of Haizhu district, Guangzhou. Even to this day, it still maintains the classical image of Lingnan water village in China – small bridge over the various flowing streams. Walking into Xiaozhou Village, you will have a wonderful feeling like going into a folk custom museum.
The history of Xiaozhou Village can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It was known as Yingzhou in ancient times. And most native villagers have this surname- Jian.
Today, you can still see many distinctive dwelling houses along the river, surrounded by dense shade of old banyan trees. Everything here reflects the culture of Yuan and Ming dynasty. The most representative dwelling is a kind of oyster shell house, which is very unique and attractive. They witness the development of Xiaozhou Village quietly for hundreds of years.
According to records, long time ago, Xiaozhou Village is surrounded by an ocean. Every time, after the tides rise and fall, there leaves lots of oysters shell on the land. So the brilliant villagers use them as a kind of material for building houses. The ancestors created these ideal houses for descendants to inhabit, live, and work. And this tradition has been perpetuated for a very long time. Once, there are many oyster shell houses in Xiaozhou village, but now only 3 left, which is due to demolition. What a pity.
The soul of Xiaozhou Village is water. When you play by the river, you can easily see fishes and shrimps swimming in the water. It is hard to find another village like Xiaozhou which owns such long and clear streams and clean stone roads. You can see the old men playing chess along the river, kids playing games on the road, and young men with beautiful muscle rowing boat to ship mature fruit to outside market anytime and anywhere.
Another classical landmark here is Xiaozhou People’s Hall. This community center for cultural activities has hosted large amount of local folk artists and their works. It makes the art atmosphere here particularly strong.
Moreover, the winding river, different shapes of bridges, ancient ancestral temples, traditional dwellings and other things with strong characteristics of Lingnan water village, all of them constitute a painting of water and ink. These are precious inspiration resources. That is the reason why Xiaozhou Village attracts more and more artists from all over the world to come here to share their creative passions.
And besides art, the natural scenery and cozy atmosphere here making Xiaozhou Village like a paradise. Just like a traveler says, “The best thing is that the village is within the city but looks like another world. Totally worth a visit for escaping the noise of big city for a little while and relax. It is definitely a must-go place during your Guangzhou tour.”
