Liyu Village in Weihui City, Xinxiang City, Henan Province is indeed worth a visit for many tourists. It is like a forgotten classical paradise, where the beautiful natural environment and humanistic atmosphere are closely and harmoniously intertwined. Together, it can be called a model of boutique tourist attractions.
In this ravine, there is a nationally protected village, which can be called a modern version of "Utopia", and that is Liyu Village, Weihui City.
In 2018, Liyu Village was selected into the list of nationally protected villages. This small mountain village deep in Taihang finally returned to people’s sight.
Liyu Village is also called "Carp Village"
Liyu Village has produced many intellectuals, including scholars in the Qing Dynasty. "Outstanding people" and "land spirits" are inseparable. Liyu Village is surrounded by mountains and a tributary of the Canghe River passes through it. Viewed from a high place, the raised ridge is like a "fish fin", the entire village is shaped like a carp, and the two arched stone gates are like the two eyes of the carp.
Therefore, Liyu Village is also known as "Carp Village", which symbolizes "the fish leaping over the dragon gate, good luck and good luck".
Century-old houses are scattered throughout Shitoushan Village
There are more than 100 households in Liyu Village, and most of the villagers live in houses with gray tiles and bluestones. There are 365 stone houses in the East Village and 400 stone houses in the West Village. More than half are century-old houses, some of which have existed for more than 300 years. These winding mountain roads and high and low farmhouses interpret a simple picture of the harmonious coexistence of nature and human settlements.
Liyu Village is located at the junction of Weihui, Qixian and Linzhou counties and cities. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this place was once an important official road, connecting merchants and travelers traveling from north to south.
There were also many wealthy families living in the village at that time. The "horse-tying stone" in front of the door is shaped like a carp's eye, telling a silent historical story.
Today, there are only a large number of dilapidated Ming and Qing dwellings left in the village, overgrown with weeds and no one is inhabited. Walking among the broken tiles and ruins, it seems that you can still feel the legendary story of the prosperous family hundreds of years ago. Walking around many ancient residences such as Liu's old house and Wei Changgen's old house, you can feel the vicissitudes of time and appreciate the beauty of calligraphy on stone plaques such as "Deep in the Clouds" and "Shi Shu Mendi".
The magical saponaria tree has a hollow trunk and can live for thousands of years
There is a saponaria tree at the entrance of Liyu Village. It has a history of thousands of years. Its trunk was burned hollow by fire but it is still strong and alive. The honey locust tree provides shade for the people of Liyu and is regarded by the villagers as a sacred tree that protects the village. There are often villagers sitting and chatting under the trees.
The earth-pot farm food is fragrant
Liyu Village is the legend of the Taihang Mountains, and it continues the secrets deep in history. Liyu Village is also a harmonious picture of simple folk customs, where you can see villagers visiting with their rice bowls everywhere, and you can hear the simple and friendly local accent at any time.
When you come to Liyu, you must try the special wild vegetables in the mountains, such as Yingying Cai, Huang Jingcai, Guijianchouye, which are appetizing and refreshing.
The free-range chicken meat is firm and stewed in a wood-burning stove in a pot on the ground, filling the yard with a fragrant aroma. A simple farm meal, but full of the simplicity of mountain people.
Due to inconvenient transportation, Liyu Village has not yet been developed on a large scale. It does not even have a decent toilet. It is still a primitive "dry toilet". Because of this, the original flavor of the village is preserved. Rural texture and heavy traces of time.
In addition to the large-scale preservation of Ming and Qing folk houses, Liyu Village also has tourism resources such as Cuiyan Temple, Nanshan Shifo Temple, and Huanggu Temple in the late Yin and Shang Dynasties. In recent years, Liyu Village has been actively promoting the implementation of rural revitalization goals and plans with the support of national poverty alleviation policies and the unremitting efforts of the local village committee.