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Guilin's Daxu Ancient Village

The Daxu Ancient Village located Southwest of Guilin city in Guangxi Province was built during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and is my second home. Since I am lucky enough to actually live in Guilin, I get to visit Daxu often. I have many old friends there, and every time I return to this beautiful village, the word that I am back in town spreads quickly, and soon a lot of people come out to say hi. The children in Daxu love me and within ten minutes I usually have a group of ten or so following me around the streets. It might have something to do with the fact I usually take them out for ice cream. I think what I love about the village so much, is it's simplicity, and how the people live as they always have. I know this phrase tends to be overused in China, but with Daxu, it is really true. The majority of the wooden houses in Daxu were built in the Ming (1368-1644) or Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and the original builder's descendents are still living in them, which is wonderful, because the stories they can tell you are just amazing. They have lived through so much and are happy to share their stories with you. The village was originally a center for commerce, so the village was quite wealthy. That is why the buildings are all built of wood instead of dirt bricks, and all of them were covered in carvings. The main streets of Daxu used to be the main shopping street. The part of the buildings facing the road were the store fronts, and behind the shops are the houses, with a small couryard dividing the two. The village was famous for its alcohol production, and traditional Chinese doctors, and still are today. The alcohol produced in Daxu is made from everyting from rice, to flowers, and can be weak and sweet, or strong enough to burn the hair out of your nose. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, boats cruising up and down the Li River would bring items from throughout China and stop off at Daxu to sell them. It is amazing to think that this quiet little village used to be bustling with businessmen, from throughout China. Most of the residents still living in Daxu, are either the elderly, or the young. Most of the middle generations have gone elsewhere looking for work. The locals still living here though are wonderful. They are always quick to invite visitors into their homes, and more often than not, invite them to stay for dinner. Their food is very simple, but extremly delicious. When they prepare dinner, they head out to their vegetable gardens to pick the vegetables, then kill a chicken for the dinner, so the food is wonderfully fresh. They waste nothing, and some foods we sadly would never have thought to eat, turn out to be absolutely fantastic. Things like zucchini vines, onion greens, and pumpkin blossoms are fantastic, but we sadly do not eat them in western countries. As might be imagined, Daxu is the perfect place for artists. It inspires artists today as it has for centuries. Because of this, many of the storefronts and houses have been rented by artists who come here for the peace and quiet, and inspiration. These are not artists selling mass produced paintings as seen in so many tourist traps and hotels, but real art painted the way the artist sees the world around him. Most of the works are not painted to sell, but for the artist own gratification. I have a house in Daxu that I have rented for a number of years. It is a very simple wooden structure, with stone walls. I have very simple furnishings, but it gives me a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Guilin city, and just relax with my friends and do a bit of painting myself. At night everyone keeps their front doors open, and walk from house to house visiting each other. Sometimes stopping for tea, or just a chat. I think this is how life should be. Simple, and beautiful.


Daxu can be reached from the San Li Dian roundabout by a small privately owned mini bus. The cost is 3RMB per person and takes about 40 minutes. The drive is beautiful as the bus travels through the countryside.

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Photos

Daxu Ancient Street
A view of one of Daxu's ancient streets

Mopanshan (Grindstone) Mountain
Mopanshan can be seen from throughout Daxu. It is located directly across the Li River from the village.

Daxu's ancient street
This is one of Daxu's ancient streets with a gate in the background. The gate was used to lock up the city for safety, or defensive reasons.

Daxu Vegetable Gardens
This is a view behind the villages main street. It is where the locals grow their vegetables for market.

Daxu Locals
A grandmother and her grandaughter in Daxu

Water Buffalo
Some of Daxu's water buffalos. The one in front is actually mine. I loan her out to locals during plowing season. Otherwise She is the laziest water buffalo in China.

Daxu Opera House
Built during The Qing Dynasty, this opera house is now used as the meeting hall for the village.

Primitive Toilets
Local toilets in Daxu. Very few people actually have indoor toilets, and so they use the communal ones. Believe me, they smell as bad as they look!

Comments

[Addie]

Guilin's posts
hi scott, u write beautifully of the things you see and encounter. I've been following some of ur guilin's posts and i love them. will be visiting guilin next week, and i cant wait to experience it on my own! :)