Water fields encircle the village; ancient camphor trees layer with lush green, and cicadas sing in waves. In midsummer, reporters visited Qiantang Zengwan Village in Wen'gang Town, Xian County, Nanchang City. Old bricks, dark tiles, stone slabs, and narrow alleys exude a timeless charm.
Zengwan Village is now 1100 years old. In 2013, it was selected as one of the second batch of "Traditional Chinese Villages." It is one of the most well-preserved ancient villages with Huizhou-style architecture in Jinxian County, where brush calligraphy culture, couplet culture, family tradition culture, and integrity culture intertwine.
As one of the cultural birthplaces of Wen Gang's brush heritage, Zengwan people have for centuries upheld a tradition of combining farming with scholarship and building their livelihoods through brushmaking, passing down the 128 craft from generation to generation. Xu Huarong, a representative inheritor of Nanchang City's Intangible Cultural Heritage (Wen Gang Brush-Making Technique), told reporters that in ancient times, brushes made in Zengwan Village were exquisitely crafted with exceptional quality, beloved by scholars such as Yan Shu and Huang Tingjian. Today, many artisans still reside in ancestral homes, preserving traditional methods with skilled hands and keeping alive the millennial ink fragrance of the "Capital of Brushes in China."
The reporter walked along the weathered bluestone path into the core of Zengwan Village, where a vast complex of Ming and Qing dynasty ancient buildings suddenly came into view. "The village preserves over 40 well-maintained old homes from the Ming and Qing eras, each carefully cared for," said Wu Jianwei, the Party Secretary of Qiantang Village and a renowned expert on local history. His eyes lit up as he spoke about these historic houses.
What makes this ancient village truly remarkable is that it has preserved not just its form, but its soul. Zengwan Village continues its time-honored tradition of valuing education and virtue: elders with high moral standing form a council to collectively decide on public matters such as road repairs, canal cleaning, and demolition of unsafe buildings. The inherited virtue of humility and tolerance ensures that disputes are resolved within the village and conflicts never escalate upward. Amidst the vibrant daily life of this millennium-old village, a warm atmosphere of harmony and goodwill endures.
Preserve the ancient village, cherish its guardianship; sustain its cultural heritage, focus on revitalization. To breathe new life into the historic village, Wen'gang Town has applied meticulous craftsmanship.
"We didn't tear down and rebuild; instead, we rooted traditional culture into the very fabric of the ancient village," said Wang Jing, deputy town mayor of Wengang Town. Today, strolling through Zengwan Village, visitors can explore 3 historic cultural alleys featuring themes like reverence for ancestors, diligence, integrity, and academic excellence; discover 5 cultural squares scattered throughout the area, including sites dedicated to ancient banyan tree assemblies and family values such as "Three Humble Acts"; and visit 7 themed exhibition halls showcasing village history and intangible cultural heritage. Surrounded by timeless charm, guests are immersed in a refreshing atmosphere where history becomes tangible and alive.
What's even more surprising is Zengwan Village's charming contrast. By day, it's a quiet, traditional village steeped in history; by night, it transforms into a trendy hotspot. The local government has introduced cultural experiences like "Night at Zengwan" and rural music concerts. As dusk falls, visitors can enjoy calligraphy and paintings, admire couplets, listen to folk songs, and savor delicious food... breathing new life into the ancient village with a captivating blend of tradition and modernity.
This unique blend of ancient charm and everyday vibrancy has quickly made Zengwan Village a viral sensation. The livestreams accumulated 130 million total viewers, the search volume exceeded 300 million, and over 30 million people visited to experience it firsthand.
Traffic is flowing in—how do we turn a momentary trend into lasting success? This is the critical question facing Zengwan Village. "Revitalizing an ancient village ultimately aims to enrich its people," Wang Jing told reporters. Surrounding Zengwan are several other historic villages with deep cultural roots, including Shache Village (the birthplace of Song Dynasty poet Yan Shu) and Zhoufang Village ("China's First Village for Calligraphy Brushes"). The local government is now linking these villages into a cohesive scenic route, creating a premium ancient village tourism corridor. In the future, Wengang Town will attract more capital and talent to deepen development in ancient village tourism, intangible cultural heritage creative products, and educational experiences. By transforming dormant "cold resources" into thriving "hot industries," we will inject new vitality into rural revitalization.
For over a millennium, Zengwan has preserved its timeless charm. A single brush, once resting on Yan Shu's desk, now reaches into today; an ancient village, once defined by stone-paved paths, now embraces the wider world. Zengwan Village is rising anew—rooted in history, yet vibrant with youth.