Ancient Dajun Village was built at the end of Tang Dynasty, whose long history is witnessed by this ancient camphor at the entrance of this village. It is also called “Tang Camphor” because it was born in Tang Dynasty. Its chest measurement reaches 7 meters, its height is 20 meters, and its shade reaches 1500 m2, just like a gigantic and exuberant canopy. Its branches and leaves extend around, beckon to friends and guests from afar. Tang Camphor, as geomantic tree of Dajun Village, safeguards Dajun Village loyally like a weather-beaten elder. Furthermore, Tang Camphor is hamadryad of local people, and many kids take it as their mothers, in order to pray for health and safety. Young men and women pray before this tree that they can unite in one heart and one mind, and live to ripe old age in conjugal bliss.

Millenary Camphor of Tang Dynasty

Located in the west of Dajun Village, Kwan-yin Pavilion soars and towers from perilous cliff, and seems very precipitous over waterfront. Established in Jiajing Period (1526～1566) of Ming Dynasty, Kwan-yin Pavilion occupies the place strategically located and difficult of access in an imposing manner. Covered by dense shades, its cornices fly into clouds aggressively. When you ascend step by step, you only see a high pavilion erecting on the top of precipitous cliff with three sides facing the river. This 10-meter-high pavilion occupies 40 m2, with double eaves on both storeys, flying wings and red girders.

Kwan-yin Pavilion

Dajun Ancient Street serves as cultural embodiment of Window of She Hometown and centralized exhibition center of She Nationality customs. With 260 meters long and 3.5 meters wide, this ancient street is equipped with ingeniously laid slates, simple and natural cobblestone-mud walls, delicate brick carving doorways, frontage shops with old-fashioned doors and windows, and zigzag, interconnected and serene lanes…All these shows old culture of farming and studying in Dajun. “Dajun Ancient Street” on entrance gate was written by Zhu Suizhi, a contemporary calligrapher, professor and doctoral supervisor from China Academy of Art.

Dajun Ancient Street

Dajun Ancestral Hall of Li Family has three doors, which were opened according to royal edict to compliment three Jinshi (imperial scholars) in the same family. Since ancient times, farming and studying tendency has been very popular in Dajun, so people here acquire profound origin of family studying. “Li Family Genealogy—14 mottoes” stipulate that “(we shall) put our identities right, be simple and honest, engage in our own business and foster literature”, and clearly put forward the family instruction—“to study in order to make parents become renowned and spread one’s own fame”. Later, farming and studying tendency climaxed in Ming and Qing Dynasty, and Dajun became a famous cultural village in the neighborhood. According to genealogy records, 26 people gained official ranks in Ming and Qing Dynasty, in which 3 father and sons from Tianshun Period to Jiajing Period of Ming Dynasty became three Jinshi (imperial scholars) and a story on everybody's lips. Father Li Cong became Jinshi (imperial scholar) in the 6th year of Tianshun Period (1462 A.D.) of Ming Dynasty, and worked as deputy provincial governor. His eldest son Li Zhang became Jinshi (imperial scholar) in the 15th year of Hongzhi Period (1502 A.D.) of Ming Dynasty, and worked as Vice Imperial Envoy of Shanxi. His second son Li Chun became Jinshi (imperial scholar) in the 2nd year of Jiajing Period (1523 A.D.) of Ming Dynasty, and worked as Guanglu Shaoqing (Official Title).

Ancestral Hall of Li Family

Smelting in Fire, commonly known as “trampling on fire”, was first used to exorcise and get rid of diseases. This may be a feudal superstition, but also a large-scale autumn sacrificing. At the climax in gong and drum sounds, the barebacked and bare-footed performer sings loudly, dance wildly, rushes into glowing bonfire, and runes on flaming charcoals. The performer carries out this courageous and bold behavior coolly, but the viewers are greatly shocked by grand and inspiring phenomenon. This project has already been listed on the second batch of intangible cultural heritages publicized by Jingning County Government.

Smelting in Fire

This is a mysterious folk stunt of She Nationality. First, the performer puts up a bamboo pole, washes 5 fresh eggs in brine, mumbles and sprinkles clear water in the basin onto bamboo pole. Then, the performer points at the bamboo pole, mumbles, and then bask eggs one by one on the bamboo pole.

Bask Eggs on a Bamboo Pole

She Nationality folk custom performance ——“salvage from boiling oil pot”

Salvage from Boiling Oil Pot

Wedding custom performance in “Window of She Hometown” Scenic Area chooses traditional etiquette of welcoming the bride: the bridegroom’s wedding procession sets out, but the bride’s team blocks the way and sings in antiphonal style. The bridegroom goes through four passes, and performs formal bows with the bride. This wedding ceremony is humoristic, interesting, festive and propitious, with profound cultural connotations.

She Nationality Wedding Ceremony

Yangkeng Village is located 6.5 km west of “Window of She Hometown” main scenic area, and in the north bank of Dajun Kengxi Rivulet. As the location of village committee, this natural village consists of 6 households with about 30 people. More than 100 macaques inhabit surrounding mountains.

View macaques at Yangkeng Village

Floating Umbrella Shrine consecrates a local deity—Madam Ma. It was built in Jiajing Period of Ming Dynasty (1512—1566), and renovated for four times during Qing Dynasty and Republic of China. Multiple eaves rest on the peak with tilted wings; there are red pillars and girders, as well as frescos painted by ink. The well-preserved attic stele “seems transcendent at first sight”, written by Liu Jingyuan who studied in Japan in the late Qing Dynasty and one of “seven masters in Jingning”. According to the epigraph written by Li Yangbing (Li Bai’s uncle in the same clan) who was a renowned calligrapher in Tang Dynasty and once magistrate of Jinyun County, Madam Ma was a poor weaver in Luci Village, Jingning in early Tang Dynasty. She was very dutiful and showed great filial respect. Once, she fetched thick soup from Jingning to support her mother-in-law, but couldn’t ferry across the flood in Dajun. Therefore, she put her umbrella on the river, and ferried across the river on this umbrella. As a result, she was regarded to be “Dutiful Immortal” by posterity.

Floating Umbrella Shrine

Floating Umbrella Ferry was a traffic hub by water and land since ancient times, and became famous for Madam Ma’s ferrying on a floating umbrella. Beside Floating Umbrella Ferry, precipitous cliffs rise high into the air, while steep escarpments thrust toweringly. A two-cun-deep footprint on the cliff is thought to be left by Madam Ma, and thus called “Immortal Footprint”.

Floating Umbrella Ferry

Dajun Rafting, also known as Immortal Rafting of Floating Umbrella, starts from Plum Blossom Dyke and ends in Floating Umbrella Ferry. It takes you about 45 minutes to go through this 4-km rafting. This rafting is engraved on every tourist’s mind since it is “bizarre, steep, secluded, wild and interesting”; it is also lyrical, exciting and adventurous. Tourists increase year by year since it was opened in 1998. Now, it receives more than 100,000 person-times every year.

Dajun Rafting

“Millenary She Mountain” large-scale singing and dancing performance is built by Window of She Hometown Scenic Area at full blast. This performance bases on She Nationality culture, integrates Oujiang culture and Dajun culture, uses modern high-tech to construct a dreamlike and fantastic atmosphere, and provides tourists with intense visual impact.

Millenary She Mountain

Fuye Village is located in left bank of a rivulet about 1 km northeast of “Window of She Hometown” main scenic area. Surrounded by green mountains and trees, this village is clean, beautiful and with bright pastoral features, so it has been awarded the title of Provincial Happy Farm Model Village. Here, tourists taste local meals, experience simple pastoral life, appreciate rural natural scenery and take in the charm of folk customs. In particular, this is a perfect destination for featured leisure tourism, such as She Nationality folk customs. What is worthy of mentioning is that there are three tourism attractions here: fructus trichosanthis, giant salamander and ancient folk houses.

Sightseeing in Fuye Village