Songkou Ancient Town locates in Yongtai County, Fuzhou. Songkou Ancient Town has the superior geographic location. It is the national historical and cultural town in China. It covers the area of 35 hectares, which is full of the ancient buildings. It is also the political, economic, transportation and cultural center of Southwest Yongtai County.
History of Songkou Ancient Town
Songkou Ancient Town has a long history, which was called as Songyang in the ancient times. As early as the Neolithic Period, there were the traces of human activities. At present, eight Neolithic sites have been found in the town.
Songkou Ancient Town gradually formed a prosperous small market during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). After Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), it became a more noisy town in southwest of Yongtai, which has dense population, numerous cargo ships and bustling commercial ports.
Songkou Ancient Town is not only a thousand-year-old ancient town, but is also the home to the Hakka people. Songkou is extremely charming with its combination of ancient history, ethnic culture and beautiful natural scenery. The ancient residential layout of the town is very unique, making it an ideal place to appreciate Hakka culture. With its rich Hakka history and culture, the town has become a cultural hub for overseas Chinese.
Cultural relics at Songkou Ancient Town
There are more than 60 well-preserved ancient houses in Songkou Ancient Town during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Also, there are more than 120 magnificent ancient houses and mysterious drum towers, castles and temples. These ancient relics show the prosperity and wealth of Songkou Ancient Town in history.
The Folk Museum covers an area of 646 square meters with a construction area of 420 square meters. It was firstly opened in 2013. It was designed and decorated according to the old-fashioned antique style, which displays the farming items, precious historical relics in Songkou, folk customs and other photographic works. It highlights the themes of the agricultural civilization and folk cultures of the town.
The Former Residence of Zhang Yuanqian is also called as "Banyue House", which covers an area of more than 400 square meters. Originally as a clay house, it was the birthplace of Zhang Yuanqian, who was a famous poet in history. The new building was reconstructed by Zhang Yuangian's grandson in 1643 at the end of the Ming Dynasty. There are also the "Shuiyue Pavilion", "Hanguang Pavilion", "Snow Cave", "Zizhu Rockery" in the yard, antique and beautiful.