Lishui Street

Lishui Street, also known as the Lishui Corridor, is located on the water storage dike on the eastern edge of Yantou Village, Yantou Town, Yongjia County. It is built by the water, lives by the water, and thrives because of the water. The ancient street is like a string of pearls, set between the long river of history and the scroll of nature. Not only is it a hub for commerce, but it is also a place where culture has precipitated, carrying countless stories and memories from ancient to modern times. In the Nanxi River basin of Yongjia, Yantou is the only ancient village laid out with comprehensive water conservancy facilities, founded in the late Five Dynasties as a settlement for the Jin family. The ancient street can be traced back to the 35th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1556) when Jin Guilin Gong built the village's water conservancy project and constructed a section of the dam wall that served as a barrier. Beautiful eaves were built on the dike, originally intended to provide shelter from the sun and rain for passersby. At that time, local clans stipulated that no houses could be built on the dike for commercial purposes. However, since the Qing Dynasty, the dike eventually became a bustling place where merchants gathered and salt porters came and went, and the smoke of human life here gradually thickened. Even though it suffered from the fire during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, the ancient street has been restored in recent years, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, regaining its former glory. Upon entering, the Lishui Bridge is the time-space messenger that greets us. This three-arched stone slab bridge, built in the 37th year of Jiajing of Ming Shizong (1558), has withstood the test of time and remains as solid as ever. With its simple and beautiful shape and the clever composition of 48 stone slabs (implying the land belongs to 'forty-eight counties'), it makes people stop and gaze. The stone slabs on the bridge are neatly arranged, the stream under the bridge babbles, and the pedestrians on the bridge are like a woven tapestry, blending the ancient and the modern, forming a beautiful picture. Beside the bridge, an ancient camphor tree over three hundred years old stands tall, with lush branches and leaves, witnessing the changes of Lishui Street. Standing on the bridge, one can see the centuries of history flowing by and hear the hurried footsteps of the ancients echoing. A few steps to the south, the dignified Jieguan Pavilion greets every passerby. It has stood here since the 35th year of Jiajing (1556), witnessing countless moments of glory returning. The couplet inside the pavilion, 'Famous teachers leave wonders, strange craftsmen amuse passersby,' reflects the profound culture of reading and farming in the ancient village of Yantou. The nearby bitter chestnut tree has experienced more than five hundred years of wind, frost, rain, and snow, like a wise man who has experienced vicissitudes, silently telling the legend of this land.