Beishan Village, Puning, Guangdong, China: A Hidden Gem of Heritage, Harmony, and Resilience

When visiting China some time ago, I had the chance to see a village near Puning, Jieyang, Guandong; it's called Beishanchun (Beishan village). Because the road was so supportive, it took about 25 minutes by car to reach the town. Arriving at Beisanchun, I also looked around and visited several places that told the story of this village.

What is impressive in this village is that everyone has one surname: Xu. It is one tribe with one language, the Teochew language.

I will explain this village using quotes from residents who are, on average, over 75 years old, starting from historians, local life experts, and others.

Beishan Village is situated in the northeastern region of Puning City, bordered by Tieshan to the north and the Lianjiang River to the south. Verdant mountains, clear rivers, and sincere local customs characterise it.

Recreation area. The community presently has a population of 12,400 individuals, exceeds 2,400 houses, and over 1,700 acres of arable land, including dry gardens.

The mountainous region encompasses around 10,000 acres and is governed by eight community groups. The majority of locals are primarily farmers who work outside their homes.

It is involved in industry and commerce. It possesses a maise cultivation base and about 20 small workshops engaged in garment processing. Iron peaks, gardens, cultural activity squares, and many cultural amenities exist. In 2008, Puning City designated it as a model of the new socialist countryside.

Beishan Village features picturesque mountains, pristine lakes, and aesthetically pleasing terrain. Eight picturesque locations existed in Beiguo, encompassing Beishan and Guocuogliao.

During the Qing Dynasty, the former township was designated Beishan, the latter Guocuoliao, and the combined appellation for both townships was Beiguo. They are referred to as "Tiefeng Pinggong."

The Eight Scenetic of the Beishan Village, Puning :

The garden between the Ridges

Thirty Miles of Orchid Fragrance

Tie Yue Chanyuan

Shui Chang Gan Waterfall

Niu Mao Chao, Xiaxia

Hui with Sunset.

Tiezhang LanfenTieshan

Niu Maoshan

The recently constructed Tiefeng Garden and Shui Changniang, established in 2005, have emerged as prominent attractions in Puning and are favoured destinations for leisure mountain climbing and tourism among residents of the Chaoyang area.

The Xu surname Ancestral Hall in Puning has been finalised. It is situated on the eastern slope of Niumao Mountain, characterised by a stunning geographical landscape.

Source from the Xu Family

It can be explained that this surname has several Latin spellings. For example, in China, it is better known as Xu, while in Taiwan, it uses the spelling Hsu. In Hong Kong, it is spelt Hui. In Southeast Asia, there are several spellings, such as Koh, Khaw, and Khor, but they still have the same meaning; it's just a different spelling, and in this article, I use the spelling from China with Xu.

The Xu family's lineage traces back to the ancient Yao and Shun era. Xu You, a recluse from Henan, was a moral and virtuous individual. Yao conceded to him and his subordinates.

He was appointed governor of Kyushu Province but declined to resign; hence, he escaped to Jishan to live in isolation, engaging in agriculture and sustenance. Following his demise, he was interred in Jishan.

The document "Jijiupian" explicitly indicates: "The surname Xu derives from Xu You." Western Zhou Dynasty. King Wu of Zhou formed the Xu Kingdom in the eastern region of Xuchang, where Xu You resided, by incorporating the descendants of Emperor Yan Jiang Xin (Uncle Wen), a lineage of Sun Boyi, and adopting the country's name as their surname. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Xu State was subjugated by Zheng State and relocated north to Rongcheng in 508 BC. In the early Warring States period, Xu State

The twenty-fourth generation was told that the Chu State obliterated the city during Duke Anjie's reign. The royal family relocated to Gaoyang, accompanied by a contingent of Xu citizens.

Past. "The Lineage of Prime Ministers in the New Book of Tang Dynasty" indicates that "the Xu family comes from the surname Jiang, after Sun Boyi, the descendant of Emperor Yan." During the Western Han Dynasty, following the destruction of the Xu State by the Chu State, the majority of its survivors were dispersed across the nation, with some relocating from Congrong City to Yizhou and Gaoyang.

In Xincheng and other locations, Xu De, the great-great-grandson of the recluse Xu Yi, was the prefect of Anding and Runan, residing in Pingyu during the Sui Dynasty. Gaoming and Runan were the epicentres of the Xu family's development throughout the dynasty. The forty-second pay was disbursed to the public, and his son was designated Shang.

Founder of the inaugural generation of Runan. In 669 AD, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Sun Tao, the 19th descendant of Shang Gong, was tasked with accompanying Prince Tian Zhenggong, under the command of General Chen Zheng of Yuling, to the southern region of Fujian Province to suppress the barbarians. The Tang Dynasty awarded him for his exemplary performance in the fight.

The king received the title of General Xuanwei, while Duke Tianzheng was designated as Taiwei in the palace's presence. He resided in Nanzhao, Zhangzhou, established the foundation, honoured the ancestors, and increased the population.

Exist. Since then, the Xu family has established itself throughout Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, and several Southeast Asian nations.

Descendants of Tao Gong and Tianzheng Gong exist. Tao Gong is the first ancestor of the Xu family in Zhangzhou, and Tianzheng Gong is the second-generation ancestor. Late Tang Dynasty

During the early Song Dynasty, Sun Liegong, the thirteenth descendant of Tao Gong, relocated to Chaozhou, Guangdong, owing to the conflict in southern Fujian. Hanshan Shanqian Township was established and flourished, resulting in the prosperity of its descendants and the emergence of several civil and military officials. Throughout eleven generations spanning several centuries, 41 generals, such as Xu Yu, the Prince Consort, and Xu Shen, the physician in the Ministry of Justice, are included. It is renowned as a birthplace of notable talents.

By the conclusion of the Song Dynasty, in the inaugural year of Lizong Chunyou (AD 1241), the Xu people of Hanshan were acknowledged for their inadequate hospitality.

The eunuch returned to the capital and falsely alleged that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty had an affair with Yuan Fan in Chaozhou.

The Emperor proclaimed to suppress the rail. At that moment, the Xu clan fortuitously received the news first and fled. Sun An, the eleventh-generation Lie Gong Gu Gong descendant, absconded with his children Wenming, Zhongming, Keming, and Yiming to reside in Yixi, Chao'an. Subsequently, the Yuan army seized Chao Prefecture, where the offspring of the Xu ethnic group engaged in the anti-Yuan resistance led by Chen Biniang and Auntie Chen. They were pursued by Yuan forces and dispersed in several directions.

In the east, Yiminggong roamed and entered his name in the northern outskirts of Rongcheng (Yujiao Village) in Jieyang, where he established residence.

Establish a business. In 1604 AD, an ancestral temple named "Yuanyuan Hall" was constructed in the city's northern part to represent our forebears' remote lineage.

Remote. Subsequent generations called Sun Yin Duke Yi Ming or "Yujiao Gong." Dunzhi is the progenitor of the He family, and the ancestral tomb is presently situated in Yangyang, Jiedong County.

In Xucuopu, Weishan Township, ancestors from throughout the nation gather annually on August 26 of the lunar calendar to perform the sweeping of the curtain. The eighty-fourth generation grandfather of the Xu family, Yujiao Gong, was the inaugural ancestor of Jieyang, and his eldest son, Biquan Gong, established the lineage in Puning Nanyuan. The second son, Bishan, named Wei

Y still lives in Rongcheng. The second son of the seventh-generation descendent, Sun Hanqu Gong (buried in Puning Huludi), encountered Shi Gong called Shi Gong).

On the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month of that year, approximately in the mid to late sixteenth century, they relocated from Jieyang to Shui Niugou Village, Puning West Society.

A woman married a resident from Juncheng in Beishan, near her residence. Upon becoming acquainted, she realised that Duke Shou Lu shared her surname. I believed it would be inconvenient for others to reside here, so I deliberately requested him to relocate to Beishan due to the uniformity of surnames in the hamlet.

It may be beneficial for future development. Lord Shoulu frequently visited Baimawei to participate in the market, and individuals from Beishan also regularly travelled to Baimawei.

While doing business in Wei, they got to know each other and talked. It was believed that the populous village in Beishan would be highly conducive to development; another hypothesis posits that the Xu family in Jieyang is involved.

The clan members aided Beishan in settling conflicts with foreigners and suggested that Lord Shou Lu relocate to Beishan. I recently sourced from Buffalo. Upon relocating, Gou resided in an antiquated dwelling adjacent to Juncheng Village, where he independently cultivated Da Nan, Nan Zai, Shi Qi Zai, and other regions and reclaimed land for agricultural purposes. Despite the land's infertility and his lack of farming implements, he exerted much effort and cultivated the challenging terrain with diligence.

Labour diligently, cultivate self-sufficiency, progress incrementally, and generate income while raising offspring daily. Later, under the people's arrangement, to the east of Juncheng, in front of Dashuibo, new dwellings were built with stones, grey sand, and walls. The earliest structure was constructed at the current Shunzu Temple.

Behind the hall, a passageway exists. It was named "Datan" due to the substantial water reservoir located behind it. Subsequently, the water bank was designated as "Houpandi."

The water was used for fish storage but was filled several years ago. The Xu family has a rich lineage stretching back to the Yao, Shun, and Zhou Dynasties.

After the Spring and Autumn, the Warring States, the Tang, the Song, the Yuan, and the Ming dynasties—among many others—and the Qin and Han dynasties migrated and trekked thousands of miles.