This is a photography book. It offers a true record of the typical original ancient towns of Sichuan and the simple and quiet life of their people. It includes nine ancient towns such as Wangyu， Gaomiao， and Luocheng. Moreover， the book also records some traditional culture of Sichuan ancient towns about teahouses， old wineries， and other aspects.

Keep Memories Alive：

Original Ancient Towns in Sichuan

Zhang Juntian

Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House

October 2019

180 （CNY）

Zhang Juntian

Zhang Juntian became engaged in photography in the 1980s and started by processing his black-and-white film. After becoming a skilled photographer， he was engaged in professional photography for several years in Shenzhen， Guangdong Province. After that， he returned to Chengdu and served as a photojournalist for Tianfu Morning Post at Sichuan Daily Industry Group. Up to now， he has been intermittently engaged in photography for several years. He dabbles in a variety of photography themes and is especially good at observation and expression.

On an ashy flagstone road near two rows of old wooden houses with green tiles， an old man walked slowly to a fair in a drizzle， his head wearing a white veil， his back carrying a bamboo basket. It is a classic view of Sichuan ancient towns that reveals the life of the past.

The sky is clean， and a few flying tits occasionally appear. They fly into the cold-colored buildings and bypass persons in colorful clothes before disappearing. After a spring rainfall， the blue stones are washed clean. The drops teeter on the edge of the tiles. The streets are full of the smell of plum wine. Local vendors peddle their goods. Is there such a place in your memory？ Did you meet it on a journey？ Is it the hometown of your memories？ Or the one that you’ve never met …

When an ancient town is not rebuilt for commercial use and maintains its original appearance， its streets reveal the luster of the olden days， its people are simple and loyal， it could be called a truly ancient town. When a visitor visits this town and walks in it， they may not only enjoy its old neighborhood， slow life， faint antique charm， but also be distressed for its broken fences， cracked roofs， and obsolescence and poorness. They may be afraid of its sudden change and may be afraid that it will slowly turn to dust. Original ancient towns make people distressed！

Today， you may feel the current original ancient towns of Sichuan with a cup of tea.

The Uncertain Future of Ancient Towns

On an ashy flagstone road near two rows of old wooden houses with green tiles， an old man walked slowly to a fair in a drizzle， his head wearing a white veil， his back carrying a bamboo basket. It is a classic view of Sichuan ancient towns that reveals the life of the past.

Is there any other scene like this？ Yes， but it is true that there are not many left！

Ancient towns are culture and old streets are history. But with large-scale development in recent decades， they have gradually disappeared. Some have been developed and built for commercial use and tourism. Some have been forgotten and gradually annihilated into chaos and ruin. In reality， many simple and unsophisticated towns have been changed and many memories of ancient towns have been erased. Today， although the concept of “ancient town” has got popular across the country， true original ancient towns are rare.

Take photos of the ancient towns and keep them. Then， come back a few years later to see if they are still there.

Longhua Ancient Town， Yibin

“Taking a walk down Longhua Street will take you back to your childhood.” Longhua Old Street does have such charm. No need to mention the green-tiled houses in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties， the stone arches of the first year of the reign of Emperor Xianfeng （1853） in Zhenkou， and the Taiping vats of the second year of the reign of Emperor Xianfeng （1854） in the streets， the winding flagstone roads alone are enough to evoke your distant memories. A folk song says that “Zhongdu has a dry climate， Muchuan’s climate is moist， and Dalongxi and Xiaolongxi rivers do not have sunny days.” The song means that Longhua has a rainy climate. Longhua Town is at the confluence of Dalongxi and Xiaolongxi rivers. With shiny flagstone roads on the old street and the villagers with antique charm in the drizzle， it is worthwhile for you to linger upon.

Wangyu Ancient Town， Ya’an

On the bank of Zhougong River in Ya’an， a huge rock appears in the shape of a cat， watching the fish in the river. This is the origin of the name of the ancient town. Wangyu Town， which is about 40 kilometers away from Ya’an， is an important post for persons who went to Chengdu through the ancient southern Silk Road， Tea-Horse Road， and Linqiong Road. It is said that over 400 years ago， an old woman set up a tea stall on the rock for merchants. Since then， people had gradually come to live here. Wangyu Street thus emerged.

The old street is not long and is on high stone steps. The ancient flagstone Tea-Horse Road and the green-tiled post declined， looking bleak and desolate. When you come from the noisy city and step up the 128 stone steps， you will be among a strong aura of antique charm. Looking at the horse’s hoof marks on the flagstone road and the worn-out post， you will feel as if you are going back in time.

Gaomiao Ancient Town， Hongya

Gaomiao is a secluded ancient town at the foot of the Wawu Mountain in Hongya County， Meishan. In the ancient town， an old street， which was built in the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Hongwu during the Ming dynasty （1371）， is like an ancient magnet， attracting nostalgic travelers and photographers. The two-foot-wide flagstone road and a narrow strip of sky above the eaves are a wonderful view of the ancient town. With mountains， rivers， and good wine， without annoyance and noise， it will make you carefree. Taste a pot of Gaomiao liquor at summer dusk， hold a palm-leaf fan， and stroll along the winding bluestone road. As a cool breeze passes through the narrow strip of sky above the eaves and sweeps across your face， you will feel comfortable. When you are drunk， you may sing a song， fully revealing your tipsy state！

Luocheng Ancient Town， Qianwei

In Qianwei County， Leshan， an ancient town has the shape of a boat. That shape is the most famous feature of Luocheng Town. Luocheng， known as the Oriental Noah’s Ark， was built at the end of the Mingdynasty and perfected in the Qing dynasty. Fortunately， it has been well persevered to date. In addition to its boat-shaped structure， Luocheng is also characterized by Lengting street as well as the stage on the street， the eaves of verandas， and the people drinking tea under the eaves. A pair of stone lions in the town is over 2 meters high. Although they have experienced hundreds of years of war and turmoil， they still stand proudly. They seem to be the symbol of Luocheng， an unsinkable “ship”.

Xiaoxi Ancient Town， Guang’an

“Luocheng in the south is comparable to Xiaoxi in the north.” Both Luocheng and Xiaoxi are ancient boat-shaped towns in Sichuan Province. Xiaoxi， which is located in the northeast of Guang’an， is a bit remote. The boat-shaped street of Luocheng was built in the first year of the reign of Emperor Chongzhen in the Ming dynasty （1628）. Xiaoxi， also known as the ancient Tangsong town， has a history of nearly a thousand years. However， Xiaoxi is far lesser known than Luocheng. Over the years， Xiao Xiwu has kept silent on the side of the Qujiang River. The ancient street of Xiaoxi is indeed an old street full of antique charm. Although it declined to some extent， its historical charm and simple customs are lucky to be preserved.

Xiping Ancient Town， Santai

In Santai County， Mianyang， an ancient town was built in a city gate and has been named the second most beautiful ancient town in Sichuan. It is called Xiping. The ancient city now looks a bit messy. Its old city gates are still there. The old street has only maintained its basic layout. The buildings have become dilapidated. It is a bit out of step with its reputation， but its traditional way of life has been preserved. When you walk into the city gate， you will feel that time is at a standstill as if you have gone back to that distant past.

Tiefo Ancient Town， Zizhong

Tiefo （Iron Buddha） Town is located in the hinterland of Zizhong County， Neijiang. There is a story about its name. The place used to be called Laodianzi. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing dynasty， monks carried an iron Buddha of the Ming dynasty and couldn’t move forward when they passed by this place. So， the monks built a temple called Tiefo Temple in Laodianzi. After that， Laodianzi has since been called Tiefo Town. As an ancient town， there isn’t much left from what came before. Although the old houses are not concentrated， they look exquisite to some extent. On the old street， the residents follow the old way of a leisurely and slow life. Looking at them， you will unconsciously become leisurely and tranquil as well.

Fubao Ancient Town， Hejiang

Fubao Ancient Town in Hejiang， Luzhou， is located on the bordering region of Sichuan and Guizhou. As an ancient town， Fubao does have its historical origin. The town emerged at the end of the Yuan dynasty and the beginning of the Ming dynasty and has a history of 700 or 800 years. Perhaps because of its remoteness， the town still has a completely preserved old street of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The old street was built against a mountain. The stone path was built upwards step by step. The green-tiled wooden houses were concentrated across a vast area. The landscape is really nice. In terms of its panoramic view， a typical ancient architecture picture composed of old houses makes the town famous in Sichuan. Fubao is an ancient town above the stone step. Strolling along the one-li （500 meters）-long stone road， you can look at the street， the houses， the palaces， and the towers. Of course， you can also look at the people of the ancient town and understand how they follow the past lifestyle today.