The formation of the ancient village of Hugayuan in West Lake is related to the passing of Bashu ancient salt road here. Bashu Salt Road is the economic lifeline and cultural transmission route of Tujia nationality, which is called "the most important cultural deposition area in the inland of China" by historians. Shengjiaba is the main Tianjin of Shiqian Avenue, close to Lichuan and Xianfeng, and there are two salt channels entering Sichuan passing through or near the stream. It is this salt canal that promotes the agricultural development of the basin. Large-scale land reclamation began around the Ming Dynasty, and since the Qing Dynasty, it has developed a farming economy based on farming and formed a farming civilization in small watersheds. Artistic value Artistic value is mainly reflected in the details decoration. For example, the Hu Jia Courtyard of Zhongba is also called Xiaoxichaomen, or settled in Chaomen. The style of the whole Chaomen building is "eight-shaped". There are more than ten stone ladders in front of the door, which makes the building stand tall and the door is well preserved. Smooth stone stairs and round stone thresholds show this ancient building. There is an original plaque above the door, a bucket arch on the cornice, and a delicate and realistic wooden fish on the upper left to set off the prominent cornice to receive the tile eaves. Nonsense who lives here, there used to be a pair of wooden phoenixes and a pair of wooden fish carved symmetrically here, and now there is only one wooden fish pattern left. The purpose of using fish as decoration to set off the building was later unknown. There used to be three entrances to the compound, but now only the facing door and the hall are left. Stepping into Chaotianmen, only a part of the main building remains, and the outline of Sanjin Gate Tower can be vaguely distinguished inside. There are three stone patios, and a fire shop is kept in a corner diaojiao building on the right side of the courtyard. The layout of fire pits, closets and houses has been completed. There is an abandoned water mill more than ten meters below Chaotianmen. People once stopped the river for water hundreds of meters upstream of the stream and squeezed oil here by water power. These carvings and structural layout make the ancient dwellings beautiful, and the exquisite production technology and the use of colors fully reflect the artistic value of the ancient dwellings. Craft value: "Folk songs are easy to sing, carpenters are difficult to build towers, masons are difficult to beat stone lions, and blacksmiths are difficult to roll iron hydrangeas".
The construction technology of Xiaoxi ancient village includes material selection, processing, ink painting, drilling, beam cutting, beam installation, rafting, tile installation, house installation and other technologies. Xiaoxi Diaojiaolou has a variety of styles, including double hanging, single hanging, I-shaped, dustpan mouth, open column and so on. Typical is the diaojiao building of Zhongba yard, with three entrances, and the second entrance hall was destroyed. The existing Chaomen and main hall have been rebuilt and are public users of the whole courtyard. Chaomen is the earliest existing building. The stone steps at the gate are on the right side of the courtyard, with four distinctive turrets and a "fire shop" upstairs. Fire pit, closet and house layout are complete.
Due to the influence of living environment, lifestyle, language and religious belief, the ancient Tujia village in Xiaoxi has formed its own unique style and tradition, which is different from the local folk houses in other areas in site selection planning, combination layout, appearance and detail decoration. Historical value Xiaoxi ancient village is the product of historical development and the material evidence to witness Tujia history. Because through the Tujia ancient village, we can see the social, political, military, economic, productivity development level, architectural technology level, cultural and artistic achievements, living customs, religious beliefs and so on. Xiaoxi is an ancient village with large settlements, small scattered communities and distinctive Tujia and Dong villages. Taking Xiaoxi River as the axis, the village and the natural environment live in harmony, which is a model of high integration of original ecological national culture and ecological culture. There is a four-story diaojiao building on the dam, and there is a dripping eaves on the second floor. Opposite the Xiaba River, there is a courtyard with "one front and two compartments", and the two wings are connected by two buildings. Xiaba River preserves Hu's complete shrine cabinet.
Xiaoxi Diaojiaolou Group is a historical witness of ancient farming civilization in Enshi minority areas, and it is also a living fossil of the dry-fence architecture where Tujia, Miao and Dong ethnic minorities blend with each other and abide by traditional architecture. The layout characteristics of its diaojiao building are: first, concentrated residence and clear order; second, overall coordination and unity; third, the single diaojiao building is a self-contained independent space.
Hu Jia quadrangles have far-reaching cultural value;
First, it is the ancient village of Yandao in Bashu. It belongs to an ancient salt-road village located in a high mountain valley with a highly developed farming civilization, which fills a gap in the salt-road culture in Enshi Prefecture.
Second, it is an ancient village of Hu immigrants. Xiaoxi Hu's ancestral home is Anhui and Hezhou (now Hexian County). In the second year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, he was detained in Zhijiang, Hunan Province, and integrated into the Dong people. It has been nearly 300 years since the Hu family moved to the west in the 13th generation.
The third is the ancient villages of Diaojiaolou Group. Xiaoxi Diaojiao Building Group has distinctive features, including double hanging, single hanging, I-shaped, dustpan mouth, open column and other styles;
Fourth, it is an ancient village with ecological civilization. Xiaoxi is mainly based on planting and breeding economy, but also on fishing, hunting, commerce, trade and other economic models. With the penetration of modern traffic, the stream is remote, the ecological culture is well preserved, and a "pure land" of farming civilization is basically preserved.