Wangyu Ancient Town is located in the upper reaches of Zhougong River south of Ya'an City. It was originally a post station set up here on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, and then gradually formed a market town. The name of Wangyu Ancient Town sounds very artistic. The reason is that the main building of the ancient town is located on a huge boulder on the mountainside, and the boulder resembles a cat watching the fish swimming in the Zhougong River, so it was named Wangyu.
Wangyu is located deep in the mountains, is small in scale, and is not well known to people. Like other ancient villages, most of the young people here have gone out to work, leaving only some old people and children. They live a leisurely and unconcerned life, appearing quiet and peaceful. There is no trace of the bustle of the Tea Horse Road post station in the past, let alone The noisy instrument of the modern city. It is this integration of simple folk customs and quaint old streets that has become a highlight of Wangyu.
Wangyu Old Street was built in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. The main building is located on a huge boulder standing on the mountainside. It is named because the boulder looks like a cat watching the fish swimming in the Zhougong River. Although the location of Wangyu Ancient Town was inspired by the post road, it also reflects the traditional Chinese Feng Shui concept, that is, elements such as "pillowing mountains, surrounding water, and facing screens".
Wangyu Old Street
Wangyu Old Street is a long and narrow straight-shaped street, with a bluestone road running through the entire street. The road surface has been polished by the years until it shines faintly. Walking on it reminds you of the merchants and caravans who used to travel on the Tea Horse Road.
On both sides of the street are wooden blue-tiled houses and stilted buildings. The exquisite corrugations, wall corners, window lattice and carvings on the column bases reveal the prosperity of the past. These buildings used to be government offices, banks, pawnshops, pharmacies, embroidery buildings, hotels, restaurants, tea shops and stages, and now most of them have become residential buildings.
In ancient times, there were long stone staircases at both ends of the old street, which can reach the river and connect to the new street. To enter the old street, one must climb the stone ladder to the mountainside, showing the ease of walking. The defensive nature of being difficult to defend is due to the need of the ancient market town to defend against bandits. Such terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack.