Location: Qidu Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou
Date of Building: Before the Yuan Dynasty
Population: 2,850
Introduction of Kaixiangong Village:
Kaixiangong Village is named due to the fact that a small east-west river takes the shape of an opening bow and Beisheng River looks like an arrow upon it. The village is an administrative village under Qidu Town in Wujiang District of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Located on the southeast shore of Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River Delta, it belonged to the Liangzhu Culture in the Taihu Lake watershed in ancient times. The unearthed archaeological relics have proved that the place has a history as long as about 5, 000 years.
Kaixiangong Village has profound cultural deposits, whose folk customs include annual and seasonal folk customs, marriage customs, festivity customs, funeral customs and customs of temple fairs. The village has not only its distinct dialect and riddles, but also the Jiang Village Culture cultivated by Fei Dasheng (the elder sister) and Fei Xiaotong (the younger brother). “Jiang Village” has now become synonymous with Kaixiangong Village, since the renowned sociologist Fei Xiaotong visited the village and wrote the book Peasant Life in China: A Field Study of Country Life of in Jiang Village, or known as Economy of Jiang Village. Since then, Kaixiangong Village has become the most favorite sample for scholars from home and abroad to conduct researches on Chinese villages and therefore, has become “No. 1 Village” for the observation and study of Chinese countryside in the eyes of international sociological circles. Guided by the recently launched principle of constructing villages with unique characteristics, Kaixiangong Village keeps upgrading its natural environment and the overall architectural style by focusing on recovering the route Fei Xiaotong once adopted for his 26 visits to the place. From rural industry to humane life, from farming to local delicacies, the village endeavors to present the original look of “Jiang Village” and stress the showcase effect of corresponding researches on the village.
