Jiangxi Qian Shan: A Remote Village and a Hidden Beauty

We all love Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Source', and we all love to seek out places like 'Peach Blossom Source'. But with the development of society and the impact of various modern atmospheres, such places are becoming increasingly rare.

In Jiangxi Province, there's Guici Village in Purple Creek Township, Lead Mountain dialect reads 'qì' as 'guì', meaning 'steps'. Indeed, the village name is perfectly descriptive; it's located on the peak of Wan Yuan Village in Purple Creek Township, deep in the mountains. To enter the village, you must walk for about an hour on a mountain road, similar to climbing the Ge Xian Mountain.

The village is surrounded by mountains, and the village is built in a small mountain valley, accessible through a bamboo grove. Only after passing through the bamboo forest can you see this village hidden deep in the mountains. The village has about 30 old houses, and because of the inconvenience of transportation, all the villagers have moved out of the village, leaving only a few Northeast style old houses. The houses are overgrown with weeds and very desolate.

Purple Creek was a 'red zone', and it housed the Soviet government, the Soviet Government's Arbitration Bureau, the Soviet Government's Labor Propaganda Institute, the Lead Mountain County Children's League, the Lead Mountain County Court Guard Station, and the Red Army School and Hospital. Because of Guici's location deep in the mountains, it was very hidden, and Guici became the inpatient department of the Red Army Hospital, where wounded soldiers received treatment.

If there were people living there, the scene of 'interwoven fields and streams, domestic animals and people living together. In it, going to and fro were cultivation and farming, men and women dressed, just like people outside. Elderly with white hair and long beards, and everyone could enjoy life in their own way.' (Ding Minghua's photo)