James Baquet
ONE of the hidden treasures in our city is the large number of Hakka enclosed villages (or Hakka houses). There are dozens of them in Longgang, and the new Metro line brings them much closer.
I recently visited Maosheng Residence, about 1 kilometer west of Henggang Station, next to Maosheng Park. It differs from others I’ve seen by incorporating several architectural styles, including some very Italian-looking colonnades.
The village was built around 200 years ago by settlers with the surname He. Like many such villages, it has a D-shaped pond out front. This and the ancient forest behind it (now a park) were meant to enhance the site’s feng shui.
There are watchtowers at each of the four corners; those and the other exterior walls feature dumbbell-shaped defensive loopholes for defenders to shoot through if necessary. The whole edifice speaks of the precarious position of the first Hakka settlers.
Just inside the gate is a Maosheng Village History Exhibition. This is also the area of the ancestral shrine.
A nearby hall with a closed door is signed The Folk Art Gallery, but when I peeked between the doors there seemed to be nothing inside.
I saw a couple of occupied rooms near the back, but otherwise the place seems deserted. The open courtyards left me with an eerie feeling; I felt better when I saw the people exercising in the park next door.
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