Xiema Scholars' Village 歇马举人村

About Xiema Scholars' Village

Nanfang+'s own reporting records that the village, nearly 700 years old and designated a Chinese Historic and Cultural Village, a Chinese Traditional Village and a national AAA tourist area, produced more than 680 imperial-examination title-holders in the Ming and Qing, of whom 285 were juren; more than 430 held official ranks from ninth to second grade, including 6 at second rank. The Liang Yuangui family, spanning four generations under one roof with 107 male members, saw 81 of them attain examination honours, a success rate Nanfang Plus puts at nearly 80 percent. In modern times the village produced Flying Tigers member Liang Hanyi, Cantonese opera star Fang Yanfen and calligrapher Liang Dingguang, and has produced more than 200 people with doctoral, master's or university degrees since the founding of the People's Republic.

Nanfang Plus names Dunmu Tang as the largest surviving ancestral hall in the village, preserving the ancestral motto 'even measuring rice with a writing-brush pot, still teach the sons to read', and Jixi Tang, about 70 metres away, as a former private school for village children. It also describes a scholarship custom called Lixue Zhi, or the grain system, which rewarded private-school students with a basket of rice a year, xiucai-level graduates with 12 baskets and juren-level or higher graduates with 24 baskets for life; the custom is recognised as Jiangmen municipal intangible cultural heritage.

What to look for

• Dunmu Tang (敦睦堂), which Nanfang Plus names as the village's largest surviving ancestral hall, carrying its ancestral motto on education.
• Jixi Tang (缉熙堂), a former private school about 70 metres from Dunmu Tang.
• The record of the Liang Yuangui family, whose 107 male members across four generations saw 81 attain examination honours.
• The Lixue Zhi grain-reward scholarship custom, recognised as Jiangmen municipal intangible cultural heritage.

Location & getting there

Getting to Xiema Scholars' Village

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 歇马举人村 with 江门市 and 恩平市.