Zouma Ancient Town

A Brief Introduction to Zouma Ancient Town

Zouma Ancient Town is located in the Jiulongpo District of Chongqing, in the heartland of Bayu area. Post houses had been built here as early as the middle Ming Dynasty. It was a vital place and a must pass for the businessmen between Yuzhou and the capital of Shu in ancient times. In 2008, Zouma Ancient Town was listed in the fourth "Famous Historical and Cultural Town" by the State Council.

History of Zouma Ancient Town

Zouma Ancient Town can be dated back to the Han Dynasty. It began to become prosperous and flourishing in the middle Ming Dynasty. Zouma Ancient Town is a must pass between Chongqing and Chengdu and is an important station on Cheng-Yu road. Zouma Ancient Town was built on a hill whose shape was a running horse. Thus it was called Zoumagang from the ancient times by the local people.

Folk Literature of Zouma Ancient Town

Story-telling and Sichuan Opera performances in Zouma Ancient Town have always been popular both in the past and for now. Literature breath is quite strong. In 2007, the folk stories of Zouma Ancient Town was put into the list of the first national intangible cultural heritages. The long history of Zouma Ancient Town gave birth to the special folk storytelling art as well as many excellent folk storytellers. The famous folk storytellers in Zouma Ancient Town-Wei Xiande and Wei Xianfa are two brothers. They can tell more than one thousand stories each day, thus they are praised as "Chinese Grimm Brothers" by the experts of UNESCO. Besides, there are more than 500 folk storytellers in Zouma Ancient Town. They have made great contributions to the preservation work of cultural heritage.

Flowers-Enjoying Festival of Zouma Ancient Town

Flowers-Enjoying Festival is a famous brand for Zouma Ancient Town and for the ecological tourism of Chongqing. In the month of March of each year, the peach blossoms in Zouma Ancient Town are very beautiful, lasting more than a dozen days. The lovely and sweet peach blossoms attract many artists and visitors here.

Folk Customs of Zouma Ancient Town

During the Spring Festival, the performances of dragon lantern dancing and land boat dancing etc. are taken on in Zouma Ancient Town. With the sounds of drums and gongs as well as the firecrackers and people's cheers, Zouma Ancient Town presents a happy and peaceful atmosphere. You can enjoy the wonderful performances of Sichuan Opera, storytelling and acrobatics.