Award:Documentary Award

Time: 2002-2005
Place: Zhangguying Town, Yueyang County, Hunan, China

Ancient architectural group honoured as first house in southeastern China dates back to the Ming Dynasty, with a history of six hundred years. It has an area of more than 50,000 square meters, with over 2600 villagers of Zhangs who dwell in more than 1700 rooms.

On Winter Solstice Day every year, every family in the village are busy with preserved bean curd. The traditional snack has been presented to the outside world and won a considerable economic benefit with the development of tourism economy.

Sweet spring water in ancient villages is a key source to have bean immersed in the preparation for bean curd. Then the process of grinding, shaking, boiling, sinking and rinsing soy milk needs careful operation. The bean curd produced in these original manual workshops is soft and crisp, white as snow and absolutely environmental friendly.

Wedding ceremony known as red event and funerals regarded as white ceremony in China both have banquets in the main hall to treat relatives and friends. The table used for banquet is called "Eight Immortals table".

The village has the tradition of annual killing pigs in the lunar twelfth month, when respected senior people from every household selects the date, which are usually even date,not odd days. Before the killing, people would offer sacrifice to God with burning incense, which is to pray for having good harvest, rich livestock, eliminating diseases and plagues in the next year, although the original date of the tradition has been unknown.

The ninety-year-old woman in the picture learned spinning and weaving at fifteen. The old spinning wheel has been with her for over seventy years.

Each generations of children grow up from the children's chair, bathing in the sunlight and enjoying life of childhood in the simple and ancient atmosphere.