History

Diversified village constructions include present-day stylish, red-brick-structured houses and blue-brick and tile-roofed homes, with elegant courtyards from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Chinese characters like "part-time work, part-time study" can still be found on many lintels, reflecting the tremendous influence of the Confucius culture, which has a vital position in Chinese civilization.

Human beings began to move into this ancient village possibly before the Yangshao Culture Period, said Professor Wang Yingxi, a noted historian, in General History of Anyang, his book of approximately 500,000 characters.

Yuyang village had been a major ferry and booming commercial center since ancient times, according to Professor Wang on the basis of his discovery of the ruins of ferry facilities by the side of the Zhanghe River and a stretch of government-built roads leading to the ferries.

Now a village with a population of more than 3,200, local Yuyang village folks have 24 different surnames, which Professor Wang cited as evidence that Yuyang's residents come from far and wide and that they were probably the descendants of ancient merchants who came and settled in the village.

Han Baochen, a 90-year-old villager, recalled that Yuyang used to be a bustling town with a bigger population in the early years of the Republic of China when it teemed with hostels, stores and agencies involved in the transport of commodities. Han said he had personally seen trains filled with horses and camels coming from areas such as present-day Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province in North China to trade goods in Yuyang village.