#Jiuyuan village

The former residence of Ma Zhiyuan, a famous Yuan dynasty opera writer, Sanqu artist, and dramatist, in Jiuyuan village, Wangping township, Mentougou district, Beijing, on Nov. 29, 2020 [IC photo]

Jiuyuan village, which means "leek garden" in English, gets its name from how people here used to grow vegetables for a living, especially leeks. The village is the first ancient village on the Wangping Ancient Road of the Ancient Jingxi Road in Beijing. It has a history of nearly a thousand years.

Jiuyuan village is now composed of four natural villages that are surrounded by a big mountain. There are many cultural relics and historic sites in the village, including the former residence of Ma Zhiyuan, a famous Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) opera writer, Sanqu artist, and dramatist, and most of the ancient dwellings are courtyard houses that are built leaning into the mountain.