Liuliqu Village (琉璃渠)

Liuliqu, a village sitting on the bank of Yongding River, is renowned as the “Home of Liuli (glaze)” in China. In the Yuan Dynasty, a bureau was established by the government in the village to administer the producing of liuli. Then the government of the Qing Dynasty transferred an official liuli factory from Beijing to the village during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, and dug a canal to there, hence the village was named. Nowadays, liuli products for repairing the ancient buildings in the Forbidden City, the Great Hall of the People, and the memorial archway of Zhengyang Gate all produced in this village.

As the fame of the “Home of Liuli” spreads far and wide, the village is hailed as the “Village of Chinese Royal Liuli”. In the capital city, from the royal palace to the powerful official residences, liuli, an architectural ornament with strong Chinese characteristics, is all over the place. Instead of by coal, the liuli in ancient times was made by firing expensive pine. Therefore, it was a real luxury for ancient architecture to a certain extent. In addition to the prime location of Jingxi Ancient Path, Liuliuqu Village also boasted the techniques of firing liuli in ancient times, thus the business boom and accessible transportation provided the village with unequalled development opportunities. Among today’s sparsely preserved items from numerous ancient buildings in Liuliqu Village, the most valuable are Sanguan Pavilion and Guojie Building.