Jingyu village sits tucked inside a fold of the Huairou ridges. Originally cultivated as military garrison farmland during the Ming dynasty, its mountain tracks, watchtowers, and place names still carry centuries of borderland history. Pond Life occupies the converted schoolhouse; a natural-dye studio and thirty local families share the valley.
The Seasons
The hills in early spring, seen from the village
Early spring (Mar–Apr)In late March, valley frost melts away and centuries-old chestnut boughs push out their first soft, chartreuse buds.
Chestnut trees in flower
Midsummer (Jun–Jul)In June, ten thousand mu of flowering chestnut trees carpet the valley, filling the air with heavy honey fragrance.
Fallen chestnuts on the ground
Autumn harvest (Late Sep–Oct)By late September, prickly chestnut burs split open in the sun, dropping glossy, sweet chestnuts across the forest floor.
Chestnut leaves turning colour
Late autumn (Late Oct)In late October, the canopy turns rich ochre and bronze; fallen leaves rustle softly underfoot along the mountain trails.
Market dayWednesdays and Saturdays, 08:00–10:00 (lively before nine, packed away by ten)
The villagersThirty local families whose roots here reach back generations. Vegetable plots by the village office open freely for guests to pick greens.
Questions this village raises
Bohai Town has no sea. Why is it called Bohai?
Why are there so many chestnut trees along the Wall?
How senior was the officer garrisoned at Jiuyanlou?
Why is this village called Jingyu?
Why is Sun the common surname here?
Where are the two trees Qi Jiguang planted?
From chapter eight of the book. “Open the eye that notices,” the author writes, “and these hills acquire weight.”
