[August 18, 2004] -- Xiamen Daily. Lu Zhi Ming reports about the ancient village of Xin An:
"A small stream trickles through the footprints of the ancestors;
An ancient painting reveals the flirtatious expression of that year..."
Xin An Village is situated on the common border of Xiamen and Zhangzhou (Longhai). Located in my home province (Fujian), it is the famous village inhabited by returned overseas Chinese. It is also known as a Wu Shu (martial arts) Village, because it is the birthplace of a certain style of Chinese martial arts. Due to its special geographical location, transportation in and out of the area was very convenient and therefore allowed for overseas tradesmen to inhabit the region. Even today, throughout Southeast Asia, wherever Chinese people settle, there are footprints of the Qiu (a family name) clan of Xin An.
The uniqueness of Xin An owes to its clusters of residential homes with ancient architecture, namely the typical red-bricked houses. The walls are constructed using red bricks, the roofs are made of red tiles, and foundations are granite, complemented by wood, stone and brick carvings that are exquisite beyond compare. This type of elegant red-brick residential architecture, large in surface area and dimension, and huddled together in the natural backdrop of a rural village is an extremely rare sight along the present-day shores of the Fujian straits. In addition, Xin An district's numerous famous historical figures and relics has made Xin An into a natural tourist site.
Another distinguishing feature of Xin An is that it is presently Xiamen City's last and only existing tribe that encourages a martial spirit. Its once popular Shaolin Five Ancestors He Yang Fist is another source of Xin An's pride.