"Dashan: Deep in the Mountains" centers on the Chen family in East District 1 (Dashan) of Xingren County in southwestern Guizhou. It tells the story of local tycoon Chen Boxiang who led his family to take root in the mountains and protect their hometown in a magnificent epic from the late Qing Dynasty to the founding of New China.
When Chen Boxiang was in charge of Rendong District 1, he took "ruling the countryside with benevolence" as the concept and devoted himself to public welfare undertakings: he presided over the construction of bridges and roads and water conservancy projects to improve people's livelihood; he founded schools to popularize education, broke the shackles of gender and advocated girls' enrollment; he set up free clinics to benefit his neighbors and protect the health of the people during the epidemic. Faced with the complex environment of multi-ethnic settlements, he took the initiative to give up land to resolve land disputes in the Miao Village, actively promoted the Yunwu Tea of Longjing Buyi Village, and joined forces with Aji, the Yi leader of Yechang Village, to promote cultural integration. It pioneered the "Dashan Joint Venture" local economic development model and created the "Dashan" landmark and business brand.
The Chen Manor, built under the leadership of the family, is the pinnacle testimony of the spirit of Dashan craftsmen. Six hundred craftsmen spent ten years carefully carving it, integrating defensive towers with poetry, painting and wood carvings. 110 Houses are built on top of the mountain. Stone carved gun holes and bird carvings coexist, demonstrating the perfect unity of practicality and art.
From supporting the Northern Expedition to selling off their property to support the Anti-Japanese War, from opening up granaries to donating land to the public upon their deathbed, the Chen family wrote about their responsibility in troubled times with the righteousness of their family and country. This manor, which carries the "culture of loyalty and filial piety", eventually became a provincial cultural protection unit, witnessing the benevolence and ingenuity that will never fade deep in the mountains.
