Zhu Chongxin has lived all his life in the small town of Haitang.

Now in his late 70s, he has seen off many of the town's youth, who are lured to mega-urban centers far from their rural home.

Zhu's ancient hometown is located 35 kilometers from the county seat of Ganluo and about 200 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, Sichuan provincial capital.

For Zhu, who is well-versed in the town's history, Haitang holds a kind of allure, that continues to whisper from centuries past.

Only backpackers come to Haitang nowadays, attracted to the town's ancient architecture and the vestiges of the area's old prosperous business center. Haitang is perched at an elevation between 1,700 and 4,000 meters above sea level.

The town's north gate is a standing witness. Its gray bricks bear the time of its reconstruction, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang, or 1838 of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"At one time, there were also east and west gates," Zhu said.

The entire town is encircled by walls constructed during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties.

The town's two main streets create a huge T, written in cement.

The town's roads used to all be paved with slabs of stone, but now only the small lanes outside the town's center still have the slabstones, along with the town's ancient bridges that crisscross small streams.

The old houses that line the two main streets were built with wooden frames and packed earth walls.

Looking carefully, one can still see the fine engravings upon the wooden window frames.

Some of the old houses still retain the traditional courtyard, or siheyuan.

Inside the local Sibuxian Primary School, lies a huge stone bearing two large Chinese characters, "jiang yuan," which roughly translates as "the source of generals."

Local residents say the stone has been there for some 400 years, but no one knows why and what the two characters really mean.

According to historic annals, Haitang once thrived as it accommodated and housed business people and trade convoys, who made the sojourn between the hinterland and areas in the southwest.

The major business hub is listed in records from the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.

Haitang is the first stop on the path from Chengdu into the Great Liangshan Mountains, populated predominantly by the Yi ethnic group.

During the Qing Dynasty, Haitang was especially developed as the center of local administration.

Three kilometers south is the township center, a village named Zhenxi (Suppressing the West). The village got its name during the Qing Dynasty, when an uprising of minority groups was stamped out by the government.

According to Zhu, many Han residents are descendants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864), the largest peasant uprising in China's history.

In the early days of the last century, Haitang was home to more than 3,000 residents. At that time, another street ran outside the old west gate. It is said that about 30 inns and dozens of stores opened in the town during its boom. Some 1,700 people lived in the township seat and another 2,000 residents in villages scattered around the area.

Its current name Haitang, meaning Flowering Crabapple in Chinese, came about in the early 19th century. At that time flowering crabapple trees grew across the area.

A few of the haitang that were planted several centuries ago have survived the test of time, even as the town endured wars, earthquakes and landslides.

Today the flowering crabapples have been replaced by two other plants, which add organic beauty to the township: pears in the spring and baogu (local dialect for maize).

In spring, snow white pear flowers, which are seen everywhere, turn the township into a picturesque scene.

In autumn the prevailing color is yellow, as local residents hang clusters of harvested maize cobs under the eaves of their homes.

History aside, Haitang has retained much of its centuries-old ways of life.

Han, Yi and Tibetan people live harmoniously in the area, with Haitang as the township seat. The whole township has seven villages .

Local residents maintain the old tradition of ganji, or going to fairs. Regular fairs are held on days which contain one, four and seven according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

On fair days, traders of small businesses, gather from both throughout the town and its neighboring townships, and crowd the main street.

The major method of transportation on the town's streets and lanes are not automobiles or even bicycles, but mules.

Luo Kejian, a 65-year-old villager, makes his living making horseshoes.

Luo began his trade in 1978.

He produces shoes for more than 10,000 horses and mules every year.

Besides its ancient flavor, local people are also proud of two special Haitang products: their white spirits and preserved ham.

Although the two products are common in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, the Haitang locals claim their spirits and ham are among the best. It just may be this type of pride that helps Haitang adhere to its illustrious past.

Trip tips

Getting there: Travelers can take a taxi from the county seat of Ganluo, which is 35 kilometers from Haitang. A commuter bus from the county seat of Shimian is also available. Each route costs about 10 yuan (US$1.20).

Accommodations: A one-night stay at most of the township's hostels also costs approximately 10 yuan.

(China Daily April 4, 2005)