Full Chestnut Terrace / Wonder Architects

In the early 15th century, the town of Huanghuazhen under Changping Prefecture was bustling with the construction of the Great Wall. Near the Xishuiyu area, in an unnamed valley, people carved out a terrace halfway up the mountain and hauled countless rough-hewn yellow stones there. It is speculated that a wall was intended to enclose the valley, but for some unknown reason, the project was abandoned, leaving the yellow stones scattered in a long mound. Over the centuries, many chestnut trees were planted in this area. People lived and worked under the dense shade, and every autumn, the valleys within a hundred li were covered with fluffy chestnut husks. In 2019, when we arrived, a construction team was stationed on the terrace. They had set up three or four makeshift sheds, with building materials and equipment strewn all over. Amidst the disorder, dozens of old chestnut trees still thrived. The largest required three people to encircle it.