Xidi & Hongcun皖南古村落－西递、宏村（2000年） · Xīdì – Hóngcūn — the Ming-Qing villages of Huizhou
Two exquisitely preserved villages in the hills below Huangshan — whitewashed walls, black-tiled roofs, carved-timber merchant mansions and a lake-and-canal water system laid out to feng shui. The finest surviving picture of old Huizhou village life.
Old Huizhou, kept almost intact.
The two traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun preserve, to a remarkable degree, the appearance of a kind of rural settlement that largely vanished or was transformed elsewhere in the last century. Their street plans, their architecture and decoration, and the way they integrate houses with a comprehensive water system are outstanding survivals of a vanished world.
Both were built by the wealthy merchant clans of Huizhou, who poured their fortunes into carved-wood, brick and stone ornament and into ancestral halls and memorial arches. Hongcun is famously laid out in the shape of an ox, with a crescent 'Moon Pond' at its heart and a lake at its 'belly' — hydraulic feng shui as village planning.
Hongcun's Moon Pond and South Lake featured in Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', which made it a pilgrimage for film fans and painters alike.
Two villages, one Huizhou world.
They're close but distinct — Hongcun for its water and setting, Xidi for its mansions and arch. Do one or both.
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Hongcun Moon Pond 宏村月沼
The crescent pond at the ox-shaped village's heart, ringed by black-and-white houses mirrored in still water — the classic image.At Hongcun · Ticket ~¥104
South Lake 南湖
The lake at the village edge with its arched bridge — the 'Crouching Tiger' setting and every painter's favourite spot.At Hongcun
Xidi's merchant mansions 西递古民居
Lanes of intact Ming-Qing homes with virtuoso wood, brick and stone carving behind high white walls.At Xidi · Ticket ~¥104
Xidi Memorial Archway 西递牌坊
The grand stone paifang at the village entrance — an honour granted by the emperor and the symbol of Huizhou merchant status.At Xidi
Spring canola, autumn calm.
March–April is glorious, when yellow canola fields surround the villages; September–November is clear and comfortable. Misty mornings are a painterly bonus. Summer is hot and busy; winter quiet and occasionally snow-dusted.
Stay the night, and come for early morning. Day-trippers from Huangshan flood the lanes from mid-morning; the magic is at dawn and dusk when the water is still and the tour groups are gone. An overnight in a converted courtyard house turns a crowded stop into the best part of the trip.
For foreign travelers.
- Stay overnight in one of the villages to experience the lanes empty at dawn and dusk.
- Do Hongcun for its water and setting; add Xidi for its mansions and carvings if you have time.
- A local guide brings the carvings, feng shui and merchant history to life.
- Combine with Mount Huangshan just above. See our Mount Huangshan guide.