Lonely Planet China

by Lonely Planet

  Xīdì 西递

  %0559 / Pop 1000

  Typical of the elegant Huīzhōu style, Xīdì’s 124 surviving buildings reflect the wealth and prestige of the prosperous merchants who settled here. Its Unesco World Heritage Site status means Xīdì (西递; ¥104; 7am to 5pm) enjoys a lucrative tourist economy, yet it remains a picturesque tableau of slender lanes, cream-coloured walls topped with horse-head gables, roofs capped with dark tiles, and doorways ornately decorated with carved lintels. From here you can head out further into the countryside, to explore less-visited villages such Nánpíng, Guānlù (关麓 ¥35; h7.30am-5pm) and Bìshān.

  1Sights

  Dating to AD 1047, the village has for centuries been a stronghold of the Hu (胡) clan, descended from the eldest son of the last Tang emperor who fled here in the twilight years of the Tang dynasty. The magnificent three-tiered Ming dynasty decorative arch, the Húwénguāng Páifāng (胡文光牌坊), at the entrance to the village, is an ostentatious symbol of Xīdì’s former standing.

  Numerous other notable structures are open for inspection, including Díjí Hall (迪吉堂; Díjí Táng) and Zhuīmù Hall (追慕堂; Zhuīmù Táng), both on Dalu Jie (大路街). Jìng’ài Hall (敬爱堂; Jìng’ài Táng) is the town’s largest building, a multipurpose hall where wedding ceremonies and clan meetings were held and punishments meted out. Back in the day, women weren’t allowed inside. Xīyuán (西园) is a small house known for its exquisite stone carvings on the windows. Unlike regular carvings, these are carved on both sides.

  Paths lead out from the village to nearby hills where there are suitable spots for picture-postcard panoramas of the village (though a mobile-phone tower blights the landscape). If you want to avoid the crowds, you’ll have to start early or hang out late: tour groups start roaming around at 7am and only trickle out at 5pm or so.

  NánpíngVILLAGE

  (南屏 ¥43; h8am-5pm)

  Labyrinthine Nánpíng has a history of more than 1100 years. However, it's relatively recent history that draws most visitors, particularly film fans: much of Zhang Yimou’s 1989 tragedy Judou was filmed inside the village's Xùzhì Hall (叙秩堂; Xùzhì Táng). Props from the film and behind-the-scenes photographs from the filming are on display inside the dramatic 530-year-old hall. Parts of Ang Lee's 1999 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were filmed next door in the Ming dynasty Kuíguāng Hall (奎光堂; Kuíguāng Táng).

  Nánpíng is 5km west of Yīxiàn. Minibuses (¥3) depart for Nánpíng every 30 minutes (7am to 4pm) from Yīxiàn; a taxi from Xīdì costs ¥40.

  WORTH A TRIP

  QíYúN SHāN

  Qíyún ShānMOUNTAIN

  (齐云山 Mar-Nov ¥75, Dec-Feb ¥55; h8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-5.30pm Sat & Sun)

  Qíyún Shān means 'mountain as high as the clouds' and it's an apt description: though not actually that high (just 585m) its peaks do pierce the low-lying, ghostly puffs of mist that regularly envelop the region. Long venerated by Taoists, the reddish sandstone rock provides a mountain home to temples, many built into the mountain itself, and the monks who tend to them. Qíyún Shān is a 45-minute bus trip west of Túnxī.

  Most tour groups get dropped off at a back entrance, so if you arrive by public bus you'll likely be on your own for the 75-minute climb up stone steps to the ticket office. Just beyond, Zhēnxiān Cave (真仙洞府; Zhēnxiān Dòngfǔ) houses a complex of Taoist shrines in grottoes and niches gouged from the sandstone cliffs. Further on, seated within the smoky interior of the vast and dilapidated Xuán Tiān Tàisù Gōng (玄天太素宫) is an effigy of Zhengwu Dadi, a Taoist deity. A further temple hall, the Yùxū Gōng (玉虚宫), is erected beneath the huge brow of a 200m-long sandstone cliff, enclosed around effigies of Zhengwu Dadi and Laotzu.

  A village – seemingly plonked in the middle of the mountain range – stretches along the poetically named Moonlight Street (月华天街; Yuehua Tian Jie). Most residents operate restaurants and snack stands from their homes.

  The bus from Túnxī will likely drop you off on the side of the road, from where you'll walk through a village to Dēngfēng Bridge (登封桥; Dēngfēng Qiáo). Return buses sometimes hang around the bridge; otherwise wait at the side of the road for buses coming from Yīxiàn. The last bus from Yīxiàn to Túnxī departs at 5pm; the last tourist bus departs at 4pm.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  Xīdì and nearby Bìshān have two of the most attractive boutique hotels in the region.

  There are plenty of indistinguishable restaurants and snack vendors here. The best meals in town are served at the Pig's Heaven Inn, at the back of the village – it's well worth the trouble of finding it.

  oPig’s Heaven InnBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$

  (猪栏酒吧, Zhūlán Jiǔbā %0559 515 4555; http://blog.sina.com.cn/zhulanjiuba; Renrang Li, Xīdì, 西递镇仁让里 s/d incl breakfast ¥390/610; aiW)S

  When Shànghǎi artist Li Guoyu discovered this Ming dynasty home it was being used as a pig's pen (hence the name). She painstakingly restored it, adding an eclectic blend of vintage furniture and mid-20th-century memorabilia. Cheaper rooms are a little pokey but all guests can make use of the common areas, including a 3rd-floor verandah overlooking the village rooftops.

  oPig's Inn BìshānBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$

  (猪栏酒吧璧山, Zhūlán Jiǔbā Bìshān %0559 517 5555; http://blog.sina.com.cn/zhulanjiuba; Bìshān, 璧山村 tw/d incl breakfast ¥790/910; aW)S

  There is no better way to experience the extravagant villas of the Huīzhōu merchants than to spend a few days living in one, waking for breakfast overlooking the courtyard, and spending a rainy afternoon in the wood-panelled study. At this nine-room boutique hotel, inside a Qing dynasty home masterfully restored by Li Guoyu, you can do exactly that.

  7Shopping

  Librarie Avant-GardeBOOKS

  (先锋書店, Xiānfēng Shūdiàn Bìshān, 璧山 h10am-noon & 1-6pm)

  An unlikely bookstore in an unlikely place, this is the Bìshān branch of storied Nánjīng bookstore, Librarie Avant-Garde, coaxed into existence by a pair of Běijīng artists who relocated to the village. While the open-air courtyard of a restored ancestral hall may not be the best environment for books (it's awfully damp), it certainly is stunning.

  RETURN TO THE VILLAGES

  In 2012 China's urban population exceeded its rural one. Yet while waves of farmers are moving to the cities, a small trickle of urban artists are heading back to the villages.

  In the early 2000s Shànghǎi artist Li Guoyu moved to Xīdì, restoring the dilapidated Ming structure that would become the Pig's Heaven Inn. Two more properties, this time in Bìshān (璧山), a tiny village 10km to the west, followed. Her clientele are mostly urbanites themselves, seeking a quiet interlude and fresh air.

  Li is not the only one to zero in on Bìshān: Běijīng artists Ou Ning and Zuo Jing started the Bishan Project in 2011. It began as an attempt to create a model for village revival that would see artists and villagers working together and that would favour community over commercialism. It's a work in progress, fraught with questions of authenticity, upward mobility and gentrification, discussed in their magazine, Bishan. Though one undeniably attractive addition they've made to the village is the temple of books that is the Librarie Avant-Garde, even if few villagers could afford to shop there.

  8Getting There & Around

  Tourist bus 1 runs to Xīdì (¥14, one hour) from Túnxī’s Huángshān Tourist Distribution Center, leaving hourly from 8am to 4pm. From Xīdì buses leave hourly for Hóngcūn (¥6, 30 minutes), stopping at Píngshān (¥6, 15 minutes).

  For Tāngkǒu you'll need to first get a bus to Hóngcūn.

  For all other onward travel, you'll need to first get to Yīxiàn (¥3, 20 minutes, every 30 minutes, 7.30am to 3.30pm), the nearest transit hub. From Yīxiàn, it’s possible to travel on to Jiǔhuá Shān (¥50, 3½ hours, two daily, 6.50am and 1.15pm), Hángzhōu (¥91, two daily, 8.15am and 1.35pm) and Shànghǎi (¥151, two daily, 7.20am and 2.20pm). There are also frequent b
uses between Yīxiàn and Túnxī’s long-distance bus station (¥13, one hour).

  To get to Guānlù and Nánpíng, you'll need to first travel to Yīxiàn, where you can get a minibus (¥3, every 30 minutes, 7am to 4pm) that stops at both villages. Minibuses also travel to Bìshān (¥2, 15 minutes, hourly 7.30am to 3.30pm).

  It's easier to pick up a taxi in Xīdì than a pedicab. A taxi ride to Nánpíng or Guānlù costs around ¥40; to Bìshān, ¥20.

  Hóngcūn 宏村

  %0559 / Pop 4000

  Hóngcūn (宏村; ¥104; 7am to 5.30pm), a Unesco World Heritage Site, is the most-visited of the Huīzhōu villages. It is a standout example of ancient feng shui planning, a perfect marriage of symbolism and function, predicated on a sophisticated network of waterways. Founded in the Song dynasty, the village was remodelled in the Ming dynasty by village elders, under the direction of a geomancer, to suggest an ox; its still-functioning waterway system represents the animal's entrails.

  1Sights

  Hóngcūn has crescent-shaped Moon Pond (月沼; Yuè Zhǎo) at its heart, or rather at its stomach – as that's what the pond represents in the village's ox-shaped layout. Larger South Lake (南湖; Nán Hú), built later, is another stomach; Léigǎng Mountain (雷岗山; Léigǎng Shān), to the north, is the head. The busy square by Hóngjì Bridge (宏际桥; Hóngjì Qiáo) on the West Stream is shaded by two ancient trees (the ‘horns’ of the ox), a red poplar and a gingko.

  Traditionally, villagers followed a strict time regimen: collecting water before 6am, washing vegetables from 6am to 7am and doing laundry afterwards. Alleyway channels flush water through the village from West Stream to Moon Pond and from there on to South Lake. Lost? Just follow the water flow.

  If the bridge at the entrance to the village looks familiar, it’s because it featured in the opening scene of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The picturesque Moon Lake also features in the film. Built by a salt merchant, the Chéngzhì Hall (承志堂; Chéngzhì Táng Shangshuizhen Lu; 上水圳路 ) dates from 1855 and has 28 rooms, adorned with fabulous woodcarvings, 2nd-floor balconies and light wells. Peepholes on top-floor railings are for girls to peek at boy visitors and the little alcove in the mah-jong room was used to hide the concubine. The now-faded gold-brushed carvings are said to have required 100 taels of the expensive stuff and took over four years to complete.

  Other notable buildings include the Utopian Residency (桃源居; Táoyuán Jū), with its elaborate carved wood panels, and the South Lake Academy (南湖书院; Nánhú Shūyuàn), which enjoys an enviable setting beside tranquil South Lake. Overlooking Moon Pond is a gathering of further halls, chief among which is the dignified Lèxù Hall (乐叙堂; Lèxù Táng), a hoary Ming antique from the first years of the 15th century.

  Mùkēng ZhúhǎiFOREST

  (木坑竹海 ¥30; h7.30am-5pm)

  A forest of feathery bamboo, Mùkēng is most famous as the setting for the breathtaking bamboo-top fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. You can't quite get to the exact spot, but you can hike 1km up the ridge for views over the grove of golden plumes.

  Mùkēng is 5km northwest of Hóngcūn, on the route to Huángshān.

  WORTH A TRIP

  CHéNGKǎN VILLAGE

  Chéngkǎn (呈坎 ¥107; h8am-5pm) is a photogenic village, with arched bridges over waterways cloaked with lilies, that hasn't yet been completely restored: buildings are in various states of repair and its visitors are far fewer than those at villages more firmly on the tourist map. Chéngkǎn is designed around the bāguà (八卦), the eight trigrams of the I-Ching, compass points that match up with eight hills surrounding the village. A central river snakes S-shaped through the middle, dividing the village into yin and yang.

  Most visitors are here to see southern China’s largest ancestral temple, Luó Dōngshū Temple (罗东舒祠; Luó Dōngshū Cí), a massive wooden complex several courtyards deep that took 71 years (1539–1610) to build. Also worth a peek is the three-storey Yànyì Táng (燕翼堂), nearly 600 years old. The best time to visit is in late April when yellow irises bloom in the shallows, adding a pop of colour to the scenes of whitewashed residences with black slate roofs.

  Tourist bus 3 runs from Túnxī's Tourist Distribution Center (¥10, 40 minutes, hourly 8am to 11am and 1pm to 4pm). To get the return bus from the exit, walk up the commercial street for 10 minutes; the last bus departs at 4pm.

  Admission to Chéngkǎn is included in the combined ticket for the sights in Shèxiàn.

  4Sleeping

  Hóngcūn makes for a convenient base to explore the Huīzhōu villages. It has the best budget options in the area.

  Qíng Hé YuèHOSTEL$

  (清和月 %139 5596 8814, 0559 217 1713; 28-29 Hou Jie, 后街28-29号 dm/d ¥60/380; aW)

  Tidy, though small, dorm rooms with showers sleep six. Across the alleyway a 200-year-old villa houses the double rooms. All guests are free to use the common areas in the old house, the highlight of which is the 3rd-floor verandah, from where you can look out over the village rooftops. Friendly staff speak good English.

  Hóngdá TíngyuànHOMESTAY$

  (宏达庭院 %0559 554 1262; 5 Shangshui Zhen, 上水甽5号 d/tr ¥160/200; na)

  The draw of this Hóngcūn home is the verdant courtyard filled with potted daphne, heavenly bamboo and other flowering shrubs, all set around a small pond and pavilion. Its rooms are unadorned, but the peaceful location in the upper part of the village is ideal. You can stop by for lunch (dishes from ¥20), space permitting. No English spoken.

  oLong Lane InnBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$

  (宏村一品更楼, Hóngcūn Yìpǐn Gēng Lóu %0559 554 2001; 1 Shangshui Zhen, 上水甽1号 r incl breakfast ¥380-1280; aW)

  Housed in a gorgeous Ming dynasty villa, Long Lane Inn is a tourist attraction in its own right. There are nine different rooms, some with traditional rosewood Chinese four-poster beds, arranged around a courtyard. It's in a quiet corner of the village, away from the tourist scrum. Mornings start with birdsong and a good Chinese breakfast.

  8Getting There & Away

  Tourist bus 1 runs to Hóngcūn (¥20, 1½ hours) via Xīdì from Túnxī’s Huángshān Tourist Distribution Centre, leaving hourly from 8am to 4pm. Return buses run hourly from 8am to 5pm. The fare from Hóngcūn to Xīdì (30 minutes) and Píngshān (15 minutes) is ¥6.

  From Hóngcūn you can travel onward to Tāngkǒu, for Huángshān (¥15, one hour, hourly 6.50am to 2.50pm).

  8Getting Around

  There are bicycle rental shops (出租自行车; chūzū zìxíngchē; per day ¥40) outside the village, on the modern street opposite Hóngjì Bridge.

  Taxis and pedicabs can be picked up in front of the village. A pedicab ride to Tǎchuān (塔川 ¥20; h7.30am-5pm) and Mùkēng Zhúhǎi costs ¥30. You’ll need to negotiate for the driver to wait for you as returning pedicabs are rare.

  Píngshān 屏山

  %0559 / Pop 3050

  Píngshān (屏山; ¥50; 7.30am to 5pm), first settled in the Tang dynasty, was once the largest village in the county, with 38 ancestral halls and 13 archways. Its stature made it a target during the Cultural Revolution; only a handful of these structures remain. The lack of grand halls means that Píngshān sees few visitors; most who do come are art students sitting with easels in shady corners. With its canal lined with rose bushes, meandering cobblestone lanes and whitewashed homes, the village does make a pretty picture. Just a few kilometres away is Xiùlǐ, a repository of restored old buildings.

  1Sights

  Píngshān village was designed as a boat riding through the waves of hills (and historical forces), its residential houses likened to cabins. Some noteworthy structures include Píngshān Gǒngzhì (屏山拱峙), the only gate still standing, and Shūguāngyù Hall (舒光裕堂; Shūguāngyù Táng), the only painted ménlóu (门楼; gate house) in Huīzhōu. The nearly 300-year-old Imperial Guard Temple (御前侍卫寺; Yùqián Shìwèi Sì), with its glorious entranceway of elaborately carved stone, has been artfu
lly refashioned into a cafe and boutique hotel.

  At the northern tip of the villages is the rouge-coloured, 900-year-old Sāngū Miào (三姑庙; Three Goddess Temple). In the temple’s main hall are the Sānshèng Lóngnǚ (Three Sacred Dragon Girls) with 18 luóhàn (arhat; 罗汉) in attendance.

  Yīxiàn Xiùlǐ Cinema VillageHISTORIC BUILDING

  (黟县秀里影视村, Yīxiàn Xiùlǐ Yǐngshìcūn Xiùlǐ, 秀里 ¥50)

  Xiùlǐ, which opened in 2007, is a collection of 100-plus historic structures from around Yīxiàn County, left in ruins because their owners couldn't afford to maintain them. Here they've been restored and given new life, with art deco touches adding extra cachet. What could be a tourist trap is actually an arrestingly beautiful, if artificial, village, curated with a film-maker's eye (it's the pet project of film producer and frequent Yimou Zhang collaborator Zhenyan Zhang).

  If it looks like a film set that's because some of the buildings have appeared in films. Classic Chinese films screen daily in one of the old halls, repurposed into a cinema. Xiùlǐ also runs artist-in-residence programs and holds exhibitions in some of the halls. The village is 3.5km from Píngshān, just off Rte 218.

  4Sleeping

  Píngshān and Xiùlǐ both have splurge-worthy boutique hotels, though unless you're also planning to splurge on a driver, neither make for a convenient base. Budget accommodation in Píngshān caters exclusively to classes of art students who book en masse. Xiùlǐ has only one hotel and is very quiet.