Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun Historical Site

The Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun are two rural settlements in Yi County, Anhui province, China, celebrated for well-preserved examples of Huizhou (Hui) architecture and village planning. They are notable for their timber-frame houses, ancestral halls and traditional layout dating mainly to the Ming and Qing periods.

Hongcun is distinguished by an integrated water system of ponds and canals that is part of the village layout, while Xidi features a compact network of lanes, clan courtyards and decorated residential compounds. Both villages retain original spatial arrangements, decorative wood carving and masonry techniques that illustrate regional building traditions.

The villages developed and expanded during the later imperial period, with many surviving buildings constructed and refurbished under Ming and Qing patronage by local merchant families. Over time they retained their historic character through local continuity and conservation measures.

Xidi and Hongcun are located in southern Anhui province, within Yi County, and lie inland among the rolling hills west of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) city in eastern China.

• Hongcun water system: Hongcun’s traditional water-management layout and ponds are a defining part of its village plan and are visible from the main approaches into the settlement.
• Access and nearby landmark: Both villages are frequently paired with visits to the nearby Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) area and are accessible from Tunxi (Huangshan city) by road.

What to See#

• Hongcun village: The village of Hongcun with a planned water system, small ponds and canals integrated into its street layout, plus many well-preserved timber and brick residential buildings dating chiefly to the Ming and Qing periods.
• Xidi village: The village of Xidi featuring ancestral halls, clan courtyards and a network of narrow lanes that retain Huizhou architectural details and decorative wood carving from the Ming and Qing eras.

Xidi and Hongcun are in southern Anhui province near the city of Huangshan (Tunxi). Most visitors travel via Huangshan Tunxi Airport or Huangshan North (Tunxi) / Huangshan high-speed rail connections, then take a direct local bus or taxi from Tunxi’s bus station toward Yixian County where Xidi and Hongcun are located. By road the drive from Tunxi/Huangshan city to each village is a short intercity drive (typically under an hour); regular tourist buses serve both villages and drop visitors within easy walking distance of the village entrances.

• Go at opening time on a weekday and, if possible, stay overnight in one of the village guesthouses: day-trippers from Huangshan arrive mid-morning, while early mornings and evenings are much quieter and reveal the villages' lighting and reflections in the canals.
• Start your visit at Xidi and leave Hongcun for later in the day if you want to avoid the biggest crowds; many tour buses visit Hongcun first because of its postcard lake view, so reversing the order can reduce congestion.
• Purchase the joint ticket that covers the villages and associated manor houses to avoid separate queues at each attraction and to access interior family halls that close earlier in the day.
• Look beyond the main courtyards: guided walks that focus on lesser lanes, ancestral halls and the water-management layouts reveal the everyday architectural features most visitors miss when they only see the 'postcard' viewpoints.