Shitan Village

She County

Shexian County, together with Langzhong in Sichuan, Lijiang in Yunnan and Pingyao in Shanxi, is known as one of China's “four best-preserved ancient cities.” In ancient times it was the seat of Huizhou Prefecture and one of the birthplaces of Huizhou culture. It is also the birthplace of Peking opera and the main production center of the “Four Treasures of the Study,” including Huizhou ink sticks and She inkstones. The ancient memorial archways, ancestral halls and residences together form a grand historical panorama of old Huizhou. All of this is a precious cultural legacy left to us by earlier generations.

Jixi

A provincial-level historic and cultural city in Anhui, with many historic and cultural villages. Jixi has long been known for the saying “a small county with many notable figures,” and it has produced many prominent figures in Chinese history. It is the hometown of Hu Shih, a leader of the May Fourth New Culture Movement; Hu Xueyan, the “red-hat merchant”; and Hu Kaiwen, the master of Huizhou ink.

Yi County

A provincial-level historic and cultural city on a par with Shexian. The county has well-preserved Huizhou-style traditional residential villages, long celebrated as a treasure trove of ancient Eastern architectural art. Yi County enjoys distinct four seasons and charming pastoral scenery. Tao Yuanming visited here and wrote the immortal essay “Record of the Peach Blossom Spring,” and Li Bai wrote a poem praising it: “Yi County is a small Peach Blossom Spring, wreathed in mist and rosy clouds for a hundred li. Its land abounds in magical herbs and trees, and its people still favour ancient attire.”

Yangchan Earthen Building

The villagers of Yangchan make use of local materials: they lay bluestone from the surrounding area for paths and bridges, and build their homes from red-clay soil and timber. The result is rows upon rows of densely packed earthen buildings. Unlike the elegant white walls and black tiles of traditional Hui architecture, Yangchan's earthen buildings are simple and full of rustic beauty. The clusters follow the contours of the mountains, taking on countless shapes, with sensible layouts and staggered arrangements. They reflect a harmony between people and nature and display the distinctive character of mountain dwellings, forming a picture that is mysterious, ancient, majestic and beautiful.

Free · 1–2 hours

Tangyue Memorial Archways

At the entrance to Tangyue Village stand seven ancient memorial archways, arranged in the order of “loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness.” They are masterpieces of Ming and Qing archway architecture. Together with the men's and women's ancestral halls in the village, these stone archways are among the highlights of Shexian's tourism. The seven archways were built over several centuries. The first, a granite archway, is more than 450 years old. The second, the Cixiaoli Archway, was approved and commissioned by an emperor. All seven were built without a single nail or rivet, relying entirely on the precise interlocking of stone with stone, and they have withstood a century of wind and rain.

¥100 · 1–2 hours

Huizhou Ancient City

Founded in the Qin dynasty, Huizhou Ancient City is one of China's four great ancient cities and feels like a grand, living history museum. Of its gates, the Nanqiao Tower is the most distinctive, while the Xuguo Memorial Archway is the finest part of the old town, and strolling beneath it brings a strong sense of history and gravitas. Several roads lead into the old town, and a loop through it takes in the main sights.

Huizhou Prefectural Yamen admission: ¥60 · 0.5 days