Southern Sichuan–Tibet Highway (G318)

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.”

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.

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.

Qiyun Mountain

Known in ancient times as “White Mountain,” Qiyun Mountain lies 33 km west of the centre of Huangshan City. It takes its name from the phrase “a single rock piercing the sky, level with the clouds.” It is one of China's four great Taoist mountains and a representative site of Danxia landforms. It is now a national key scenic and historic interest area and, together with Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, is known as one of the three great mountains of the southern route. Qiyun Mountain's scenery is enchanting, with peculiar peaks, strange rocks, secluded caves, and numerous lakes, pools, springs and waterfalls. The most captivating are Incense Burner Peak, which resembles a mountain in its own right; Stone Bridge Rock, a marvel of nature; the Immortal Cave, with its mysterious depths; the clear, serene Yunyan Lake; and the Zhulian Spring, whose cascade scatters like gold and jade.

Peak season ¥68; off-season ¥60 · 1–2 days

Nanping

A village with more than 1,100 years of history. Director Zhang Yimou's film *Ju Dou* was shot here. Nanping is full of high walls and deep lanes. Its streets criss-cross and twist, so a stranger can feel as though they've walked into a maze, which is why it is also called “a maze-like village.” The village still preserves a considerable number of ancestral halls, branch halls and family shrines, forming a group of elegantly styled halls. Nanping's ancestral hall complex is both a showcase of Huizhou architectural art and a museum for understanding China's ancient clan system.

¥43 · 2–3 hours

Hongcun

Hongcun, like Xidi in Yi County, is a representative of bionic architecture thanks to its unique “ox-shaped village” layout. The Wang clan is the village's dominant surname. Hongcun has one Ming-dynasty residence and 132 Qing-dynasty residences. The largest and most intact is the Chengzhi Hall, which is finely carved and typical of Hongcun's residences. Beyond the village lie many scenic spots, including Yuezhao Lotus Pond, Leigang Sunset, Tachuan Autumn Colours and Mukeng Bamboo Sea, which is why Hongcun is known as “a countryside in a Chinese painting.”

¥104 · 2–5 hours