Hongcun

Background

Hongcun was founded around 1131, in the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song, as a village of the Wang clan of Huizhou. The whole village is planned in the shape of an ox: Leigang Hill is the head, the old trees at the entrance its horns, Moon Pond its stomach, South Lake its belly and the water channels through the village its intestines. This man-made water system brings the West Stream to every house, serving both firefighting and daily life — a masterpiece of ancient village planning. Huizhou houses with whitewashed walls, dark tiles, horse-head gables and carvings in brick, wood and stone survive intact. In 2000 it became a World Heritage Site with Xidi, and Ang Lee filmed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon here.

Local customs

• Hongcun people still use the water channels, and washing beside the 'ox's intestines' is an everyday sight — don't throw rubbish into the channels
• the village's ancestral halls still hold ancestor rites at festivals, so outsiders shouldn't enter uninvited
• for breakfast in Yi County people love maize cakes with Huangshan sesame flatbread.

Religion & beliefs

• A secular clan village. Nanhu Academy, Lexu Hall and others are Confucian clan buildings
• be respectful and don't sit or lie on the shrines of ancestral halls.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• 6–7 a.m. has the fewest people and the best light, the golden hour for photographing reflections in South Lake
• combine with Xidi
• most village guesthouses are converted Huizhou houses, and a night's stay is a better experience. Check tickets and opening hours on the official website.