Xidi

Background

Xidi lies in Xidi Town, Yi County, Huangshan, Anhui Province, in the mountains of southern Anhui. The village was founded in the Huangyou era of the Northern Song (1049–1053); it was originally called Xichuan, a name taken from its waters. The village has 224 old dwellings, including 124 well-preserved Ming and Qing timber-framed homes with exquisite carving. The street pattern is one east-west main street flanked by two parallel streets, joined by many narrow alleys and paved with Yi County granite, and three streams run through the village. Public buildings such as Jing'ai Hall (the Hall of Respect), Zhuimu Hall (the Hall of Reminiscence) and the Hu Wenguang Memorial Archway stand before small squares; most homes follow a layout of a central skylight courtyard with symmetrical side rooms, and many are open to visitors. The Hu family of Xidi claims descent from the line of Hu Changyi, a son of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang, and moved here from Wuyuan. From around 1465, Hu clansmen began to grow rich through trade, building grand houses and public facilities; from the mid-17th century they moved from trade into officialdom, and the village reached its height in the 18th–19th centuries, with about 600 residences. In the late 19th century, as the feudal system crumbled and the Huizhou merchants declined, the village stopped expanding. In 2000, Xidi and Hongcun were inscribed together on the World Heritage List as "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui".

Local customs

• Stroll along the granite main street and small lanes, looking at the horse-head walls, skylight courtyards and wood, brick and stone carving details
• enter open homes such as Jing'ai Hall and Zhuimu Hall to see the halls and side-room layouts of Huizhou dwellings
• take photographs at the village-entrance archway and by the streams, and feel the quiet of a southern Anhui mountain village.

Travel tips

• The old village is still inhabited, and the stone-paved lanes are slippery in rain, so wear slip-resistant walking shoes
• ticket prices and opening hours follow the official notices. Most homes in the village are timber-framed, so please take care with fire. Hongcun, inscribed as World Heritage together with Xidi, is nearby and can be combined with your visit.
• Buses from Huangshan city and from Yi County town go to Xidi
• routes and schedules follow the official notices. You can visit all year: spring and autumn, with their pleasant climate, are best for strolling
• summers are rainy and the stone paths slippery
• winters are cold and clear, and the village lanes have a quiet charm of their own.