Hongcun Village 宏村

Hongcun is a village of white walls and dark tiles in Yixian county, in the south of Anhui province, about eleven kilometres from the county town and at the southwestern foot of Huangshan. It was founded in the Southern Song, in 1131, and has been lived in for more than eight hundred years. Its written name was changed in the Qianlong period to avoid a clash with the emperor's personal name. The reputation it carries is the one most visitors arrive with: a village that looks like a Chinese painting.

What sets Hongcun apart is its water. Long ago the villagers laid out canals, ponds and a lake so that the settlement traced the shape of an ox, a design said to have followed an early fire. Moon Pond and South Lake are the showpieces, streams run beside the lanes, and the old advice still works: follow the current to leave the village, walk against it to come back in. Around 138 Ming and Qing houses survive, among them Chengzhi Hall and Nanhu Academy.

Hongcun was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000, and in 2011 it was rated a 5A scenic area together with nearby Xidi.

Don't miss

• Moon Pond and South Lake, the village's best-known waters
• South Lake, a setting for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Chengzhi Hall, praised as a folk palace
• Nanhu Academy, the old village seat of learning
• Ming and Qing houses in white walls and black tiles

Visiting tips

Spring and autumn are the pleasantest seasons. Streams run beside paths without railings, so watch your step. In summer the mountain sun is strong, especially from 11am to 3pm. Village restaurants are few and often fill with sketching groups, so book or eat early.