In March, my fellow teachers and I traveled to Anhui Province for our semesterly conference. We spent most of the weekend in the small town of Xiuning, outside of Tunxi city. Tunxi is best known as the gateway to Huangshan, the Yellow Mountain. It is supposed to be one of China’s most beautiful climbs. But with just three days away from Changsha, we didn’t have time to go up the mountain. We did, however, spend a few hours visiting the historic villages of Yixian County, outside of Tunxi.
We visited Xidi, Hongcun and Guanlu, which date back as far as 1000 AD. Now, the villages’ ancient buildings are open to tourists, even as they are still occupied by modern villagers. The different designs and architectural styles of the homes offer fascinating glimpses into China’s past. I had no idea, for instance, that Chinese women were ever subjected to purdah-like restrictions keeping them inside the house. But homes in Xidi were designed to allow the women to stay on the second floor, well away from the first-floor public spaces.
This inaugurates what will hopefully be a weekly Friday slideshow spotlighting a place I’ve been on my travels, in China and beyond. You can also view this album, and more photos, at To China and Beyond’s Picasa page.
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