Huizhou, located at the foot of Huangshan Mountain and the source of Xin'an River, is a sacred place that citizens dream about. Many exquisite sculptures of wood, brick and stone, tall horse-head walls, and secluded alleys are preserved here.

Huizhou was called Xin'an in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912), when the merchants sold salt, pawn, and did other business there. At that time, the economy in Xin'an was world-renowned. The wealthy merchants, senior officials, intellectuals, poets and skilled craftsmen bred the culture of Huizhou.

In Huizhou, Hui-style residences with black tiles, white walls and flying eaves are seen everywhere. The most intact buildings are from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Arches, halls, temples, colleges, private gardens, elegant lintel panes, luxurious roof beams and marvelous corbels are unrivaled sights. Xidi village and Hongcun village in Yixian county are the most typical and famous tourism spots in Huizhou city.

Xidi village, located west of the ancient Huizhou city was set up in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) as the refuge place for the royal descendants of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). With nearly a thousand years of history, numerous nobles have appeared here. As many as 600 magnificent Hui-style extravagant residences were built in the village.

Hongcun village is ten kilometers north of the Yixian urban area. The Wang tribe, who moved there in the Southern Song Danasty (1127-1279), gave the village the name Hongcun, meaning, "developed village". The Wang tribe worked hard for hundreds of years and finally built a comfortable home in which human and nature are harmonious.

The, "Chengzhi hall" in the Hongcun village was the residence of Wang Dinghui, the salt merchant in late Qing Dynasty. It is a typical Hui-style building with a large area and ingenious structure. It cost tens of thousands of yuan for Wang to build the hall, which is called as the, "Forbidden City in the fork".

Ancient Huizhou city actively participates in the world cultural heritage evaluation and the development of Xidi and Hongcun village will attract more and more visitors.

By Liu Zhaoling (chinadaily.com.cn)