How about Xidi and Hongcun, ancient villages in southern Anhui?

In the green hills and beautiful waters in southern Anhui, China, such villages are dotted, and a hundred-year-old house with white walls and tiles is embedded in the quiet and beautiful land in southern Anhui. They are typical works of Huizhou architecture, a mature architectural school in the late ancient society of China. Which of the two top ancient villages in the world do you think is more interesting?

Which is worth going to, Xidi or Hongcun? Xidi and Hongcun, the world cultural heritage, are the same as other ancient villages in southern Anhui. The mountainous mountains and isolated terrain make Xidi and Hongcun retain the original architectural appearance of the village when it was first built centuries ago. Xidi Village and Hongcun Village are both national 5A scenic spots, famous Chinese historical and cultural villages and traditional villages in China.

Why can Xidi and Hongcun, ancient villages in southern Anhui, be included in the World Cultural Heritage List? The World Heritage Committee commented that Xidi and Hongcun, two traditional ancient villages, have largely maintained the appearance of those villages that disappeared or changed in the last century. Its streets, ancient buildings and decorations (Xidi Village still retains 124 intact Ming and Qing dwellings and three ancestral halls. Hongcun also has 158 ancient buildings in Ming and Qing dynasties, of which 137 houses with complete water supply system are very unique cultural relics.

● Hongcun

Hongcun is located in Hongcun Town, yi county, Huangshan, Anhui. It was built more than 800 years ago during the Shao Xi period of the Southern Song Dynasty. The overall planning and rational layout make it possible for the cow-shaped village in the ancient water system, which is called "a must in China" and has become a miracle of the world's historical and cultural heritage. Hongcun is a combination of human landscape and natural landscape. The unique charm of Hongcun is composed of green mountains and green waters, lakes and clouds, so it is called "the village in Chinese painting".

A stream in the northwest of the village is dug around the house to transfer ownership. The winding canal meets the natural spring water in the village to form a barrel-shaped pond, which looks like a cow intestine and a cow stomach. The canal finally pours into the lake in the south of the village, and the swim bladder is called tripe. Then, people set up four bridges on the river around the village stream as supports. A few years later, a cow totem appeared like mushrooms after rain.

This ingenious and scientific design of village water system not only solves the problem of villagers' fire water, but also regulates the temperature, which provides convenience for residents' production and living water and creates a good environment of "clear water in front of every household".

Located in the south of Hongcun, Nanhu Lake was built in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1607). It is an artificial lake with an area of 20,000. The lake is in the shape of a big "bow", and the lake embankment behind the bow is divided into two layers. The upper layer is about tens of feet wide, paved with slate and pebbles, and the lower layer is planted with willows. There are Nanhu Academy, Wei Qingyu Bookstore and rows of ancient houses at the bow string.

Moonmarsh architecture has a history of five or six hundred years. Originally a living spring, all seasons are spring. So far, people can see ducks playing in the pond, the breeze blowing in the air and the smoke around the kitchen.

Garden Waterfront Residence is located near the head of Hongcun Water Town. Built in the late Ming Dynasty, it was destroyed and rebuilt in the 15th year of Qing Daoguang (AD 1825). It covers an area of 278 square meters and has a building area of 256 square meters. It is one of the representative buildings of Hongcun quadrangle in Qing Dynasty.

Shu Qi Lake is located in the southeast of Hongcun. Walking on the dirt road at the entrance of Hongdong village, the clear water winds to the right and the vegetation is colorful. After walking for half an hour, the water suddenly opened up. This is Shu Qi Lake, which is now a part of Dongfanghong Reservoir.

Hongcun Lexiu Hall, also known as Family Hall, is the Wang ancestral hall in Hongcun. It is located in the middle of the north bank of Yuetang in the village. It was built with Yuetang during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, and has always been a place where ancestors of Wang sacrificed and celebrated. Lexiu Hall consists of three parts: the gatehouse, the hall and the memorial hall. Back to the original building of the main hall, the brick carving of the gate and the archway pasted on the wall are beautifully carved.

Mukeng is located in the deep mountains, only 5 kilometers away from Hongcun, but all of them are mountain roads, and the car can only drive to the place 1.5 kilometers away from the village. Mukeng is a vast bamboo sea, so it is also called "Mukeng Bamboo Sea". There is a residential building deep in the bamboo forest, and its architectural style is completely different from that of ordinary Huizhou residential buildings.

If you go to Hongcun mainly to see the water features, then you go to Xidi mainly to see the ancient buildings, especially the decorative branches on the three sculptures of Huizhou style in ancient houses, which are so fine that you can break them when you pinch them.

● Xidi

Xidi Village Xidi Town, yi county, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, has an ancient village since the Northern Song Dynasty. It was named Xidi because there was water flowing westward next to the village and there was a post station to deliver mail in ancient times. Xidi is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and two streams meet at Huiyuan Bridge in the south of the village from the north of the village and the east of the village respectively, which is known as the "Peach Blossom Garden middleman".

The village takes a vertical street and two downstream roads as the main skeleton, which constitutes a village street system extending mainly to the east and north and south. Streets and alleys are paved with bluestone in Yixian County, and ancient buildings are mostly maintained by wooden structures and brick walls. Woodcarving, stone carving and brick carving are colorful, and the design layout of roadway and building is coordinated. The village space is flexible and changeable, and the architectural color is simple and elegant, which is a typical representative of Huizhou architectural art in China.

Xidi Ancient Village has 124 ancient dwellings and 3 ancestral temples in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The roads and water systems are all well preserved, while the main street, Lu Heng Street, more than 40 lanes and unique Qingshiban Road are all preserved, making Xidi a model of Huizhou Ancient Village.

Ancient dwellings in Ming and Qing Dynasties were mostly brick-wood structures, four-in-one structures, horsehead walls and small blue tiles. They are rare in China and are praised by tourists and scholars as "the most beautiful village in the world" and "the treasure house of ancient houses".

Hu Pailou is commonly known as Xidi Pailou. It was built in the sixth year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1578) and has a history of more than 400 years. The whole archway is decorated with various drawings with typical Huizhou relief, such as through carving and round carving, and each design contains profound meaning. Hu Pailou is solemn and elegant, with outstanding stone carving skills, which can be called the masterpiece of Huizhou Stone Workshop in Ming Dynasty.

Dear Hall is located on the east bank of Xijiang River in Qian Qian. It is a typical Huizhou brick-wood structure with an area of 1.800 square meters, and it is also the largest existing ancestral temple in Xidi Village. Dear, the eaves in front of the hall are upturned, and the momentum is magnificent. Stepping into the middle door is the memorial hall, which is divided into upper and lower courts with a large courtyard in the middle. Dear Hall is a place to worship ancestors, educate future generations, unite clans and hold various religious activities. 1992 restoration, now turned into "Xidi Folk Exhibition Hall".

Zhuimutang, located above Dalu Street, was built in the Jiayin period of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (AD 1794) to commemorate Hu's ancestors and make future generations not forget Li Huyuan. The roof of Zhu Mu Hall is a splayed cornice building with a wooden fence outside the triple door under the eaves. The eight-character wall is made of a whole polished marble in Yixian County, which has a unique style and is extremely beautiful and spectacular.