Guests on the Road by the Village Stream, Unaware They Are Already in the Painting - Zhaji Ancient Village
DAY 5 Independent Travel / Ancient Huizhou - Southern Anhui
DAY 1 Nanjing Confucius Temple
DAY 2-3 Jing County Zhaji Ancient Village
DAY 3-4 Hongcun Huangshan - Hongcun
DAY 4 Hongcun Huangshan - Hongcun
DAY 5 Xuyi Return to Qingdao
2024/2/11 Departure AM9:50-PM19:00 Nanjing Departed in the morning, the trip was expected to take 6-7 hours, but due to traffic jams we only arrived in Nanjing at 7 PM, checked in and rested.
Confucius Temple AM19:30-PM21:30 Nanjing Went directly to Confucius Temple in the evening. There was a lantern festival, many vendors selling lanterns, and too many people. The hotel had a suite, the space was okay, the parking lot was small, no breakfast, but the Dongtai Fish Soup Noodle shop downstairs had delicious buns. There was also a Hema Outlet downstairs which was very convenient; we bought a lot of fruit for the road.
2024/2/12 Breakfast AM9:10-AM10:00 Nanjing Woke up naturally in the morning and went downstairs to Dongtai Fish Soup Noodle for breakfast. The buns were very big, the mixed shredded vegetables were delicious, and the Yangchun noodles were average. Left around 10 o'clock for Zhaji.
Ancient Huizhou Village About Zhaji Zhaji zhā jǐ Zhaji Ancient Village, located in Zhaji (zhā jǐ), a village under Taohuatan Town, Jing County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, is the last ancient village at the foot of Huangshan Mountain. It is also the largest existing Ming and Qing Dynasty ancient village in China, a famous historical and cultural village in China, and is reputed as the No. 1 Sketching Village in China. This Huizhou-style ancient village, built in the early Tang Dynasty, has been inhabited by the Zha family since the ancestor Zha Wenxi settled here. Three streams—Cenxi, Xuxi, and Shixi—converge in the village, and the white-walled, black-tiled Huizhou architecture is built along the streams. It originally had 108 bridges, 108 ancestral halls, and 108 temples. There are still over 140 ancient structures remaining, including more than 40 bridges, 30 ancestral halls, and 4 temples.
The Most Beautiful Scenery Is on the Road AM10:00-PM14:00 The scenery along the way was very beautiful. On the road into the mountains, there were many viewing pavilions where you could stop. Stopping and going, the scenery along the road was even more beautiful. The 3-hour drive was delayed by the scenery on the road, and we arrived at Zhaji at 2 PM. Entering the village was a commercial street. The booked guesthouse was very close to the scenic area, with a parking lot inside the yard. After checking tickets, we drove up directly. We chose a room on the 4th floor, which offered a view of the distant village.
Caishen Bridge / Baogong Ancestral Hall / Honglou Bridge / Erjia Ancestral Hall PM14:30-PM17:00 Ten miles of Zha Village with nine miles of mist, three streams converge among ten thousand households. Under the shadow of temples, pavilions, towers and pagodas, small bridges over flowing water and apricot blossom sky. After resting and changing clothes, we went for a walk around the village. All the buildings were white-walled and black-tiled Huizhou architecture. Almost all Ming and Qing buildings in Zhaji Ancient Village have carved beams and painted rafters, with upturned eaves. Old houses generally have stone carvings, brick carvings, and wood carvings are ubiquitous in Zhaji. The wood carvings on window and door panels, the stone carvings on hall column bases, and the brick carvings on gate towers and doors are all intricately carved, featuring flowers, birds, animals, or human figures. The house structures are multi-bay, either three-bay or four-bay, with a 'four waters to the hall' skylight between bays. Along the second-floor corridor of the skylight, there are 'beauty rests' (leaning rails). The wall foundations are made of stone strips, the column bases are round carved stones, the walls are blue bricks, and the roofs are black tiles. The Xuxi River runs through the entire village.
PM20:30-PM23:00 The entire village looks like a ink-wash painting with smudged ink. The night scene in the village has a different charm, with twinkling lights, small bridges, and flowing water. In the evening, we found a small shop, sat by the river with the window open, listened to the sound of flowing water, and had some tea. It was really very pleasant.
Dragon Dance PM20:30-PM23:00 A village custom: from the second day of the lunar new year, they welcome the dragon until the fifth day. This year happened to be the Year of the Dragon. Starting around 5 PM on the evening of the second day, they visited each house along the road from the foot of the mountain to invite the dragon. We arrived on the third day. In the evening, every household set off firecrackers and fireworks, and the whole village was extremely lively until midnight.
2024/2/13 Xuxi River / Painter's Village AM10:00-AM11:00 Zhaji zhā jǐ The guesthouse was inside the village. The next morning, we were woken by the crowing of roosters. Opening the door in the early morning, standing on the rooftop balcony, we could see distant mountains shrouded in mist and clouds. Green bricks with black tiles, curling cooking smoke, the sunlight painted a shiny layer on the white walls of the ancient village. The sounds of birds, roosters, and ducks dotted the tranquility of the morning. Accompanied by the occasional gentle breeze, we started a new day in leisure. Living in the village, basically you step out the door onto a bridge and open a window to see the river. Early in the morning, there were few people in the village, allowing you to experience the charm of ancient village life and the breath of human烟火 (the bustle of daily life). Life is worth living, and it was another kind of scenery. We saw villagers washing clothes in the stream, a lively little yellow dog, and a child who insisted on playing in the water, wetting their shoes—fortunately, we had brought an extra pair.
The Most Beautiful Scenery Is in the Mountains AM11:00-PM15:00 Most Beautiful 218 When we set off, we found the highway was congested, so we chose a national road. Unexpectedly, we encountered the most beautiful scenery of the trip. A curved lake, a mountain, a village, a town, and a bamboo forest were intoxicating. High mountains and flat lakes, ancient village secrets. Anhui S218 starts from Gantang Litang Village and ends at Yuting Town, Yixian County, with a total length of 78 kilometers. This route is almost parallel to the highway from Gantang to Huangshan. It was worth the trip.
Lucun Hongcun On the way down the mountain, we passed by Lucun and stopped to overlook the scenery of Lucun.
PM15:00-PM19:00 Hongcun Entered through the West Second Gate, parked at Hongcun School parking lot. The boss picked us up and dropped us off by tricycle, which was quite convenient. After purchasing tickets, we entered with our ID cards. One ticket was valid for three days.
2024/2/14 Moon Pond / South Lake AM9:00-AM11:00 Hongcun Hongcun is overly commercialized. There was uncollected garbage everywhere and vendors selling things. Hongcun is not worthy of its reputation; it's really not worth visiting. Not recommended.
Return Journey AM11:00-PM15:00 The distance was relatively long, so we chose Xuyi as a transfer point. The hotel price was reasonable, and there were delicious crayfish.
2024/2/15 Rest PM18:30- Xuyi The crayfish were very tasty, but since it wasn't the season, the price was a bit high. The accommodation was a suite with a lot of space, two bathrooms, two TVs, a gym, and a washing machine—convenient for washing all the clothes from the trip before going home.
Huizhou is the birthplace of Huizhou merchants. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huizhou merchants dominated the Chinese business world for more than 500 years, giving rise to the sayings 'No town without Huizhou merchants' and 'Huizhou merchants everywhere'. Huizhou culture is one of the three major regional cultures in China. Ancient Huizhou had one prefecture and six counties: She County, Yi County, Xiuning, Qimen, Jixi, and Wuyuan. The prefecture seat was in present-day Huicheng, She County. Later, Jixi County was assigned to Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, and Wuyuan County was assigned to Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province. The remaining part of Huizhou was renamed Huangshan City. From then on, Huangshan City, Huangshan District, and Huangshan Scenic Area became a confusing puzzle for outsiders.
About Huizhou Architecture
Speaking of Huizhou architecture, as one of the traditional Chinese architectural schools, Huizhou architecture features black tiles, white walls, and horse-head walls as its external characteristics, with brick carvings, wood carvings, and stone carvings as decorative features, and high houses, deep courtyards, and large halls as residential characteristics, striving to integrate artificial architecture with natural landscapes.
Huizhou architecture is practical; no design is purely decorative. For example, the horse-head wall is an important feature of Huizhou architecture. In villages where clans live together, residential buildings are densely packed, making fire prevention a prominent issue. The high horse-head wall can act as a fire barrier in case of a fire in a neighboring house, hence it is also called a fire-sealing wall. Another representative symbol, the 'skylight', has the function of collecting rainwater, originally needed for fire prevention in early brick-and-wood buildings, and also fits the feng shui concept of 'four waters returning to the hall', meaning wealth from all directions flows continuously into the home. In the context of 'new Chinese-style living', the skylight is a landscape space where residents can 'enjoy morning glow and watch stars at night', a perfect embodiment of the Eastern philosophy of 'harmony between man and nature' in architectural space. They are as beautiful as ink-wash paintings, unique and unforgettable.
When staying in a guesthouse, it's best to choose one with underfloor heating. The weather in southern Anhui is warm outside but cold and damp inside; even the air conditioner feels cold.
