Yi County黟县

Situated on the southern slopes of Mount Huangshan, Yi County is one of the core birthplaces of Hui culture. Its two ancient villages, Xidi and Hongcun, were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2000 as "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui — Xidi and Hongcun." Xidi was first built during the Huangyou era of the Northern Song (1049–1054), nearly a millennium ago; Hongcun was founded in 1131 (first year of Shaoxing, Southern Song) as a settlement of the Wang clan and is now over 800 years old. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Hui merchants spread across the country, and these "merchants steeped in Confucian learning" brought their wealth home to build the dense rows of grand courtyards that still stand — white walls, black tiles, towering horse-head walls, and finely carved wood, stone, and brickwork, among the most complete surviving evidence of that era. Unlike the natural heritage of Mount Huangshan Scenic Area, what you see here is how people turned the very act of living into architecture and art.

Culture & Heritage

The three wonders of Hui-style architecture: horse-head walls and the three carvings

• Horse-head walls (stepped gables) are the most iconic symbol of Hui-style architecture — white walls, black tiles, layered tiers serving both fire protection and aesthetics
• Wood, stone, and brick carvings together form the "Three Carvings of Huizhou," listed in 2006 as a national intangible cultural heritage; they appear throughout beams, lintels, doors, and windows
• Hongcun's layout is said to follow a "ox shape" plan — the Moon Pond as its stomach, the village water channels as its intestines, and South Lake as its belly — one of the most intact ecological village water systems surviving in China
• Xidi preserves over a hundred Ming- and Qing-era residences, ancestral halls, and archways; the Hu Wenguang memorial archway at the village entrance is a landmark structure

Local Flavors

Hui cuisine is rich in color and oil, prized for its "heavy mastery of fire"

• Stinky mandarin fish: mandarin fish cured and fermented, then braised — pungent to smell, fresh to taste, and the most famous signature dish of Hui cuisine
• Hairy tofu: tofu fermented until white mycelium forms, then fried golden on both sides; Yi County's most representative local snack
• Daobanxiang (knife-board fragrance): cured pork steamed on a wooden knife board, rich yet not greasy, served with local rice wine as a hospitality dish
• Yi County's "five blacks": local black-toned specialties such as black tea, black tofu, and black chicken, the county's flagship farm-produce concept

Daily Life

Original residents remain, but daily rhythm revolves around the visitors

• Hongcun and Xidi still have original residents; many old houses that open their doors to guests during the day are also the owners' everyday living space
• These are essentially "world-heritage tourist villages" rather than residency destinations: crowded during peak season (golden weeks, summer holidays) and comparatively quiet off-season
• Yi County's county town is very small, with modern amenities (supermarkets, hospitals, chain hotels) concentrated there rather than in the villages
• Village guesthouses are mostly converted old residences — atmospheric but with poorer soundproofing and bathrooms than modern hotels, so set expectations before choosing