Yashan Flower Sea Stone
The scenic area covers 25 square kilometers and is the largest karst landscape with stone forest distribution in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. Within the area, stone forests, caves, waterfalls, canyons, tiankengs (sinkholes), underground rivers, and mountaintop lake landscapes are integrated, creating beautiful scenery. There are more than 60 picturesque peaks with shapes resembling various objects: Y-shaped Peak, Beauty Peak, Bat Peak, Lion Peak, and more, each peak facing another. The unique stone formations are vivid and lifelike, including the Great Tortoise, Bajie Stone, Toad Watching the Sky, and Rhino Gazing at the Moon, all full of fun. The stone forest landscape spreads across the mountains.
Jixi Longchuan
Longchuan, a river and village name in Jixi County, southern Anhui, is an ancient village where the Hu family has gathered for over 1,600 years. It has reached the 48th generation, known as the 'Jin' generation. Longchuan is known for its beautiful and majestic landscapes. To the east of the village stands Longfeng Mountain, to the west is Fengshan Mountain, with the Dengyuan River meandering from the north and Tianma Mountain rushing from the south. The mountains and waters are interconnected in all directions, embodying the spirit of nature and the essence of humanity. At the village entrance, Chaohu Mountain stands tall, reflecting in the stone landscape. From a high vantage point, the village resembles a dragon boat, ready to set sail towards the rivers and seas, waiting by the water.
Guniujiang Nature Reserve
Guniujiang, historically known as 'Western Huangshan,' was once a peak as famous as Huangshan. This area is densely forested, with beautiful scenery and few inhabitants. The natural vegetation is well-preserved, and rare animals such as sika deer, Sumen antelope (four-not-like), and short-tailed monkeys can be found here. It is also a kingdom of snakes, with 38 species discovered during the first survey, which is rare in the country.
Xidi Ancient Village
Xidi is a historic and long-standing ancient village, formerly known as Xichuan and also called Xixi, located 8 kilometers east of Yixian County. Xidi is a village where the Hu clan has lived together, built during the Yuanfeng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, about 900 years ago. The village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, stretching 700 meters from east to west and 300 meters from north to south, with over 300 households and a population of more than 1,000. The village has well-preserved 124 Ming and Qing dynasty residences, known for their 'meticulous layout, ingenious structure, beautiful decoration, exquisite construction, and profound cultural connotation,' which are rare in China. It is praised by tourists and scholars as 'the most beautiful village in the world' and 'a treasure trove of ancient residential architecture,' and is often referred to as 'a home in the Peach Blossom Land.'
Hongcun is an ancient village located at the foot of Huangshan in the southern part of Anhui Province, China. It is home to a large number of historical buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The village also features a well-constructed water system and a distinctive 'ox' layout, making it a typical representation of Huizhou residential architecture.
The most typical and distinctive feature within the village is the Wood Carving Building, which embodies the essence of Huizhou-style residential architecture. It was built by Lu Bangxie, a fourth-rank imperial official during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The Wood Carving Building in Lu Village is a complex of wood carving buildings composed of seven residential houses, mainly including Zhicheng Hall, Siji Hall, Sicheng Hall, and the Glass Hall. These wood carving buildings are exquisitely crafted with lifelike patterns, making them a museum of carving art that reflects the skilled techniques and extraordinary wisdom of ancient Huizhou artisans.
Shangcun
The formation of Shangcun can be traced back roughly a thousand years. During the late Tang Dynasty, due to the wars in the Central Plains, many aristocratic families migrated to Huizhou in southern Anhui. Because Shangcun was remote and only connected to the outside world by a stream, it became a secluded place. Some aristocratic families chose this location and gradually settled here, forming a rare multi-surname ancient village in southern Anhui. Additionally, due to the villagers' long-standing reverence for culture and the continuous inheritance of literary traditions, every household had inkstones and brushes. The flourishing literary atmosphere earned it the name 'Inkstone Village'.
The most famous ancestral hall is the Ye Family Ancestral Hall 'Xuzhi Hall' in the center of the village, which was used as a filming location for Zhang Yimou's movie 'Ju Dou'. The ancestral hall has a history of over 300 years, with numerous plaques and hundreds of beams, showcasing the high esteem of its former owner. In front of this ancestral hall is the 'West Garden', which is renowned due to the 'Record of the West Garden' by the famous Qing Dynasty essayist and representative of the Tongcheng School, Yao Nai.
