Hongcun Village Yixian County

Overview
 

Location

Hongcun is located at the southwestern base of Huangshan and about 11 kilometers southwest of Yixian County. The whole village covers an area of about 28 hectares and area which is classed as old village covers 19.11 hectares.

History

Hongcun, an ancient village, was founded in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty (about AD. 1131-1162), giving it a history of about 900 years. The architecture and carvings of the approximately 150 residences dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties are said to be among the best of their kind in China. One of the biggest of the residences open to visitors, Chenzhi Hall, also contains a small residence museum. One of the unusual facts about Hongcun is that the meaning of the village’s name has changed but the name is pronounced the same.

Features

The village is arranged in the shape of a cow: A nearby hill (Leigang Hill) is interpreted as the head, and two trees standing on it mark the horns. Four bridges across the Jiyin stream can be seen as the legs and the houses of the village form the body. Inside the “body”, the Jiyin stream can be seen as the intestines and the lakes - such as the “South Lake” (Nanhu) - as the stomachs. Hongcun looks like a sleeping cow located among the hills which are surrounded by the green mountain and a large rambling rice fields.

Hongcun has the system of streets and alleys look like square net. The ground is covered by granite stones. The manmade water system to all families forms unique space of Water Street and Alley. The village is centered on "the heart of the cow"- the Moon Pond which is a crescent-shaped pond. It’s surrounded by houses and ancestral temples. There are 158 domestic houses in existence, which were built in the Ming or Qing Dynasty. 137 houses of the houses are in a good state of preservation. The buildings of the Qing dynasty not o­nly have beautiful surroundings, but also a logical and functional layout. The village is an outstanding representation of China’s traditional domestic houses.

Most villagers divert water from the canals into their houses to form "House Gardens" and "Water Yards". Hongcun is an outstanding representative of Huizhou traditional local culture, building techniques and landscape design. It is full of much value of history, art and science. Hongcun has been listed in the Contents of World Cultural and Natural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Features
An ancient village founded in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty The village arranged in the shape of a cow The system of streets and alleys look like square net