Xidi

Standing at the village entrance since 1578, this five-tiered Ming dynasty monument is carved entirely from dark local stone with intricate figures and mythical beasts.

The grandest ancestral hall of the Hu clan, originally built in the Ming dynasty, featuring towering timber columns, a folk custom exhibition, and a famed calligraphy plaque of the character for filial piety.

A classic Qing dynasty merchant residence built around compact sky-well courtyards that channel rainwater inward, famous for its witty carved wooden couplets on business and life.

Two interconnected 19th-century estates along Henglu Street displaying fine stone-carved lattice windows, miniature courtyard rockeries, and residential halls.

A gentle hillside lookout at the edge of the village offering a sweeping view over the interlocking gray-tiled roofs, white gable walls, and surrounding farmland.

Your passport acts as your ticket or is linked to a paper pass that grants multi-day re-entry if you stay inside the village, and staff check it at the perimeter gates.

The architectural symbolism and wordplay in the wooden carvings and couplets are easy to miss on your own, so an official guide or audio tour adds huge value.

The historic lanes are paved with uneven bluestone slabs and crossed by stone thresholds; ask your guesthouse host to meet you at the entrance gate to help with heavy bags.

Tour groups typically arrive between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, leaving the early morning mist and late afternoon light peaceful for photography.