Blast from the past: The cultural villages of Hongcun & Xidi

Huangshan

Anhui Province, China

November 2005

In November of 2005, I taught English at a traditional Chinese medicine college in Wuhu, Anhui province. Anhui is one of the poorest and most rural provinces in China. During my 4 month stay, I took every opportunity to explore the city and the rest of the province. Anhui has a couple of must-see historical attractions for which it is famous in China. These include Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) and the cultural villages of Hongcun and Xidi. I took the bus to Huangshan and booked a cultural tour that took me to the towns of Hongcun and Xidi.

Hongcun - Art students flock here to paint the scenery

Anhui province

Anhui is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China located in the eastern region of the country. It’s located across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River. The provincial capital is Hefei. The name "Anhui" derives from the names of two cities: Anqing and Huizhou (now Huangshan City).  The province of Anhui was formed in the 17th century. Before then, there was no coherent concept of "Anhui". In terms of culture, Northern Anhui was firmly a part of the North China Plain together with modern-day Henan province, northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong provinces. 

Central Anhui was densely populated and constituted mostly of fertile land from the Huai River watershed. In contrast, the culture of Southern Anhui, bordered mostly along the Yangtze, was closer to Jiangxi and southern Jiangsu provinces. The hills of south-eastern Anhui formed a unique and distinct cultural sphere of its own. In the 2007 book China Road, author Rob Gifford stated that the Chinese refer to Anhui as a "big agricultural province". According to Gifford, this is a euphemism for a "very poor" area and that people have referred to Anhui as the "Appalachia of China" (Wikipedia).

Hongcun

Hongcun is a village in Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, near the southwest slope of Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). The architecture and carvings of the approximately 150 residences date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Together with Xidi, the village became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 (Wikipedia).

Hongcun - Artists & tourists admiring the beautiful composition

Artist painting street scene - Hongcun 

Hongcun - Art students from all over China, come to paint the scenery

Xidi

Xidi (literally West Post), is a village in southern Anhui province, which was declared a part of the "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui" World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, along with the village of Hongcun. First built during the Huangyou era (1049–1053) of Song Dynasty Emperor Renzong, the village was originally called Xichuan (West River), owing to the various watercourses flowing through it.

The rise of the village was closely tied to the fortunes of the Hu family. By 1465 CE, during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), family members had started in business as merchants, leading to the construction of major private buildings and public infrastructure. By the middle of the 17th century, the influence wielded by members of the Hu family expanded from commerce into politics. The prosperity of Xidi peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, at which time the village comprised about 600 residences. 

Street scene - Xidi

Entrance to Xidi across the waterway

Xidi alleys

Local woman doing her washing in Xidi, the old-fashioned way

Huangshan

Huangshan is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters, with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters. The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of China's major tourist destinations (Wikipedia).

Clearwater stream at the foot of the mountain

Huangshan mountain scenery

Huangshan mountain scenery

Huangshan mountain scenery

I spent a day at the cultural villages and an afternoon exploring at Huangshan, before I returned home to Wuhu. 

North-Eastern tour of China

Qingdao, Yantai, Dalian & Nanjing

October 2005

I taught English in Wuhu, Anhui province at the Anhui Traditional Chinese Medicine College. The students were on break, so I decided to explore a bit. I took a bus from Wuhu to Nanjing and boarded a train for Qingdao. I spent a couple of days exploring Qingdao mostly on foot. I then took a bus to my next destination, Yantai, met up with a friend and spent the night in a cheap, seedy looking hostel. From Yantai, I took a 6-hour sea ferry trip to Dalian. On the ferry, I met a British fellow with the name of Dave Black. He invited me to stay over at his place to save money. He and some of his friends took me around for the next 3 days, visiting markets, sightseeing and eating out. He saved my life, as my budget did not really allow accommodation costs, so thanks, Dave. When it was time to go back, I took a train from Dalian to Nanjing.

It was a 22-hour train ride, and as I could not get a first class berth, I had to spend those hours sitting up straight in third class. I was the only foreigner in third class and the 'celebrity' among the locals, who all wanted to engage with me, take pictures with me and drink with me. It is customary for the Chinese to drink white spirits on the trains, especially the long rides. It is very strong, very cheap and high in alcohol. The Chinese call it bai jiu (White wine). I did not want to insult their hospitality so played along and was showered with eats and Chinese snacks not really conducive to western stomachs. As I could not lie down, I could not really sleep, but eventually, out of desperation I took my sleeping bag and threw it open in the middle of the walkway, just to stretch out. The Chinese were not really phased by it, and just stepped over me. Thankfully, I made Nanjing, but this train ride stands out as my most uncomfortable on record. At the same time, I had this very authentic interactive cultural experience, which I never would have had otherwise.

Dalian Ferry

First Stop: Qingdao

From Wuhu, I took a bus to Nanjing, from where I took a train to Qingdao. I explored Qingdao a couple of days, including taking a ferry across to Liugong island

Qingdao is a major city in eastern Shandong Province, Eastern China, with a population of over 8.715 million (2010 census). Its built-up area, made of 6 urban districts and 4 county-level cities, is home to about 4,896,000 inhabitants in 2010. It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Qīng (青) in Chinese means "green" or "lush", while dǎo (岛) means "island".

Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center. It is also the site of the Tsingtao Brewery. The world's longest sea bridge, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, links the main urban area of Qingdao with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas. In 2009, Qingdao was named China's most livable city by the Chinese Institute of City Competitiveness. 

Two Chinese students who acted as my guides in Qingdao

One of the frequented beaches

City skyline

Liugong Island

Liugong Island is a small island located on the north-eastern edge of Shandong Peninsula, China at the mouth of Weihai Bay. It is known as the "birthplace of China's first modern navy". 

Liugong island

Liugong island

Liugong island

Second stop: Yantai

From Qingdao, I took a bus to Yantai, where I met up with a friend who showed me around a couple of days. 

Yantai is a prefecture-level city on the Bohai Strait in north-eastern Shandong Province, China. Lying on the southern coast of the Korea Bay, Yantai borders Qingdao on the southwest and Weihai on the east. It is the largest fishing seaport in Shandong. Its population was 6,968,202 during the 2010 census (Wikipedia).

With a friend in Downtown Yantai

Departing Yantai for Dalian by ferry

From Yantai, I took a 6-hour ferry ride to Dalian, meeting some interesting people aboard. An Off-duty Chinese policeman assisted me, but his English was very limited, so we could not really have a conversation. Later in the voyage, I met a Brit, Dave Black, who I became friends with. He was an English teacher in Dalian, and invited me to stay over at his place for free, which aided my travel budget a lot. I spent the next 4 days in Dalian with Dave exploring this Asian-Russian mix in population and architecture. 

On the ferry in Yantai port

On a ferry between Yantai and Dalian

A Chinese policeman with whom I spoke during the ferry trip of 6 hours

Third Stop: Dalian

Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province. It is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's northernmost warm water port, at the tip of the Liaodong peninsula. Dalian is the province's second largest city and has sub-provincial administrative status; only the provincial capital (Shenyang) is larger. The Shandong peninsula lies southwest across the Bohai Sea; Korea lies across the Yellow Sea to the east. 

Today a financial, shipping and logistics center for Northeast Asia, Dalian has a significant history of being used by foreign powers for its ports: Dalian proper was previously known as both Dalny (Russian: Дальний; Dal'nii) and Dairen but it was better known as both Port Arthur (Russian: Порт-Артур; Port-Artur) and Ryojun from its Lüshunkou district. In 2006, Dalian was named China's most livable city by China Daily (Wikipedia).

Located in Northeast China in at the tip of the peninsula in Liaoning Province, Dalian has served as the major seaport in China as it faces Bohai and Yellow sea. From a historical standpoint, Dalian has gone under the occupation of the British, Japanese, and Russians. With the surrender of Japan in 1945, Dalian was passed to the Soviets which they eventually returned the land back to China in the year 1950. 

Since then, Dalian has seen much changes and has become one of Asia's largest shipping centers. Dalian has a unique feel unlike most other cities in China as the hills within the city reminds me of San Francisco and you rarely see anyone on a bike or bicycle. The numerous number of squares and natural parks along with Russian and Japanese architecture makes Dalian a destination definitely worth visiting.

 Historic buildings in the Dalian's downtown Russian Street.

Russian street - is the first avenue ever built-in Dalian

Dalian

Dave Black and friends

Final stop: Nanjing

Lying on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, is one of the most delightful destinations in China. Known as the capital city of six or ten dynasties in ancient Chinese history, it has a brilliant cultural heritage (China travel guide).

I spent the Sunday in Nanjing at Zhongshan Park, before returning to Wuhu by bus. Before I was stationed in Wuhu, I spent a month in Nanjing working for Delter International Business Institute as an EFL teacher.

Zhongshan Park - Nanjing

Zhongshan park

Living in Nanjing - August 2005

Prior to this trip, I actually lived in Nanjing for a month, before Delter transferred me to the Wuhu branch, who at that time was in desperate need of another teacher. During my stay, I explored Nanjing by bike with some friends. Here are some highlights.

Exploring Nanjing by bike - August of 2005

Blind musician playing multiple instruments

With a friend, Cynthia, that wanted to improve her English in exchange for being my guide in Nanjing

Nanjing alley

View from my apartment

View of the streets below from my apartment

I regret not being able to have lived in Nanjing longer than I did. After my 10-day whirlwind tour of some East coast cities, in October, I returned to my post in Wuhu, definitely not rested out, but with great stories to tell.