One of two old UNESCO World Heritage Site villages near Huangshan, Hongcun is the most attractive Chinese village I’ve ever been to (not that I’ve been to that many, but trust me, it is beautiful).
Situated next to a stream, with a small lake in front of it, Hongcun is also where scenes from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were filmed. In real life, the village is incredibly scenic, and you’ll see Chinese art students sitting across from the lake painting the village.
I went to Hongcun on a cold, overcast morning on the last day (having gone to Xidi, the other World Heritage village in the area on the first day) of my Chinese New Year trip to Huangshan a few years ago. Unlike Huangshan, the village was not too crowded with tourists, which was a good thing because it is full of narrow alleys.
To enter Hongcun, you cross a narrow stone bridge with an arch in the middle and no rails (so be careful! Or you can just walk around to the side of the lake) into the actual village. Then, you can walk around its lanes of traditional, well-preserved, black-roofed white houses, examples of Huizhou (historical name of the region) architecture.
Some of these houses were built by wealthy merchants and officials during the Ming and Qing dynasties which the large size, exquisite design and impressive workmanship, such as wooden frames and carvings, attest to. Several of the larger houses have open courtyards with ancestral halls featuring portraits of illustrious ancestors and wooden frames.
Two interesting buildings include Lexu Hall, built in 1403 and used for communal events like meetings, worship and weddings, and Chengzhi Hall, a large home built by a wealthy magnate in 1855 with 28 rooms.
When you get to the middle of the village, you’ll reach the Moon Pond, where the sight of the surrounding old houses and their reflections on the pond is incredibly photogenic. It is also where one of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon scenes was shot, where fighters were gliding across rooftops and leaping onto water while duelling with each other.
There was a small meat market on that morning by the pond, though it certainly didn’t seem like it was for tourists. Nearby, dried pork flanks, split-open fish and butchered ducks hung right in the open on the walls of a few houses.
These were reminders that Hongcun, like Xidi, is a living community despite being a tourist hotspot. That’s not to say there aren’t many villagers who’ve opened restaurants or sell souvenirs and local food specialties, but it isn’t as over-the-top as many other Chinese tourist areas. It’s been a few years since I was there so I hope it remains so.
How to get there: Buses to Hongcun ( 宏村) can be taken from Tunxi Bus Station (Tunxi is where Huangshan Rail Station is located). These buses take about 45 minutes-1 hour.
Cross this bridge to enter Hongcun
Hongcun, beautiful on the outside (top) and on the inside (below)
Moon pond
Butcher’s stall and flanks of pork and ducks (and the undergarments being hung to dry in the back) show this village isn’t just for tourists
Illustrious ancestors are remembered in the main hall of one of the larger houses in the village.
One of the 28 rooms in Chengzhi Hall, house of a local magnate built in 1855
Local bing (pastry) with preserved vegetable 
