Shexian County


Shexian County is located at the southern foot of Mt. Huangshan, in the upper reaches of the Xin'an
River, surrounded by mountains and streams. Shexian County is equally listed into the four best-
preserved ancient cities or towns of China with other three famous ancient towns or cities, and the
other three are Langzhong in Sichuan, Lijiang in Yunnan and Pingyao in Shanxi.

Ever since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Shexian has outgrown other areas in Southeast China in
economic and cultural development, making it the birthplace of the unique Huizhou Culture, which
is represented by the Xin'an painting, Huizhou architecture, and Xin'an medicine.

The influence of the Huizhou Culture and the prosperity of the area have earned Shexian County the
title of "Southwest Zou-Lu." Zou-Lu is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, meaning that Shexian is the home of art and culture in the
southwestern China. Indeed, Shexian County has produced many artists, philosophers and men of letters, great educator Tao Xingzhi and master
painter Huang Binhong are just two examples.

Shexian County has many well-preserved courtyards, gardens, pagodas and bridges, most of these were built during Ming and Qing Dynasties,
some were constructed as early as Song Dynasty. These historical sites are described as "gems of ancient Chinese architecture." In particular,
the elegantly constructed ancient residential houses, ancestral temples and memorial archways are unique in China. Experts refer to them as "
the three wonders of ancient architecture." The most famous ones are: Tangyue Archways, Xuguo Archway, Doushan Street and Yuliang Dam.

Shexian has two nicknames: "Hometown of Archways" for the thousands of arches scattered in
the county, and "Hometown of Tea" for the production of high quality tea in large quantity. In fact,
Shexian County is a perfect place to examine the culture of ancient China's feudal society.