Yixian County


Mt. Huangshan was called "Yi Shan" when Yixian County was built in Qin Dynastyin (221-207 B.C.).
Yixian County is one of the two oldest county with a history of more than 2200 years in our city. This
ancient county was named after this great mountain, for it is located at the foot of Mt. Huangshan, only
50 kilometers away from Mt. Huangshan.

Since the ancient times, Yixian county was called the "Home on Wonderland". There are green hills,
clear streams and elegant dwelling houses, all creating an enchanting sight. Yixian County is also
one origin of Huizhou business and Huizhou culture.

Aside from that, the geographical structure and the folk customs of the place are in many ways similar
to the state described by Tao Yuanming, a poet in the Jin dynasty, in his famous article "Tao Hua Yuan Narration". "Tao Hua Yuan" is an ideally
perfect place for living on earth, a Chinese Utopia. According to experts' research, the ancient county is actually the microcosm of "Tao Hua Yuan
Narration". The "Tao's Genealogy", which was discovered recently in Yixian county had confirmed that, the Yixian county was the ideal living place
as described by their ancestor in his book.

There are 29 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and 3,611 Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) residential buildings and family temples in the county. Decorated
with the typical local style of brick, wood and stone, carvings, they display the ornateness and elegancy of the traditional 15th-16th century edifices,
boasting historical and research value, as well as being tourist attractions. The most typical of these are the residential houses of Xidi Village and
Hongcun Village. They have been referred to as museum of Ming and Qing residential houses in China. Xidi Village and Hongcun Village are both
listed on the World Cultural Heritage sites.

At the foot of Huangshan Mountain, so many ancient villages are anciently valued, although most of them
are unknown. The old residences and the ancient architectures are both characterized of the local art
form and art type. The agriculture-based countryside lives give you another lifestyle which is mostly
distinctive from the urban life.