Leafing through the Lonely Planet for stuff to combine with Huangshan, I'd spotted mention of the ancient villages of Hongcun and Xidi - locations for Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and a remnant of the old China preserved on the Unesco heritage list.
You can stay in the historic sites but I found tracking down a hotel really difficult. Few of the homestays in Hongcun seem to have websites and calling them from the UK to book just didn't seem practical (language barriers, predominantly). So I resorted to third-party websites and found a very reasonably priced option outside Hongcun village proper. On the plus side, I had a huge, comfortable room with incredibly friendly owners for £25 (220 RMB) per night. On the downside, I didn't get to wander Hongcun by night, which was a shame.
Still, I enjoyed my visit to this area. The villages were founded about 900 years ago but most of the houses are more like 200-300 years old, I think. The streets are narrow and the villages built around small lakes and lots of narrow channels carrying water for washing and so on.
On day 1 I started with Hongcun. Initially I got stuck between a couple of large tourist groups in the first couple of halls, but managed to break away from them for a much nicer wander around the streets, popping into the various buildings that are open to the public and mooching around the souvenir shops (wood carving, jewellry, tea, mostly). I found a nice café for a coffee and a sit-down and tried one of the local pancake-y things filled with some sort of vegetable for lunch.
In the afternoon I got a bus (after a bit of a wait, because I missed a bus) to nearby Mukeng Zhuhai, a bamboo forest and a village amid the forest - another Crouching Tiger location. It was good to be away from the crowds and the bamboo was beautiful.
On day 2, I got the bus to Xidi in the morning. I liked Xidi a lot, possibly more than Hongcun, as it was a bit less touristy and a bit more lived-in. Still the same kind of buildings though. Both villages were filled with young art students painting and drawing the scenery, some with great skill.
I finished up with a visit to Lucun, which is near to Hongcun and is even more lived-in than the other villages. Lucun is famous for its wood carving and some of its halls had spectacular grilles carved out of wood with scenes of daily life and battles and nature and so on. Best of all, it was a free visit, possibly because I got there after 3pm?
Although the three villages have similarities they all had their nuances and I was glad I'd seen all three.
Practicalities:
- I got to Hongcun from Huangshan with a direct bus from the Tangkou distribution hub for 25 RMB, which took about 40 minutes
- Entry to both Hongcun and Xidi was 104 RMB, which gets you in only once - if you stay in the villages I think they check your reservation each time you go in and out. They did not ask for my passport but I carried it just in case
- Bus #1 runs between Hongcun, Lucun, Tacuan and Mukeng Zhuhai, leaving the West Gate bus station about every half hour - but not on a strict timetable. The route also goes on from Hongcun to other places, so make sure you get on it going in the right direction. It's 2 RMB for a one-way fare, payable by cash or QR code. Last bus from Mukeng is 17:00
- Bus #8 runs between Hongcun and Xidi, with the journey taking about 30 minutes. My bus left Hongcun at 09:10 and I caught the 14:30 back. I think they're hourly. Last bus from Xidi is 16:00. Fare was 6 RMB each way, payable by cash or QR code
- The bus to Huangshan North also stops at Xidi but not sure it's a good option for day trippers
- Plenty of restaurants both inside the villages and on the main street outside the village in Hongcun
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