Hongcun

Curved like a half moon, this man-made pond forms the village's ox stomach, mirroring white walls, black tiles, horse-head gables and a Ming ancestral hall.

Wide and mirror-like, South Lake forms the ox belly of Hongcun, crossed by a painted bridge and fronted by an academy known for its scholarly tradition.

Late-Qing salt merchant Wang Dinggui built this Huizhou mansion, with gilded beams and an exquisite carving of a hundred children celebrating the Lantern Festival.

Dedicated to cultivating virtue, these homes preserve fine Huizhou brick carvings, including a gate tower showing a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.

In 1855, the Chengzhitang residence of Hongcun salt merchant Wang Dinggui was completed and became part of Hongcun's surviving Qing-era architecture.

In 2000, Xidi and Hongcun were inscribed for their exceptionally preserved traditional settlements, street plans, water systems, and Huizhou residences.

During the Ming Yongle era, Hongcun residents brought water into the village and built channels and Moon Pond as the first phase of its planned water system.