Typical of the elegant Huīzhōu style, Xīdì’s 124 surviving buildings reflect the wealth and prestige of the prosperous merchants who settled here. Its Unesco World Heritage Site status means Xīdì, located 54km northwest of Túnxī, enjoys a lucrative tourist economy, yet it remains a picturesque tableau of slender lanes, cream-coloured walls topped with horse-head gables, roofs capped with dark tiles, and doorways ornately decorated with carved lintels.
Dating to AD 1047, the village has for centuries been a stronghold of the Hu (胡) clan, descended from the eldest son of the last Tang emperor who fled here in the twilight years of the Tang dynasty.
Wander around the maze of flagstone lanes, examining lintel carvings above doorways decorated with vases, urns, animals, flowers and ornamental motifs, and try to avoid tripping over hordes of high-school artists consigning scenes of stone bridges spanning small streams to canvas.
Xīdì’s magnificent three-tiered Ming-dynasty decorative arch, the Húwénguāng Páifāng (胡文光牌坊), at the entrance to the village, is an ostentatious symbol of Xīdì’s former standing. Numerous other notable structures are open to inspection, including Díjí Hall (迪吉堂, Díjí Táng) and Zhuīmù Hall (追慕堂, Zhuīmù Táng), both on Dalu Jie (大路街). Jìng’ài Hall (敬爱堂, Jìng’ài Táng) is the town’s largest building and was used for meetings, weddings and, of course, meting out punishment. Back in the day, women weren’t allowed inside. Xīyuán (西园) is a small house known for its exquisite stone carvings on the windows. Unlike regular carvings, these are carved on both sides.
When you’re done with the village, pop out on paths leading out to nearby hills where there are suitable spots for your picture-postcard panoramas of the village (though a mobile-phone tower blights the landscape). If you want to avoid the crowds, you’ll have to start early or hang out late: tour groups start roaming around at 7am and only trickle out at 5pm or so.
