I had a very pleasant few hours mooching around the houses and alleyways of Hongcun. It was best when I took the back alleys and managed to get away from the tour groups - they follow a fairly limited route, so it is easy to avoid them and the place got a lot quieter around noon (suspect there's a lunchtime lull before the groups arrive again in the afternoon). The old houses are beautiful and although Hongcun is undoubtedly touristy it's a nice kind of touristy by and large. Plenty of places to get food and drink too, and even some decent coffee!

This was a great place to visit, and while the buildings that are historic are not nearly as old as the village itself (which sates it was founded in 1100, the elaborate carvings and paintings are very interesting. It can be a little bit confusing about tickets. The same account sells them for both Hongcun and Huangshan, and did not appear to take passports (just Chinese ID cards). In addition, it seems that certain Wednesdays in the spring are free, at least for some people, and so all the tickets were marked as sold out. We decided to just go down anyway to see if maybe we could buy tickets, and were just waved in for free. Probably because of the free ticket days some of the narrow alleys got pretty crowded, so you might want to go early. Once you go thru the preserved areas there are lots of delicious snacks to buy as well as many restaurants.

This was a day trip from Huangshan city (Tunxi), and a very worthwhile trip. the combination of the history of the village, the distinctive Huizhou architectural style, and the ponds and lakes make this a picturesque place to visit. It was part of a tour with Laurus Travel of Vancouver. The local guide, William Hu, who lives in Huangshan City, was excellent. It might be more difficult to get here and figure out the admission without a guide. Also, there is some information posted in English throughout the village, but William added much more information, making it a more interesting visit than it would have been otherwise. It was not particularly crowded when I was there. We spent about half a day, which was about right. There are several buildings that can be toured. Chengzhi Hall, with its detailed carving on the walls and ceilings, was particularly impressive. Don't miss the freshly-baked pastries that are sold in several of the bakeries, especially the pork-filled flaky pastries and the sesame pastries.

This is a must see if you go to the Huangshan scenic area. The ancient village is surrounded by a mote, and there is also a large pool in the center of the village. The scenery of the elegant buildings that are also mirrored in mote and pool is beauty beyond description.