Wuyuan, on the boundary of three provinces in Jiangxi's northeastern corner, has a magnificent landscape dotted with strange caves, deep secluded rocks and numerous historic sites. It has been described by some overseas photographers as the "most beautiful of Chinese villages."
Wuyuan County is located at the northeast of Jiangxi Province. Ziyang, in the county's central town, is 140 km away from Quzhou of Zhejiang to its east, 180 km from Shangrao to its south, 80 km away from Jindezhen to its west and 114 km away from Huangshan to its north; it is like a bright pearl embedded in the Huangshan-Wuyuan-Lushan golden tour line and is honored as the "Most Beautiful County-side in China" by the media at home and abroad. With an 81.5% tree cover of woods, Wuyuan is one of the sixteen most ecologically advanced agriculture counties is China. There are also many well-preserved ancient villages like Jiangwan, Wangkou, Yan village, Sixi and Likeng. The Hui-style ancient Buildings with pink walls and black tiles, which are faintly visible amid the green hills and blue waters, make up a picturesque landscape depicting the symbiosis of man and nature.
Wuyuan County is home to some of the best-preserved ancient architecture in China. Each of the numerous ancient buildings has a distinctive shape and structure. They emerge from among the emerald green mountains, clear rivers, green trees and the crisscrossing paths between the fields.
Virtually every village has something special to offer, often some tiny but unique feature that can stop you in your tracks and positively beg to be photographed. So was it in Wuyuan, our no-rush itinerary allowing for a visit to one village each day. We stayed over at each, and headed for the next on the list each morning.
Sixi is half kilometer distant from Yan Village. It was set up in the South Song Dynasty (AD 1199), fronting water and with hills on the back; it is embedded in natural sight of colorful peaks, beautiful mountains, clear streams and green rivers. House groups are ingenuously combined with natural environment; mountains and rivers embellish each other; all are as magnificent as poem, as beautiful as drawing. 'Tongji Bridge' and 'Buddha Pillar' of the Ming Dynasty at the entrance of the village are remnants of water gap combination buildings of ancient villages; in the village, there are houses of merchants of the Qing Dynasty, e.g. 'Zhenyuan Hall', 'Chengyu Hall', 'Chengde Hall' and 'Xiao You Jian Long Room' etc. The workmanship of 'Three carving'(brick carving, stone carving, wood carving) is exquisite and fully reflects the architectural characteristics of civil residence of Huizhou school, e.g. 'Treasury' house of the Qing Dynasty is rare in present world; a parlor named 'Jingxu Hall' is full of antique flavor and is an ideal place for tasting tea, playing chess, chanting poetry and painting pictures; on the lattice doors of Yu s hostelry, carved in relief one character 'Shou' (means longevity) 96 different styles of calligraphy, which form a 'painting of 100 Shou ' that may be rated as an 'exquisite masterpiece of wood carving'.
Yan Village is situated in the southwest of Sikou town that lies in the middle part of Wuyuan. It is close to the Wuqing line and is only 13 kilometers distant from the county town, so the transportation here is very convenient. The village was set up during the North Song Dynasty (A.D. 1078-1085).The extant buildings include the old - style private-schools of the Ming Dynasty and 56 residential houses of the Qing Dynasty such as 'Yuqing Hall' , 'Congting Hall', 'Dujing Hall', etc., most of which were built for the merchants of Huizhou who retired and wanted to spend their remaining years here. These houses have fire walls, black tiles and sloping roofs; their gates were stone - framed; the door appearance was made of stones and black bricks; the corbel had upward angles and upturned eaves; the brick carving of the door frame is unique; inside the houses, it is divided in to antechamber, living room, and kitchen, etc. and there are small yards both front and back; inside the central room, it is divided into three rooms and two wings, with square pillars and stone plinths, lattice windows , black slab stone - paved floor. Inside the houses, on the beams, Queti (a kind of Chinese old-style architectural decoration ), Hujing (cleanness keeper), windows carved many patterns of dragons, phoenix, (Chinese) unicorns, pines, cranes, cypresses, deer, waterside pavilions, towers and terrace halls, figures, classical local operas, birds, beasts, flowers and plants, etc., which have profound thoughts, not only showing exquisite technique, but also containing romantic charm of antique culture.
Likeng is located in Tuochuan countryside which is 56 km distant from Wuyuan County. The village was set up at the end of the North Song Dynasty. All the villagers were fond of reading and advocated 'learning Zhuzi (a famous Chinese philosopher) protocol, submitting to Zhuzi s instruction, holding Zhuzi s courtesy', so it is praised as the 'origin of Li Xue (a Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song Dynasty)'. For several centuries, the villagers of this remote village took the habit of studying and reading hard. These ancient buildings have white washed walls, black tiles, upturned eaves and propping angle, as well as exquisite 'Three carving' technique, scientific and reasonable arrangement, warm in winter and cool in summer. They are emeralds of ecological culture, and exhibition gardens of architectural art. Likeng has already been listed in the 'List of Provincial Key Historic Reservation Units' and is one of the 100 'National Folk Culture Villages'.
Wangkou is situated in the northeast of Wuyuan County, which is 23 km distant from Ziyang Town. Because there are two rivers joining in front of the village, the water is abundant, so it is called Wangkou (means the entrance of water). In the Song Dynasty (around AD 1110), the Daifu (ancient official degree) of the imperial government, Yu Gao lived in Bianxi and Sujin of Wangkou; he set up the village and started his business. Now there are 1700 people who live in the village, most of them have the surname of 'Yu', so they are the descendants of Yu Gao. Since the Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, people of Wangkou upheld the study, and men of talent came out in succession here. Before 1960, the east of Wuyuan could not be reached by cars; river transportation could only arrive at Wangkou perennially. So Wangkou became the collection and distribution place of goods in east Wuyuan, which was called the 'port of straw sandals'. In the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, there were many shops and businessmen, showing a prosperous scene. The cultural and ecological resources of Wangkou are very abundant and unique. The Yu Family Ancestral Hall is regarded as 'architectural artistic treasury' by the experts of ancient architectures, and is called the highest level of ancient architecture art of Wuyuan. The Dafu House and Yijing Hall are the miniature of Hui style architectures of official halls and business houses of Wuyuan; the well-kept Yangyuan Study let you passionately go into the long ancient streets of Wuyuan that has intense cultural accumulation.
Best time to go
Anytime especially spring.
Its annual average temperature is 62F. In Spring Rape in front of the village comes into flower. The vast sea of golden rape, the white walls and black tiles create a lyrical picture of dazzling beauty.
Ticket
Yan Village RMB 36/person, Likeng RMB 30/person, Lingyan Cave RMB 50/person, Xiaoqi RMB 20/person, Dazhang Mountain RMB 55/person, Congxi Drift RMB 50/person, Yuanyang Lake RMB 40/person, Rainbow Bridge RMB 20/person, Wengong Mountain RMB 35/person, Xiaojiang Big Ancestral Hall RMB 20/person.
Around Landscape
Sanqing Mountain, Sanqing Lake, Lushan Mountain, Huangshan Mountain, Sanqing Lake, Guifeng National Forest Park, Boyang Lake, Yunbi Lake National Forest Park, Tongbo Mountain, etc.
Local Snacks and Specialties
Wuyuan Dingchun Green Tea, Jiangwan White Pear, Xi Black Ink-stone, Hebao Red Carp, Bamboo Craftworks and Wood Carvings, etc.
Travel Tips
The scenic spots in Wuyuan County are spread around so you had better get up early and take bus in time.
The scenic spots in Wuyuan County are divided into three parts: eastern, western and northern visiting-line so you had better plan your route.
Please reserve hotel, inn and family hostel in advance.
Eating with local people in their family is best way.
Please take raincoat or umbrella, sunbonnet, sunglass, and suntan oil in summer.