Tour Huangshan

Mt. Huangshan
Located in southern Anhui Province, Mt. Huangshan covers an area of 250 kilometers, of which 154 square kilometers are scenic attractions. Its landscape features “four wonders” of imposing peaks, spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines, and a sea of clouds. Mt. Huangshan boasts 72 peaks, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, with three main peaks rising majestically. They are both fascinating and dangerously steep. Cliffs, stone forests, stone pillars, stone blocks and egg-shaped stones form the unique granite geomorphologic scenery. The pines on the mountain are tall and have fascinating shapes. The famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine (1,500 years old) and See-Guest-Off Pine have become a symbol of being faithful, unyielding and hospitable. More than 200 days each year on Mt. Huangshan are misty and cloudy. The vapors coagulate to form a sea of clouds. As the clouds cloak the mountain, they give a feeling of being in fairyland. Wu yue is the collective name given to China's most important mountains, namely Mt. Taishan in Shandong Province, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi Province, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi Province, Mt. Songshan in Henan Province and Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province. It is said that you won't want to visit any other mountains after seeing wu yue but you won't wish to see even wu yue after returning from Mt. Huangshan. This saying may give you some idea of the beauty and uniqueness of Mt. Huangshan. Together with the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Great Wall, Mt. Huangshan has become one of the great symbols of China. Mt. Huangshan boasts not only of its magnificence but also its abundant resources and great variety of zoological species, for which it has been listed as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.

Hongcun
Hongcun is located in the southwestern foot of Mt. Huangshan and about 11 kilometers off the southwest of Yixian County. In ancient time, it's the only access to Beijing to do business from Yixian. The whole village covers an area of about 28 hectares. Hongcun was first founded in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty (about AD. 1131-1162). According to the record of Pedigree of Wang Clan, because it was enlarged to the shape of the Taiyi elephant at that time, it was acclaimed as Hongcun. In the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, its name was changed into Hongcun. Hongcun is the main village where Wang families live together. Wang clan is a respectable family in Central Plains. Because of moving to the south at the end of the Han dynasty, the descendants of Wang clan spread every parts of the south of the lower reaches of the Changjiang River. The ancestral home of Wang clan is Jinling. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it moved to Huizhou. They are the earliest ancestor of Huncun. Villagers are thoughtful and thrifty in their use of water, and have a strict timetable for each specific need. Before 7:00 am, water is used only for drinking and cooking only. From 7:00 am to 9:00 am it is for cleaning vegetables and other daily-use purposes, after which it is taken to the front yard to water livestock and wash clothes. Used water flows through the village to Yuezhao Lake, and then through another small pond into the village irrigation system. Hongcun is shaped like a buffalo, and villagers liken its narrow winding ditches to a buffalo's intestine and the little lake and pond to its upper abdomen. The water system serves the daily needs of the villagers and also regulates its air temperature, as well as offer protection in the event of fire.