After a night stay at the iconic Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), we descended the mountain in the morning, had lunch before arriving at the next destination for our tour. The Lakeside Ancient Village (湖边古村落) - just to clarify, the village was indeed ancient with a few hundred years of history but it was limited to only 14 structures, with the rest being newly built in 2011.
It was part of a project to extend the river for water conservancy and tourist development. While I have no objection to that, I am wondering if the tourists nowadays are into such redevelopment projects, especially in China where there were too much of such projects.
Of course it also didn't help that we arrived to a light drizzle, and the place looked absolutely deserted, different from the massive crowd that ascended Huangshan the day before, and the throngs of people navigating the trails when we descended.
First thing to do for our tour.
Finding a toilet to release bladder tension!
After clearing our bladder, we took some time to soak in the scenic riverside that bordered the village. It would have been cooler to climb up to the pavilion on top of the hill for a breathtaking view of the city.
Touring in the rain wasn't fun for sure, and it didn't help that temperature was also quite low. In such weather, and after a heavy lunch, what we craved more was more people, more noise; if not, please just give us a space to snooze.
Went back to the main parade square where our tour guide was patiently waiting for the entire lot of us! First up, to the building above, which we will definitely welcome as we can get away from the irritating drizzle!
Dad posing with the fish lantern, which has a history in the region for over 600 years! "Handcrafted using bamboo frames and painted Xuan paper, these glowing carp symbolize prosperity and clan unity."
From the antiquated look of the pillar and also the panels pasted on the side, I believe this would be one of the 14 structures that were relocated from the village, in its entirety. Not an easy feat for sure.
Insides of the building, which was more like an open courtyard where visitors can pay a small token for tea and melon seeds to spend a lazy afternoon. Stepping out after a short while. The tour guide did try to educate us on the Hui architectural aspects of the building but I was too sleepy, and it didn't help that my ears are never known for their sharpness.
One of the interesting information was the supposedly useless arch above the doorways that inched our just a bit. Turned out it did has some use; to ensure the rainwater doesn't roll down the doors. Often, you can also see figures of 鳌鱼 on the arch which is supposed to have the ability to swallow fire.
Unlike many Chinese architecture that prides itself on extravagance and excessive decoration, the hui style architecture was cleaner, less colorful with mostly white walls, black / grey tiles and limited windows.
Another pavilion to shelter us from the rain, and it also gave us a view of Xin'An River; a "373-kilometer waterway originating in Huangshan City, Anhui, and flowing into Zhejiang to form the Qiantang River".
Time to explore the river, along the promenade. Again, the same pavilion on top of the hill. Given the rain and temperature, there was a lingering mist hovering between the pavilion and the hill, giving it an aura of mysticism.
While I am no bird aficionado, the above bird captivated us as we don't remember seeing it in Singapore. Called the white wagtail, it can actually be found in Singapore but uncommon as it is a migrant species.
Spanning a total of 111 meters across three blocks, they "depict the history, regional culture, and famous historical figures of the Huizhou region". It's not something you can see and understand; and having a tour guide would come in handy although she can't literally go through all of them! To me, just a river.
To dad, it's a photospot.
I bet there are more things for us to explore but when it comes to tours, it's often a touch and go, with some information but not deep enough. Not that I mind though since I could have gone for free and easy, which again, might not mean a deeper understanding of the place I am going to. Time to leave. Honestly, this place was boring with hardly any visitor even though we could have felt this way due to the weather.
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Address
Binjiang E Rd, Tunxi District, Huangshan City, Anhui, China
Attraction Map
As above.
