Hongcun

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun


State Party =
Type = Cultural
Criteria = iii, iv, v
ID = 1002
Region = Asia-Pacific
Year = 2000
Session = 24th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1002

Hongcun (宏村, pinyin: Hóngcūn) is a village in Yixian county, Anhui province (Yixian County), located near the southwest slope of Mount Huangshan, in China.

The village is arranged in the shape of an ox: A nearby hill (Leigang Hill) is interpreted as the head, and two trees standing on it mark the horns. Four bridges across the Jiyin stream can be seen as the legs and the houses of the village form the body. Inside the “body”, the Jiyin stream can be seen as the intestines and the lakes — such as the “South Lake” (Nanhu) — as the stomachs.

The architecture and carvings of the approximately 150 residences dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties are said to be among the best of their kind in China. One of the biggest of the residences open to visitors, "Chenzhi Hall", also contains a small residence museum.

Together with Xidi it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.cite web | url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1002 | title=Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun | publisher=UNESCO | accessdate=2008-10-08] [cite web | title=Xidi and Hongcun Villages | publisher= [http://english.china.com/ China.com] | url=http://english.china.com/zh_cn/culture_history/heritages/11023762/20040916/11881915.html | accessdate=2008-10-08 | date=2008-09-16] Hongcun was a location where the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was shot. Since then, tourism has dramatically increased.

References

External links

* [http://www.hongcun.com.cn Hongcun village site]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/sites/1002.htm UNESCO site about Xidi and Hongcun]
* [http://english.china.com/zh_cn/culture_history/heritages/11023762/20040916/11881915.html article on Xidi and Hongcun at china.com]
* [http://www.eastchinavoyager.com/discover_hongcun.asp information and pics of Hongcun]