Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui, China

China-30, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Hongcun with Xidi were made UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 as a part of "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui".
Hongcun is a village in Yixian county, Anhui province, located near the southwest slope of Mount Huangshan, in China. 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. Hongcun was a location where the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was shot. Since then, tourism has dramatically increased.
Xidi was first built during the reign of emperor Huangyou during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and was originally called Xichuan (West River), because of the water courses which flow through the village.