An Untouched Town in Southern China

Mo Tingitng

If you love exploring historical sites and off the beaten track sights， why not visit the well preserved ancient town of Guangxi for a great experience of traditional Chinese architecture and culture？ You might have heard a lot about ancient towns such as Lijiang Ancient Town， Dali Ancient Town， and Pingyao Ancient Town. In the eastern Hezhou， Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， there is a beautifully preserved ancient town — Huangyao Ancient Town， where the thousand-year-old stone bridges span over the babbling stream through a labyrinth of narrow streets and brick-laid farm houses， in which villagers live generation after generation. Here you can experience the local peaceful lifestyle， ethnic villages with unique architectural styles， and graceful landscapes.

Fleeting time of Huangyao

Hezhou， in northern Guangxi， is a small city with graceful mountains and rivers， as well as thousands of years of history. Visitors can appreciate the natural landscapes in Gupo Mountain National Forest Park， Luhua Hot Springs， and White Marble Forest. Apart from these spots， there is an ancient town which shows Hezhous long history with its ancient buildings and peaceful， simple life. It seems to be a time-warped place and is left with an ancient atmosphere in the moss-covered bricks and tile roofs， witnessing its history. This is Huangyao Ancient Town， a town with a history over one thousand years and well known as a “dream land”.

Huangyao Ancient Town is located in the northeast of Zhaoping County， Hezhou City， Guangxi. It is 40km away from the county， adjacent to Zhongshantong Ancient Town and Qingtang Town in the north， bordering on Fenghuang County and Gonghui Town， Hezhou City in the south， adjoining Zhangmulin County and Luofu County in the south， and Zouma County in the west.

Enjoying a good fame passed down from history， Huangyao boasts a long history and the culture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It can be dated back to the Song Dynasty （960-1279）， but was first built during the Wanli Period （1573-1620） of the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， and reached its heyday during the reign of Emperor Qianlong （1736-1795） of the Qing Dynasty （1636-1912）. Two big families who lived here — the Yaos and the Huangs （surnames of the residents） — were the ones who gave the town its name. In ancient times， because of its convenient access to water transportation， Huangyao was a prosperous business center. The local people mostly engaged in commercial activities and enjoyed a fairly affluent life， so many of them spent much money on their homes to honor their families and benefit the future generations. Over 20 ancestral halls and temples were built by the wealthiest families to pay tribute to the gods and their ancestors， which were much grander than the residential houses.

At the 2005 Chinese and Foreign Tourism Brand Marketing Summit， held in Beijing on September 19， 2005， Huangyao Ancient Town was jointly recommended as “Chinas ancient town with the most tourism value” nominated by the Asia-Pacific Region Tourism Cooperation Organization， World Overseas Chinese Tourism Cooperation Organization and Organizing Committee of Chinese and Foreign Tourism Brand Marketing Summit. As the only ancient town in Guangxi winning the honor， the town deserves this title.

Just a decade ago， Huangyao ancient Town was relatively unknown to the outside world， but today， this picturesque and poetic location has become a popular tourist destination for travellers from both home and abroad. Every corner of the town presents a typically Chinese scene and shows many marvelous photo opportunities.

An art palace of both manmade and natural perfection

A unique attraction in the town is the architectural convention： Rivers winding around hills； bridges spanning over rivers； pavilions decorating the bridges and couplets and plaques carved onto pavilions. The town is also dotted with many elegantly built towers and pavilions. The layout of the town is planed according to 8 trigrams and 9 halls diagram， showing an typical architectural style in south China. The architectural structures of the town blend into the natural landscape， which wins a name for the town “an art palace of both manmade and natural perfection”.

Huangyao covers 36 hectares and has a typical karst landform. The town is rich with both natural and historical attractions. A small river snakes through as to bring life. The stone bridges have met the test of time as they have stood guard from many centuries. At each corner of the town， you can see the typical scene of Chinese old town. The old rivers， caves， pavilions， towers， ancestral temples， ancient trees， couplets on pillars and plaques， the ancient but well preserved buildings， and the local peoples traditional life styles are all distinctive features of the town.

There are also 8 scenic areas and 24 scenic spots in the natural landscapes. Besides， over 20 temples and 10 pavilions are well preserved in the town， most of which took shape in the Ming and Qing dynasties， such as the famous Wenming Pavilion， Xingning Temple， Wujia Ancestral Temple， Jianlong Bridge and so on. All the ancient streets in the town are set with green flagstones， as smooth as mirrors.

Wenming Pavilion is a small temple built in the mountains， where the local villagers worship their gods. After you reach the temple， you can see a platform where the villagers pray for the rain. You can have a good view of the winding rivers and rural scenery on this platform. Down the court you can see a lawn where you can set off fireworks， enjoy barbecue and even watch stars in a clear night sky.

About 3km or 4km away from Zhaoping County is located the Zhou Reservoir. You can get there by taking an electro-tricycle or just walking there. This reservoir provides 20 bamboo rafts free for tourists. You can enjoy the pastoral scenery on the way to the reservoir. The unique farm houses， made of yellow bricks， along the meandering paths， will give you an impressive view.

Nowadays， many local families live in small laneways as they have done for generations. The outside world changes fast， but they stick with their traditional lifestyle and the ways of their ancestors.