Hongcun is a pearl of traditional Chinese architecture

Hongcun Town, formerly known as Hong Village and Qixia Town, is a town under the jurisdiction of Yi County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, located in the northeastern part of Yi County. Hongcun is known as the 'village in the painting,' and as of 2014, the town has well-preserved over 140 Ming and Qing Dynasty residential buildings. The main attractions include: South Lake in the Early Morning, Recitation at the Academy, Wind and Lotus at Moon Pond, Ox Gut Water Channel, Twin Streams Reflecting the Greenery, Ancient Trees in Front of the Pavilion, and Sunset at Leigang, among others. Hongcun Town's site selection, layout, and the beautiful scenery of Hongcun are all directly related to water, making it an ancient village that has been rigorously planned. The planning and design of the artificial water system inside and outside the village are quite exquisite and ingenious. Experts have appraised Hongcun as 'a place where cultural landscape and natural landscape complement each other, one of the rare ancient villages in the world with detailed planning,' and it is called 'a pearl of traditional Chinese architecture' by Chinese and foreign architectural experts. On May 5, 2011, the Hongcun scenic area was officially awarded the title of 'National AAAAA-level Tourist Attraction' by the National Tourism Administration. In October 1997, world-renowned architect I. M. Pei made a special trip to visit Hongcun Town. He highly praised the ancient buildings and water system facilities here and inscribed in Chengzhi Hall: 'The ancient buildings of Yi County's Hongcun are national treasures.'