Travelogue
| Gateway
to the Silk Road | Guizhou
Landscape |
| Dream away
in Yangshuo |
Where memories linger |
| Grand Canal
at Hangzhou Ending | Curing
Cuisines | Tea Tour
|
| A Challenging
Trip | Expedition
to fairyland |
| Snacks at Kunming
| Lijiang Impression
|
| A Quiet Village
Tour | Splash
off Your Bad Luck |
| Summer
Escape to a Holy Island | Suzhou’s
History |
| In the Heart
of a Miao Village | No-frills
cruise along the Yangtze |
A Quiet
Village Tour
Xiao Min
For a deep understanding of local life, however,
a visit to Namping Village is much better than
an artificial performance.
The village is located near the county town,
less well-known than the famous villages, like
Hongcun and Xidi, but it still looks like a historical
painting that has escaped from history. The natural
and peaceful view is the most treasured characteristic
of the place.
The village was first built around 13th century,
with most of the village people sharing the family
name Ye. During its 780 years of history, most
of Ye's descendants remained in their old houses
and quite a lot went out of the mountain looking
for some other ways to survive as the limited
land could not feed the increased population.
The village has two well-preserved ceremonial
halls, and more than 300 ancient residential houses
built in Ming and Qing periods. The village has
been described as an "outdoor museum of Ming
and Qing architecture."
Without a guide, it is easy to get lost in the
village. There are more than 100 lanes, some as
wide as 3 meters, some as narrow as 80 centimeters.
Most of the houses have high walls, which, combined
with the narrow lanes, make the village looks
a mysterious encircled city, especially during
rainy days.
Like most Chinese people, the villagers have
long emphasized education and there are many ancient
schools. Big flagstones pave the middle of the
lanes heading towards schools so students can
avoid dirtying their shoes in the mud.
At the entrance of Namping Village, you will find
a primary school and pupils would say “Hello”
to western tourists, a welcome gesture to strangers.
The most worthy benefit for Namping is you can
avoid the noisy tourists swarmed in Hongcun and
Xidi, where you can have a stroll on in the small
lanes and have a free chat with the aged as most
young people went out to earn their living. And
there are not so many shops selling souvenirs
at Namping, which makes it even more attracting
and valuable at the hot scenic spots at the moment.
For detailed information,
you can just drop in an email and you will get
a quick reply within 12 hours.
john@chinahuangshan.com
congzhang35@hotmail.com
Link Partners:
www.photoexplorertours.com/china.htm
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