The ancient village of Yiyi, a thousand years in Renli

The ancient village of Yiyi, a thousand years in Renli On the Qingming Festival of 2024, I hiked the ancient Huizhou-Hangzhou trail. It was only when making the strategy that I learned about Renli ancient village. I left Nanjing at 6 am, drove for three and a half hours, and arrived to experience the vicissitudes of a thousand years in the village, have lunch, and then walk the ancient trail. Perfect. 'Renli' comes from 'Lunyu·Liren' which means 'where benevolent people reside.' The village has a history of over 1400 years. Most villagers share the surname Cheng and are descendants of the great Neo-Confucian masters Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao. Renli village is nestled against mountains and rivers, with a profound cultural heritage, especially evident in the family motto plaques in front of each household, indicating a deep lineage. Historically, Renli in Jixi was a hub for Huizhou merchants, a central village on the Dengyuan River, accumulating wealth and energy, with thousands of households, known as 'the small Jixi county, the grand Renli village.' During the Qingming holiday, there didn't seem to be too many tourists. The village used to charge for entry, but now it's free. Many original residents still live there, but unfortunately, the old houses are interspersed with new ones, not restored to their former state, losing the soul of the ancient village. The introduction states that Renli village still retains the Ming and Qing dynasties' streets, gates, and alleys, with four ancient gate towers, three Ming and Qing ancestral halls, archways, ancient residences, academies, docks, the ancient Peach Blossom Dam, and wells that can be seen everywhere, still reflecting the prosperity of the historical commercial town. However, the ancient wells are now sealed with iron covers, and most ancient houses are either locked up or empty. The four gate towers are quite good, but they were built later. Outside the East Gate is the dock, where early spring is the most beautiful season with peach blossoms and willows. Although it's not well-known, the village is still carefully decorated with unique small scenes and large fish lanterns. Enthusiastic villagers told us that they would light up at night. I quite like this low-key yet simple ancient village, but when I excitedly found the recommended internet-famous Xia's farmhouse, I was told that I needed to book in advance, and there was no one to comfort my injured soul and rumbling stomach. Has fame really made them so unreasonable?! Luckily, there was food available at the West Gate. The whole village seems to be undergoing upgrades and renovations, so for now, there's no entry fee, and parking is also free.