[2025 She County Attraction] Travel Guide for Huishang Mansion (Updated May)

A courtyard embraces the seasons, a mansion inherits a thousand years Stroll among the blue bricks and dark tiles, listening to the whispers of history beneath the horse-head walls. The Huizhou Merchant Mansion recreates the splendor of prominent families during the Ming and Qing dynasties with its magnificent Hui-style architectural complex. Intricately carved beams, auspicious brick carvings, and winding courtyards—every detail tells the legendary story that "no town could prosper without Hui merchants."

Anhui D7 | Huishang Grand Courtyard (Not Comparable to Qiao Family Compound) Huishang Grand Courtyard (P1) is not a single mansion, but a modern integration of 26 Huizhou-style buildings from the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China periods in She County that were relocated, renovated, and restored as a whole. ＊＊ These buildings include residences, archways, opera stages, pavilions, gardens, and waterside pavilions, forming a combined residential complex with hundreds of rooms, 36 patios, and 1,580 columns. (Ask deepseek for information about the builder, Xu Pulai.) ＊＊ Unlike the Qiao Family Compound, it is not an ancestral home where a certain family has lived for generations. [Therefore, I personally think that comparing it with the Qiao Family Compound is a publicity stunt.] ＊＊ Nevertheless, it is still an ancient architectural complex that integrates the essence of Huizhou architecture with historical culture. The grand courtyard is marked by horse-head walls and flying eaves (P7), and incorporates the "four waters returning to the hall" patio layout of Huizhou (P6). The patio is not only the core of lighting and ventilation, but also stores water through water tanks, which symbolizes "gathering wealth" and also serves as a fire-fighting function. [The Pinnacle of "Three Carvings" Art] The grand courtyard preserves more than 14,000 stone carvings (P8), wood carvings (P9-12), and brick carvings, covering themes such as flowers, figures, and auspicious animals. One of the stone carvings has a "page" small door (P8) at the top, which can be opened and closed with the change of wind force, combining decoration and "weather forecast" functions, with extremely high craftsmanship and can be called a unique product. [Epitome of Huizhou Merchants' Wealth] The grand courtyard is large in scale, covering an area of 13,000 square meters. Its construction cost a lot of money. The builder wanted to reflect the financial strength of Huizhou merchants in their heyday. The capital of Ming and Qing Huizhou merchants once accounted for more than half of the national treasury, and Emperor Qianlong even exclaimed, "Rich are the merchants, I can't compare." The luxurious decoration and complex structure of the mansion are a concrete manifestation of this economic strength. [Huizhou Water Conservancy and Disaster Prevention Wisdom] Practical functions are integrated into the architectural design, such as water tank fire prevention and patio drainage system. The water canal (ditch) network excavated by the ancients in Hongcun is also used for reference, reflecting the Huizhou people's construction concept of "harmony between man and nature." [Visiting Suggestions] 1. If you visit, you can hire a tour guide (CNY 50), who will explain for 1 hour, which is more rewarding than visiting by yourself. 2. There is no need to come here specifically, because it is not a cultural relic building, but an integrated object. 3. After the visit, you can go to the nearby "Laohukaiwen Ink Factory" for a free visit with explanation, where you can learn about the production of Huizhou ink and She inkstones (finally know how inkstones and ink are made). Because photography is not allowed in each workshop, only the raw stone of She inkstone---Longwei Stone (P13) at the door was photographed.

🎈Huizhou-style mansion travel guide is here! 📍Address: No. 38 Ping'an Road, Fuzi Community, Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province 🌟Highlights: The Huizhou-style mansion is a collection of 26 Huizhou-style buildings from the late Ming, Qing, and Republic of China periods that were on the verge of collapse in Shexian County. They were dismantled and repaired, and moved to Xiyuan in their entirety according to the principle of "restoration." The mansion is full of exquisite ancient Huizhou "three carvings" (stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings), with more than 1,124,000 pieces. The entire ancient building complex integrates archways, opera stages, pavilions, gardens, and waterside pavilions, and is a combination of mansions, with 26 mansions, hundreds of houses, 36 patios, and 1,580 pillars. 📸Photo spots: Wufeng Building: Exquisite structure, thick brackets, and flying eaves at the four corners, symbolizing "five phoenixes spreading their wings." Zhonghe Hall: The place where the male host receives guests, very solemn and dignified. Miss Building: Luxurious and exquisite, especially the beauty lean on the third and fourth floors, which makes people sigh at the luxury of the rich. Garden: Pavilions, bridges, archways, and mansions are integrated, making it a great place to take photos.

I went to Shexian County for a weekend trip. I booked a private car on Trip.com. The itinerary was Yangan Tulou, Xin'an River, Jiusha Village, and then back to the city. I arrived at Shexian North Railway Station in the morning and met the driver there. It took about 40 minutes to drive to Yangan Tulou. It was the weekend, so there were many tourists. The parking lot at the ticket office was full, and most cars were directed to a parking lot about 300 meters away from the ticket office. However, since our driver was a local, he drove us to the visitor center. The round-trip fare for the shuttle bus is CNY 30 per person. We waited in line for about half an hour to get on the 7-seat minibus. I suggest that those who get carsick be prepared. Although the journey only takes 10 minutes, the road is very bumpy, and the driver is very skilled. Although most of the ancient buildings in Yangan Tulou have been preserved, more than 90% of them have been converted into homestays, cafes, and farmhouses. The area is very commercialized. The roads in the scenic area are very narrow and winding, and it's easy to get lost. However, as long as you keep a general sense of direction, you should be fine. It's a little early to visit at this time of year. Although the temperature is very comfortable, the leaves have not yet turned yellow, and the green is not so vibrant. It's a little awkward. However, the weather today was nice. The tulou, mountains, blue sky, and white clouds made for a beautiful view. On the way back down the mountain, we didn't choose to take a boat tour of the Xin'an River Landscape Gallery (which takes 3 to 4 hours and costs CNY 120+ per person). Instead, we went to a small ferry terminal at Jiusha Village. You need to call the ferry from the other side of the river. The round-trip fare is CNY 15 per person. There weren't many people in the village. It was the season for sun-drying crops, so it was a little beautiful, and there weren't many people. In the afternoon, we returned to the city and visited the Huizhou Merchant's Mansion. This mansion is the best and most classic Huizhou mansion I have ever seen. You could say that this mansion encompasses all Huizhou architecture. It's well worth a visit. The ticket is CNY 70, and the guide fee is CNY 50. I highly recommend this attraction. After dark, we went to Shexian Ancient City. You could say that all ancient cities are the same. They are very commercialized. Only a small part of the ancient buildings have been preserved, and most of the others are newly built imitations of Huizhou architecture. Food in Shexian County is quite expensive. Stinky mandarin fish, fermented tofu, salted pork soup, and pork belly are all worth a try.

Huizhou Ancient City Tour: The exquisite carvings hidden in the mansions of Huizhou merchants In fact, most of the tourist attractions in Huizhou are FREE If you want to go to the required attractions, I would highly recommend the Huizhou Merchants Mansion. The entire Huizhou Merchants Mansion is full of details, from the overall building to the small carved beams and painted buildings, wood carvings, stone carvings, and the unique patio design. Revealing the cultural heritage of ancient Huizhou and the past glory of Huizhou merchants In short, the Huizhou Merchant Mansion is one of the attractions that I think is worth paying for.

Life is obsessed with nowhere, no dream to Huizhou. Always come to Huizhou. Today, Xiaodie introduces several main attractions in Shexian County. Huizhou Ancient City (AAAAA Scenic Area) The Huizhou Ancient City Scenic Area is located in the core area of the national historical and cultural city - Shexian County, one of the four well-preserved ancient cities in China, and the ancient Huizhou government office. Tickets: No tickets are required to enter the ancient city. The main streets on both sides are commercial areas, selling some clothing, special products and so on. It is recommended to turn around in the alleys on both sides. Huizhou government office needs to buy tickets separately. Adult tickets 💰45. The ancient city is open all day. The opening hours of the Huizhou government office and other paid attractions: 8:00-17:00. Huishang Mansion The Huishang Mansion, also known as "Xiyuan", is a relocation and renovation of 26 Ming and Qing Dynasty and Republic of China buildings with Huizhou characteristics that are scattered throughout the county and on the verge of collapse, and have been moved into Xiyuan as a whole according to the principle of "restoration". Tickets: Adults 💰60 yuan Explainer: 30 yuan/time (recommended to hire one) Play time: 1-1.5h Yuliang Dam The Yuliang Dam was built in the Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, and has been nearly 1400 years old. It is one of the famous ancient water conservancy projects in China and the largest ancient water conservancy project in Shexian County. Tickets: Free Play time: 1h The degree of filming depends very much on the situation of rainfall and drought. If the visit is relatively dry, you will not see the grand scene of the water dam in the promotional pictures. ✨It is recommended that these attractions can hire an interpreter or guide to explain, to feel the wisdom of the ancients and the beauty of Huizhou architecture, otherwise it is just a quick look, wasting play time. 🚗Transportation: It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Tunxi city center where Xiaodie is located to Shexian County. The attractions in the city are convenient for walking and bus.