Experience a 300-Year-Old Cultural Relic Homestay in Hongcun

Another spontaneous trip! 🚄 I bought the ticket at night and woke up at 4am the next day 🛏️ to escape the smog of Beijing💨. On the way, once the car reached Shandong, the view outside the window was a vast expanse of white. I couldn't see anything, even scarier than Beijing. Five hours later, blue skies and white clouds welcomed me. Finally, I could breathe freely again. When visiting an ancient village, I always want to stay in an old house 🏠. I saw good reviews for Zhang Mansion on the way, so I booked a room. I arrived at Huangshan North Station around 12pm. The bus station is right outside the train station. You can buy tickets at the counter or on the machine for CNY 30. There is a bus to Hongcun about every 30 minutes. The ticket has a seat number, so the seats are fixed. The journey takes about 80 minutes to the bus hub at the entrance of Hongcun. I called the homestay owner 📲. Ten minutes later, the female owner came to pick me up in a small electric tricycle. You also need to buy a ticket to stay in a homestay in the scenic area. It was CNY 94 on the official account 👸. It's free on Wednesdays, but I missed it. Zhang Mansion is located in a quiet area. It has created a quiet place in this noisy area. From the outside, there is only a small wooden door 🚪. Who would have thought that behind an inconspicuous wooden door is a 300-year-old cultural relic building and a backyard suitable for both dynamic and static activities. Inside the door is a rectangular swimming pool. Further in is a study room. The greenery in the courtyard is comparable to that of a Jiangnan garden. Although the house is not ornately decorated or luxurious, the meticulous workmanship here reveals the manager's pursuit of culture and quality of life. The afternoon sun shines in the yard, making it feel warm and fragrant. Open the door and you will hear the hustle and bustle. Close the door and it is quiet and beautiful, as if in another space. I booked the West Building•East Wing Duplex Suite. The bedroom and lounge area are on the second floor. The bedding is clean and comfortable. The bathroom has a Dyson hair dryer and a smart toilet 🚽. There are four small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion. However, I didn't see any plastic slippers or bathrobes. They also gave me a welcome fruit platter 🍎🍊persimmon. The bottled water is Evian. The wooden stairs in the room are not very convenient for the elderly. The breakfast is a bit average and doesn't match the price. After all, it costs 800+ CNY. You can eat a very good buffet breakfast at a hotel. But this is a centuries-old Huizhou ancient house after all. I wanted to experience it, so I didn't care about these things.