[2025 She County Attraction] Travel Guide for Tangyue Archway Cluster (Updated Oct)

Stop squeezing into crowded popular tourist spots! We’ve discovered 4 hidden gem small towns that are "directly accessible by high-speed train + affordable prices + slow-paced"—spend 3 days eating and exploring for just over 500 RMB per person. Workers can easily make a weekend trip, and turn life into poetry～✨ 1. Zhejiang · Songyang | A Jiangnan ancient village hidden in the mist 🌫️ - Transportation: 1.8h high-speed train from Hangzhou to Lishui Station, then 1h bus to Songyang County town; carpooling in the village is recommended (about 10 RMB per person) - Must-do itinerary: 1. Early morning visit to Yangjiatang Village to see the "Golden Potala Palace" peeking through the morning mist, with stunning blue stone slab roads perfect for photos 2. Afternoon stroll along Songyang Ancient Street, with old traditional Chinese medicine shops and barbershops full of history; buy some brown sugar cake as a snack 3. Evening at Damushan Tea Garden, rent a bike (20 RMB/hour) to ride through the sea of tea leaves and watch the sunset turn the tea leaves golden - Food highlights: - Songyang Salt-braised Chicken: crispy salty skin, tender juicy meat, about 30 RMB per person to eat until full - Huizhi Tuan (gray alkaline rice cake): chewy with a slight alkaline aroma, street stall sells for 3 RMB each, refreshing and filling - Accommodation: Ancient village homestays 80-120 RMB/night, open the window to tea garden mountain views, waking up to birdsong is very healing 2. Hunan · Jingzhou | Slow time in the hometown of Yangmei berries 🍓 - Transportation: 1h high-speed train from Huaihua to Jingzhou Station, starting taxi fare in the city is 5 RMB, carpooling to the Yangmei orchard is possible (about 8 RMB per person) - Must-do itinerary: 1. Morning hike in Paiya Mountain Forest Park, walk the forest trails and breathe in air full of negative oxygen ions 2. Afternoon visit Jingzhou Ancient City, see the Ming Dynasty Kuixing Pavilion, order a cup of Youcha tea (8 RMB) in an old teahouse and listen to stories 3. Evening visit the Yangmei orchard (best in June-July), pick fresh Yangmei berries (20 RMB entrance fee, eat as much as you want) - Food highlights: - Jingzhou Rice Noodles: 6 RMB per bowl, generous beef topping, adding pickled long beans makes it even more appetizing - Yangmei Wine: homemade farm brew 25 RMB per jin, sweet and sour but not overpowering, also suitable for women - Accommodation: County hotels 70-100 RMB/night, clean and tidy, some include breakfast 3. Guizhou · Zhenyuan | Millennium ancient town by the Wuyang River 🌊 - Transportation: 1.5h high-speed train from Guiyang to Zhenyuan Station, taxi 10 RMB to the ancient town, walking is enough inside the town - Must-do itinerary: 1. Early morning climb Shiping Mountain to overlook the whole Zhenyuan, see the Wuyang River winding around the town like a green ribbon 2. Afternoon visit Qinglong Cave ancient architecture complex, see the unique combination of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism 3. Evening take a Wuyang River boat tour (40 RMB/person), watch lanterns light up on both banks, the night view is breathtaking - Food highlights: - Zhenyuan Sour Soup Fish: about 40 RMB per person, tender fish, appetizing sour soup, tofu pairs perfectly - Huijian Ba (gray alkaline cake): street snack 5 RMB per serving, crispy outside and soft inside, dipping in chili powder is amazing - Accommodation: Riverside inns in the ancient town 90-140 RMB/night, open the window to river views 4. Anhui · Shexian | Ink-wash poetry of Huizhou ancient city 🖌️ - Transportation: 1.8h high-speed train from Hefei to Shexian North Station, then 2 RMB bus to the ancient city, explore on foot inside the city - Must-do itinerary: 1. Morning stroll in Huizhou Ancient City, admire the carving work of Xuguo Stone Archway, free admission is very generous 2. Afternoon visit Tangyue Archway Group, see 7 ancient archways lined up, feel the Huizhou culture 3. Evening by Lianjiang River, watch the sunset shine on the ancient city walls, every photo looks like an ink-wash painting - Food highlights: - Huizhou Mao Tofu: 8 RMB per serving, pan-fried golden, delicious with spicy sauce (not for the faint-hearted) - Shexian Ta Guo (stuffed pastry): 5 RMB each, full of vegetable filling, very satisfying bite - Accommodation: Homestays inside the ancient city 80-130 RMB/night, some decorated with Huizhou style 💡 Budget travel tips: Most attractions in these small towns are free or low-cost, meals cost about 20-30 RMB per person for a good meal, booking accommodation in advance can get discounts! Buy a high-speed train ticket for the weekend, escape the city noise, and enjoy the happiness of slow living～

Huangshan is bustling with tourists, but Shexian, just tens of kilometers away, quietly preserves a corner of Huizhou's ancient charm. This place retains its simple authenticity and is a hidden gem of Southern Anhui. The beauty of Shexian lies not in its strange peaks and unique rocks, but in its deeply ingrained cultural heritage and vibrant local life. Every bluestone slab here holds a story, and every carved window reveals exquisite craftsmanship. It's worth slowing down and spending two days to gently experience it. 📍Shexian 🚄Shexian North 🚘It is recommended to arrive by self-driving or chartered car. 🚶‍♀️Sharing my two-day tour of Huizhou's ancient charm Day 1: Huizhou Ancient City➡️Tangyue Memorial Archway Complex➡️Xucun Village➡️Huizhou Ancient City Night Tour Day 2: Xin'an River Landscape Gallery➡️Xiong Village Zhushan Academy➡️Return journey 📷About Photo Spots 1️⃣Huizhou Ancient City: One of the four well-preserved ancient cities, and it's free. The streets and alleys have a complex structure, and the buildings all exude the ancient charm of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It's easy to get lost when there are many people, but wandering around without a specific destination is also a great experience. You can check out the enclosed Wengcheng (Barbican), and the Big Fish God Lamp cultural and creative store next to it is also great for browsing. When you're tired, sit down at the teahouse in the Qiaolou (Drum Tower) and watch the people coming and going below the city wall. The Huizhou Government Office opposite the teahouse has various performances, and the evening "Fish Dragon Parade" night tour also starts here. You can also make a non-heritage fish lantern in the afternoon and join the parade in the evening. 2️⃣Tangyue Memorial Archway Complex: Walk through the seven archways, and you can hear a story under each one. It's known as a living fossil of Huizhou culture. 3️⃣Xucun Village: A niche ancient village with over 1800 years of history, and the first village in Huizhou to produce a top scholar. 4️⃣Xin'an River Landscape Gallery: Starting from Shendu Pier in Shexian, travel upstream along the Xin'an River to visit the small towns and villages along the river. 5️⃣Xiong Village Zhushan Academy: A well-preserved ancient building. Inside, every brick, tile, and piece of wood tells its own story. This time, I stayed at Yuexi Xishi Yinji near the ancient city, which was great for both daytime excursions and evening night tours.

Exploring the Tangyue Memorial Archways in Huangshan The first time I saw the name "Tangyue" was in a new real estate development in Shijiazhuang. I thought it was a nice name with a deep meaning, but I didn't know until I came here. I knew about this ancient relic for a long time, but I didn't have time to visit it last time I passed by. I made sure to visit it this time. I thought it was a memorial archway for chastity, but when I got closer, I found out that it was built by a rich and powerful family to praise their good deeds and filial piety. Of course, it had to be approved by the emperor, or "imperial edict." It is rare for the elite to have such merits, which are worthy of praise and recognition. I saw an old woman selling sugarcane juice under the archway. I wonder if she is a descendant of the person who built this archway?

The Tangyue Archway Group refers to a collection of seven archways located to the east of the village, arranged from the sides to the center in the order of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness, with the archway of righteousness in the center, which was also the last to be built. Loyalty, filial piety, and chastity correspond to the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife in the Five Constant Virtues, while righteousness, corresponding to the relationship between friends, is the most challenging. Emphasizing personal virtue over public duty, the archway of righteousness was also acquired through donations from the Bao family. Winding paths, farewell pavilions, trickling streams, and green-caged crops evoke a surge of nostalgia. Normally, there is an admission fee, but visits are free every Wednesday during the first half of 2024.

“The most beautiful place in the world for filial piety and the most beautiful town in the south of the Yangtze River” The Tangyue Archway Group of the Hui style consists of seven archways in total, located in She County, Huangshan, Anhui Province. It is the most famous archway group in southern Anhui. 1. Bao Canfang Type: Ming Dynasty Merit Archway Bao Can was well-read and did not seek advancement in his career. His mother had carbuncles on both feet and had sought medical treatment for many years but to no avail. Bao Can took care of his mother by sucking the blood and pus from her feet until she finally recovered. His filial piety moved the villagers, who requested permission to build this archway. 2. Cixiao Lane Type: Ming Dynasty Merit Archway The father and son of the Bao family were captured by the rebel army, and they were asked to kill one of them and let them decide who would live and who would die. The son asked to die in his father's place, while the father asked to be put to death himself. The kindness of the ruler and the filial piety of the children moved heaven and earth, and even moved the robber. Emperor Qianlong called it "a place of unparalleled kindness and filial piety in the world, and the most beautiful township in the south of the Yangtze River." 3. Chastity Arch of Wang, wife of Bao Wenling Type: Chastity Archway of the Qing Dynasty Jiang, a native of Tangyue, became a widow at the age of 26. She then "maintained her chastity and raised an orphan" and trained her son Jicheng to become a famous doctor. Widows remain chaste and raise offspring. When Jiang was 80 years old, her clan members erected this memorial archway in her honor. 4. Charity House Type: Qing Dynasty Merit Archway Bao Shufang was a big salt merchant. When Hongze Lake burst its dike, he donated grain and silver, built an ancestral temple in his hometown, and did many other righteous deeds. The Huizhou government was moved by the righteous deeds of the father and son. 5. Chastity Archway for Bao Wenyuan's Second Wife, Wu Type: Chastity Archway of the Qing Dynasty Wu, a native of Jiading, lost her husband when she was 29. She remained chaste and treated her orphan son from her first marriage as her own, raising him wholeheartedly until he got married and started his own family. An exception was made to build a memorial archway for her, but on the top of the archway, the grass head of the character "节" in "节劲三冬" was misplaced with the "卩" below, to show the difference between the second wife and the original wife. 6. Bao Fengchang Filial Son Arch Type: Qing Dynasty Merit Archway Fengchang's father was away for many years during the chaos in the late Ming Dynasty and there was no news of him. The 14-year-old Feng Chang begged along the way and finally found his sick father and brought him back. The tribesmen praised him as "a man of sincerity and sincerity" and "more filial than his own parents." 7. Bao Xiangxian Shangshufang Type: Ming Dynasty Merit Archway Bao Xiangxian became a Jinshi in the eighth year of Jiajing. He was initially appointed as an imperial censor and later served as the right vice minister of the Ministry of War. He once traveled to the Yunnan border and helped stabilize the border. The local people built a shrine for him to express their gratitude. The archway group embodies the ethical virtues of "loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness". No nails or rivets are needed, and the stones are cleverly combined together to stand for thousands of years.

Tangyue Archway Complex, located on the East Avenue of Tangyue Village, Zhengcun Town, Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, is a representative work of ancient Huizhou architectural art from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The seven connected archways of Tangyue not only reflect the ethical morals of 'loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness' from the Confucian Cheng-Zhu school of thought, which are central to Huizhou culture, but also encompass the richly connotative humanistic history that prioritizes people, and they are also an important testament to the Huizhou merchants who dominated the business world for more than three hundred years. Each archway has its own touching story. When Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River, he highly praised the Bao family, the owners of the archways, calling them 'unparalleled in kindness and filial piety, the foremost in embroidered garments in the south of the Yangtze River'. The structural layout of the Tangyue Archway Complex adopts a strict central axis symmetry, giving a sense of solidity. It emphasizes the visual focal point with careful carving. Permanent farmland is preserved on both sides of the archway complex, with no structures around. From a distance, the seven archways seem to rise abruptly from the farmland, making them particularly prominent. Tangyue Archway Complex

📍Detailed Address: The Tangyue Archway Complex is located on Dongda Avenue in Tangyue Village, Zhengcun Town, Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. It is a village where the Bao family has settled. 🚗Transportation Strategy: ●Take the No. 2 or No. 4 bus in Shexian County and get off at the Tangyue Archway Complex, then walk to reach the destination. ●Depart from Huangshan City Bus Station and take the No. 2 tourist bus line to the Tangyue Archway Complex·Bao's Garden. Tour Route: 1. Visit Qingyi Hall, Dunben Hall, Bao Canxiao's Filial Piety Archway, Cixiao Li Archway, Bao Wenling's Wife's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway, Guanmao Pavilion, Bao Shufang and Son's Righteous Deeds Archway, Bao Wenyuan's Wife's Chastity and Filial Piety Archway, Bao Fengchang's Filial Son Archway, and Bao Xiangxian's Minister Archway in sequence; 2. Go to the ancient village and visit Cunai Hall, Qianjie Ming Residence, Imperial Edict Stele, Baoai Hall to the exit of the scenic area. 🕙Opening Hours: 07:30-17:30 💰Ticket Price: 100 yuan, including Bao's Garden. Half-price discount for students and the elderly with valid ID. 🌟Highlights: ●Architectural Style: The Tangyue Archway Complex consists of 7 archways arranged in sequence, with 3 from the Ming Dynasty and 4 from the Qing Dynasty, sketching an outline of the feudal society's ethical morals of 'loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness'. The architectural style is integrated, and although the time span is several hundred years, they appear to be created in one breath. ●Building Materials: The archway complex is almost entirely made of stone, mainly the high-quality 'Shexian Qing' stone. These bluestone archways are solid, tall and straight, magnificent, and grand. ●Cultural Connotation: The Tangyue Archway Complex reflects the ethical morals of 'loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness' in Huizhou culture and Zhu Xi's philosophy. It also includes a rich connotation of 'people-oriented' human history, and is also an important testament to the Huizhou merchants' dominance in the business world for more than three hundred years.

She County is known as the 'Hometown of Archways', with 73 existing archways (some say 80 or 100), made of stone, wood, and brick, with the majority being made of grey She County stone. 【Tangyue Archway Group】, 7 Ming and Qing archways are arranged in sequence, forming a semi-circular layout. The Qianlong Emperor once praised the Bao family, the owners of the archways, calling them 'a family unparalleled in kindness and filial piety, the foremost in embroidered garments in the south of the Yangtze'. 【Tangyue History】 Tangyue, formerly known as 'Tangyue', also called Tangchuan and Cixiao Li. The Bao family of Tangyue moved here from the Southern Song Dynasty and has a history of over 870 years. The Bao family is one of the major surnames among the fifteen surnames of Xin'an. The Bao family of Tangyue has produced generations of talented individuals and famous people, such as Yuan Dynasty top scholar Bao Tongren, Ming Dynasty Minister Bao Xiangxian, and Hanlin editor Bao Ying, among others; 【Tangyue Archway Group】 Almost all made of stone, mainly using the high-quality 'She County Green' stone. The group's structural layout adopts a strict central axis symmetry, giving a sense of stability. Moreover, there are no other buildings on either side of the archways, only farmland, making the archway group particularly prominent and spectacular. Qiong Yao's drama 'Smoke Locks the High Building' and the well-liked movie 'The Warlords' were filmed here. There are seven archways, three from the Ming Dynasty and four from the Qing Dynasty. The earliest archway was built in the 18th year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1420 AD) ⭐【Cixiao Li Fang】⭐ With a scroll-patterned ridge, 4 pillars and 3 bays, the archway is 8.57 meters wide, 2.53 meters deep, and 9.6 meters high, built to honor the late Song Dynasty scholar Bao Yuanyan and his son Bao Shouxun. The words 'Imperial Order' on the archway's dragon and phoenix board indicate that the emperor funded its construction from the national treasury. In the middle of the archways, there is a pavilion that looks very much like a ⭐official's hat - the Buceng Pavilion. The guide said that one needs to look up at the top inside the pavilion for good fortune and official luck. 📣Other attractions: Dunben Hall, Dunben Hall (Male Ancestral Hall), Qingyi Hall (Female Ancestral Hall), Bao Family Garden, Tangyue Ancient Village. 🚵🏻‍♂️Address: Zhengcun Town, She County, Anhui 💵Ticket price: 90 yuan. Free on Wednesdays in the first quarter of 202

📍Transportation: Huangshan is located in the southern part of Anhui Province. The main ways to get to Huangshan are by plane, high-speed rail, and long-distance bus. 💺Plane: Huangshan Tunxi International Airport, with flights to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen. 🚊High-speed rail: Direct high-speed trains to Huangshan are available from Hefei, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and other places. 🚌Long-distance bus: Direct buses to Huangshan are available from nearby cities such as Hefei, Nanjing, Hangzhou. 🏨Accommodation: There are hotels and homestays of various grades in Huangshan city and scenic area for selection. 🌈City: Economy class such as 7 Days, Home Inn; Mid-range such as Hanting, Jinjiang Star; High-end such as Shangri-La, Hilton. 🏔️Scenic area: There are many homestays in towns such as Beihai, Xihai, Tangkou, with affordable prices and beautiful environment. 🌟Itinerary: Classic two-day tour of Huangshan: 🌄Day 1: Arrive in Huangshan in the morning, check into a city hotel, rest and then go to Huangshan Scenic Area, visit Shixin Peak, Lion Peak, Cooling Terrace, etc., visit Xihai Grand Canyon, Baiyun Stream in the afternoon, return to the city at night. 🌆Day 2: Watch the sunrise near the Welcoming Pine in the morning, visit Bright Summit, Flying-over Rock, Welcoming Pine, etc., descend the mountain in the afternoon, visit Huizhou Ancient City, Tangyue Archway Group and other cultural landscapes, stay in a city hotel at night. 🍜Food Recommendations: Huangshan's special delicacies mainly include Huangshan baked cake, hairy tofu, stone ear vegetable, stinky mandarin fish, etc. 🥐Huangshan baked cake: Crispy and delicious, with rich fillings. 🦐Stinky mandarin fish: The meat is fresh and delicious, with a unique pickling process, and a unique taste. 🍲Hairy tofu: Tofu product, delicate texture, various cooking methods. 📒Travel Preparation: 🌞Sunscreen: Huangshan is at a high altitude, with strong ultraviolet rays, so sun protection is necessary. 👕Clothing: Carry suitable clothing according to the season, the temperature on the mountain is low, windproof clothing is needed. 🎒Backpack: Carry necessities such as water, snacks, camera, etc. 👟Comfortable shoes: The hiking distance in Huangshan is long, it is recommended to wear comfortable sports shoes. 💼Walking stick: Rent in the scenic area to lighten the load. Wish everyone a happy trip to Huangshan!🎉🎊

The impression still stays on the Qiong Yao TV drama I watched when I was a child, the story of Huizhou women and the seven archways. Today's Tangyue Archway Group has already become a neat and mature scenic spot. One by one, the ancient archways stand in a row at the entrance of the village, welcoming and sending off countless villagers, tourists, and film crews for hundreds of years.