Xidi
Xidi (西递; Xīdì) is a village in Anhui Province in China. Together with Hongcun it's incribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui".
Get in
Tourist buses from the bus terminal next to Huangshan North railway station stop at Xidi en route to Hongcun. In Xidi, the tourist information centre near the ticket office sells bus tickets and guides you to the bus stop when the bus is coming.
From Huangshan station, there are minibuses to Hongcun, but for Xidi it may be necessary to transfer. Ask the drivers.
By bus or taxi from Tunxi (taxi ¥150-180)
Get around
See
Nice old and charming city without cars and narrow streets. During the daytime many Chinese tourists groups are walking around but it is less than in Hongcun. Besides tourist you will see many art students painting pictures everywhere. During night is much more silent.
Admission to the village is ¥105, then attractions inside are free. There are many entrances to the village, nearly all of which have someone to check your ticket, but tickets are only sold at the west entrance.
Do
Buy
Eat
Try the small restaurants. Often you can walk into the kitchen and choose the ingredients of your dish. Tip: ask for the price when you order to avoid surprises after ordering the bill.
Drink
- Rice Wine Brewery. Close to the entrance of the city (just 50 meters after entering the small streets) there is a rice wine brewery. There you can try different kinds of wine for free plus having a glass at the bar.
Sleep
- Xidi Travel Lodge. Check-out: noon. Nice clean hotel directly at the entrance of the city. The breakfast is served in an old building. If you prefer western breakfast you can ask at the reception for it (surcharge ¥20 per person). ca. ¥500.
Connect
Go next
Huangshan is one of China's most spectacular mountains.
The valley between Hongcun and Tachuan is colourful around late October and early November.
The area also has other small old villages that are quite pleasant, but far less crowded (and harder to get to) than Hongcun or Xidi.
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