This City Has Its Charms: Shexian, Anhui—A Place of Enchantment Where Many Choose to Settle in the Village

Shexian County, located in China’s Anhui Province, is a historic region renowned as a cradle of Huizhou culture. It was a major commercial center for influential merchant groups during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which funded the construction of its distinctive white-walled, black-tiled Hui-style architecture. The county is celebrated for its well-preserved ancient villages, ancestral temples, and ornate memorial archways.

Huizhou culture is a regional Chinese culture originating from the Huizhou region in southern Anhui Province, renowned for its distinct merchant class, architecture, and Xin’an school of Neo-Confucianism. It flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties (14th to early 20th centuries), when Huizhou merchants became one of the most powerful merchant groups in China. Their wealth funded the creation of unique white-walled, black-tiled Hui-style architecture and a rich tradition of wood carving, ink making, and ancestral rituals that are preserved in villages like Hongcun and Xidi.

Horse-head walls are a distinctive architectural feature found in traditional Chinese villages, particularly in Huizhou-style buildings. Historically, these upward-curving gable walls served the practical purpose of fire prevention by helping to contain fires within a single household. They also carried symbolic meaning, with their resemblance to a horse’s head representing aspirations for success and prosperity.

Bluestone paths are walkways or roads paved with bluestone, a durable sandstone or basalt quarried in regions like New York’s Hudson Valley and parts of Australia. They became popular in the 19th century for their resilience and natural, rustic appearance, and are a common feature in historic areas of cities like Melbourne and New York. Today, they are valued for their aesthetic charm and are often preserved in heritage landscapes.

Ink wash painting is a revered East Asian artistic tradition, particularly developed in China, where it emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and flourished in the subsequent Song Dynasty. It is characterized by the use of black ink, much like calligraphy, to create a range of concentrations from deep black to light gray, emphasizing subtlety, tonal variation, and expressive brushwork. The style often depicts landscapes, flora, and fauna, deeply influenced by Daoist and Chan (Zen) Buddhist philosophies that value harmony with nature and spontaneous expression.

Huizhou aesthetics refers to the traditional architectural and artistic style originating from the Huizhou region in southern Anhui Province, China, which flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is characterized by elegant white-walled buildings with black tile roofs, intricate wood carvings, and stone decorations that reflect the prosperity of local merchant families. This distinctive style is best preserved in ancient villages like Hongcun and Xidi, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.