Ancient Towns and Cities and Today

Huangshan is really a summer resort, in other words, it might be more appropriate to come here in summer than in March. This time, the frigid air really chilled me to the bone. Although the snow was not heavy, I still had to tie the soles of my ice-breaking shoes. But I couldn't stay there for too long, otherwise the soles would easily stick to the ice and be difficult to pull out. However, the tour guide said that the advantage of coming at this time is that there are relatively fewer people. The purpose of this long journey is to see the ancient charm, learn about the lives of the ancients, and experience what life was like for the wealthy and powerful families in the past. It is said that Anhui was the era of Huizhou merchants during the Ming and Qing dynasties. When Anhui people reached the age of 13 or 14, their parents would let their children take three ropes with them to go out and experience the world. One rope was used to tie the luggage, one was used to tie the stomach so that they would not get hungry easily, and the other one was used to find another way out when they really couldn't make ends meet. It is also because of this spirit of cutting off the retreat that the Huizhou merchants later developed very well. They would return to their hometowns to build big houses and pave roads. When they had money, they no longer built mud buildings, but used bricks or stones, so they were preserved very well.
Walking route: Nanping, Lu Village, Bishan, Yixian Ancient Town

Post by 林晏語 | Mar 31, 2025