Ancient towns often refer to those ancient buildings that carry the vicissitudes of a hundred years and are used by people to gather. China, a land with a long history, has given birth to countless ancient towns with rich cultural heritage, some of which have been praised as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
[First place: Danba Tibetan Village]
Danba County is located in the east of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan, adjacent to Daofu, Kangding County and Xiaojin and Jinchuan Counties of Aba Prefecture. Its vast land area of 5,649 square kilometers includes one town and 14 townships, and is inhabited by 15 ethnic groups, mainly Tibetans, with a total of more than 57,000 people. It is the confluence of Bayankala Mountains and Qionglai Mountains, and it is also the source or flow place of the Geshizha River, the Yak River, and the Great and Small Jinchuan River, so it has the reputation of "the city on the top of the rock" and "the first town on the bank of the Dadu River". The area is dotted with mountains, lakes and forests. Tibetans summarize the scenery here as: "The top of the mountain is covered with snow, the mountainside is verdant, and the lake at the foot of the mountain is sparkling." Here, it is like a secret place hidden in the Hengduan Mountains, the scenery is magnificent and charming, the valley is mysterious and attractive, the dwellings are picturesque, the ancient stone watchtowers are unique, the style is colorful, showing the magic and beauty of Danba.
[Second place: Huangyao Ancient Town]
Huangyao, located in Zhaoping County, Guangxi, 200 kilometers away from Guilin, is an ancient town of the Ming and Qing dynasties with more than 900 years of history and culture. It is located in the lower reaches of the Li River and is known as the "hometown of poetry and painting". This ancient town covers an area of about 1 square kilometer and belongs to the typical karst landform. Huangyao, a poetic place, every scenery does not need to be deliberately searched, just walk along the stone road, and perhaps inadvertently, you can find surprising scenery. The ancient town of Huangyao originated in the Song Dynasty, when General Yang Wenguang led his troops to quell the Zhaoping Rebellion, passing through here, he learned that the local Huang and Yao surnames were the majority, so he named the town "Huang Yao", which has been used for more than 1,000 years.
[Third place: Wuyuan Ancient Town]
Wuyuan, since ancient times, the style of writing has been prosperous, and there are many talents. This is the hometown of Hongru Zhu Xi, the hometown of railway engineer Zhan Tianyou, and the ancestral hometown of the famous scholar Jin Yong. From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, there were a total of 552 scholars here, and there were as many as 2,665 eunuchs in the past dynasties, with more than 3,100 books, of which 172 were selected into the "Four Libraries of the Whole Book". The Wuyuan Museum has a rich collection and is known as "China's first county-level museum"; during this period, the folk culture and art such as the Nu dance, the tea ceremony, and the pavilion are even more gorgeous and colorful; the relics of celebrities of the past dynasties and the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties are all over the countryside. In addition, Wuyuan has a beautiful natural ecology and abundant products, with a forest coverage rate of up to 82%. Purse red fish, green tea, dragon tail inkstone, Jiangwan Sydney pear and other specialties are well-known. Even more remarkable, it is also home to the world's endangered yellow-throated thrush, as well as the world's largest wintering ground for wild mandarin ducks, Mandarin Duck Lake. Every winter, more than 2,000 pairs of mandarin ducks come here for wintering. And the highest waterfall in China, the Great Mountain Waterfall, is even more magnificent and extraordinary.
[Fourth place: Wuzhen]
Wuzhen, one of the six ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, has four old streets in the east, west, south and north that are crossed by the figure of "ten", forming a unique double-checkerboard river street parallel and adjacent to the ancient town pattern of water and land. The houses here are built along the river, and a large number of buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties are retained on both sides of the street, supplemented by stone bridges over the river, showing the style of the ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River with small bridges, flowing water and ancient houses. The Lizhi Academy in the east of the town was once the place where Mao Dun studied when he was a teenager, and has now become the Mao Dun Memorial Hall and has been listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. Xizha Old Street is one of the best-preserved Ming and Qing dynasty buildings in China. In addition, Wuzhen also has many scenic spots such as Xiuzhen Guantai, Shuangqiao Style, Liangyuan Scenic Spots, and Tang Dynasty Ginkgo. The local customs are rich and diverse, including Chinese New Year greetings, Lantern Festival bridge walking, Qingming Festival outing, etc.
[Fifth place: Zhou Zhuang]
Zhouzhuang, the vicissitudes of history for thousands of years and the rich Wudi culture have jointly nurtured this water town. It has become a treasure of oriental culture with its beautiful water town style, unique cultural landscape and simple folk customs. As the cradle of Wudi culture and the model of Jiangnan water town, Zhouzhuang has been committed to the excavation, promotion and inheritance of excellent traditional culture in recent years, actively developing cultural tourism, and making every effort to build "Folk Zhouzhuang, Life Zhouzhuang, and Cultural Zhouzhuang", which has become a window to show Chinese culture to the world, and is deeply loved by Chinese and foreign tourists, attracting millions of tourists to come for sightseeing, leisure and vacation every year.
[Sixth place: Tongli Town]
Tongli Town, located on the bank of Taihu Lake and east of the ancient canal, has a history of thousands of years and is a veritable ancient water town. It is 18 kilometers away from Suzhou City and 80 kilometers away from Shanghai, and is one of the six famous water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. The town of Tongli is surrounded by five lakes and divided into seven islands by a reticulated river. As the earliest and only ancient town in Jiangsu Province to list the whole town as a cultural relics protection unit, Tongli was listed as the first batch of historical and cultural towns in Jiangsu Province in 1995, and in 1998, it was included in the World Cultural Heritage Tentative List together with the Retreat Garden.
[Seventh place: Xitang Ancient Town]
Xitang Ancient Town is located in Jiashan County, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, 11 kilometers away from Jiashan County. This ancient town with a thousand-year-old history and culture was the junction of Wu and Yue as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, so it is known as "Wugen Yuejiao" and "Yuejiao People". During the Yuan Dynasty, a market was initially formed here. The difference between Xitang and other ancient water towns is that its riverside streets are built with corridors, with a total length of nearly 1,000 meters, like the promenade of the Summer Palace. Playing in Xitang, whether it is rainy or sunny, you can be well protected, and will not be wet by rain or sun.
[Eighth place: Chikan Ancient Town]
Chikan Ancient Town, a bright pearl embedded in the middle of Kaiping City, Jiangmen City, is only 12 kilometers away from the central city of Kaiping. This ancient town with a history of more than 350 years has attracted the attention of countless tourists with its strong Lingnan characteristics and profound cultural heritage. The ancient town is built along the Tanjiang River, with quiet villages on the south bank and bustling towns on the north bank.
Walking through the old streets of Chikan Ancient Town, it is like traveling back to the 80s of the last century. On both sides of the street, all the arcade buildings come into view, which not only provide a place for pedestrians to shelter from the sun and rain, but also vividly reflect the style of the ancient town. The huge group of western-style buildings has witnessed the glory and prosperity of the ancient town, and the combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles makes people linger.
The ancient town of Chikan is also a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, with a large number of overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots. In the territory of the ancient town, a large number of well-preserved overseas Chinese buildings have become a unique landscape. These buildings not only show the deep affection of overseas Chinese for their hometown, but also reflect the perfect integration of Chinese and Western cultures.
In addition, the watchtowers in the ancient town, the Guan and Situ libraries, and the arcade buildings on Dixi Road are even more breathtaking. These cultural relics and historic sites have been designated as cultural relics protection units by the provincial government, and they are not only the pride of Chikan Ancient Town, but also the treasures of Chinese culture.
[Ninth place: Changting County]
Changting County, located in the western border of Longyan City, Fujian Province, is located at the junction of Fujian and Jiangxi, and is a remote mountainous area of Fujian. Surrounded by mountains here, the peaks and peaks are stacked, and the majestic posture of the southern section of the Wuyi Mountains is vividly displayed here. As a famous old revolutionary area and a famous historical and cultural city, Changting County carries a rich historical heritage and red memory.
On this land, there are nearly 500,000 registered residents, of which a certain proportion are non-agricultural. The people here speak the unique Hokkien dialect – Changting dialect, which carries their history and culture and is a symbol of their identity.
Changting County has a number of townships under its jurisdiction, each with its own unique scenery and culture. Whether it is the idyllic scenery of Haotian Town or the bustling market of Tingzhou Town, it makes people forget to return. The natural landscapes and cultural landscapes in the county are countless, and each one is worth savoring for tourists.
[10th place: Ancient villages on the shore of Kanas Lake]
3 kilometers on the southern shore of the beautiful Kanas Lake, there is a quaint and mysterious village - Tuva Village. This village is located in the Kanas River valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers, and is the only way to Kanas Lake.
Tuva Village is a village with a deep historical and cultural heritage. The inhabitants are mainly Tuvans, who have lived for generations in tower-shaped wooden houses made of pine wood, a unique structure known as "wooden flute houses". These wooden houses are made of logs, with ceilings and floors, and sloping roofs to adapt to the rainy and snowy environment of the mountainous area.
The production and lifestyle of the Tuvan people is full of primitive and natural charm. They mainly live on animal husbandry, but also supplement their activities such as hunting, fishing, and gathering. In the spring season, they drive their cattle and sheep to the summer pastures deep in the mountains to graze, and in the late autumn, they drive their cattle down the mountains and live in wooden huts for the long winter. This way of life, which is in harmony with nature, makes one admire the wisdom and courage of the Tuvan people.
In the village of Tuva, visitors can experience this primitive and simple way of life first-hand, feel the gifts of nature and the hospitality of the Tuvan people. At the same time, the beautiful scenery here is also unforgettable, whether it is the natural scenery of the lake and mountains, or the simple and elegant wooden house architecture, it is intoxicating.