10 | Wednesday, May 5, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY TRAVEL PATHWAYS TO PROGRESS Building a borderless regional appeal A Huizhou-style house native to ancient East China stands in Salem in the US city of Boston, Massachu- setts. The building, called Yinyutang, was transported there from Xiuning county in Huangshan city, Anhui province. Huangshan is the current name of the ancient Huizhou pre- fecture, which is known for the Huizhou culture created by mer- chants who ran businesses across China. Thanks to the efforts of Nancy Berliner, the former curator of Chinese art at the Peabody Essex Museum, Yin- yutang was shipped more than 11,200 ZHU LIXIN Reporter’s kilometers from its log original site to Sal- em in the late 1990s. Although this cost more than An aerial view of the Jingdezhen-Wuyuan-Huangshan (Changshan) Expressway. ZHUGE BAIMING / FOR CHINA DAILY $100 million, many visitors believe it’s invaluable. It testifies to the friendship By ZHU LIXIN in Huangshan, Anhui, deputy head of Huangshan’s cul- between the peoples of China and and WANG JIAN in Wuyuan, Jiangxi ture and tourism bureau. the US, and opened a window for About 104,000 people visited the people in the US to learn about The ancient Chinese character mountain in 1979. That number Chinese and, particularly, Huizhou qu, meaning roads reaching all could be exceeded in just two days culture. directions, has been retained not during the busy season before the Yinyutang’s hometown hosts only in contemporary language but A way COVID-19 outbreak. thousands of such structures — also in its meaning. Increasingly convenient trans- many of which are well-preserved It appears, for instance, in the portation has brought more travel- — that continue to offer testimony centuries-old name of Quzhou city ers to areas across Huangshan. to history and traditional crafts- in East China’s Zhejiang province, Xidi and Hongcun villages, manship. which neighbors Anhui, Jiangxi which are about 18 kilometers Yixian county’s Xidi and Hong- and Fujian provinces, because the and apart in Huangshan city’s Yixian cun villages are jointly listed as a city serves as a gateway to these county, are jointly listed as a UNES- UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site regions. CO Cultural Heritage Site and are and are known as “villages of Chi- But today few settlements big or colloquially referred to as “the nese paintings”. small aren’t connected by express- country’s most beautiful villages”, Organic white tea leaves are picked in a plantation area in In Shexian county’s Tangyue vil- ways, even in mountainous regions thanks to their natural landscapes Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, on March 22. ZHU DINGWEN / FOR CHINA DAILY lage, seven well-preserved arch- in places like Anhui, Jiangxi and a ‘Y’ and ancient buildings. ways bear writings extolling the Zhejiang. The plates of the cars and buses ancient Chinese virtues of “loyal­ Since its completion in 2006, the that pack their major parking areas ty, filial piety, moderation and roughly 150-kilometer Jingdezhen- — Xidi’s has about 1,200 parking righteousness”. Wuyuan-Huangshan (Changshan) spots and Hongcun’s has about The reason such exquisite struc- Expressway has served as a main 1,500 — reveal most vehicles are tures are found in the countryside route connecting Jiangxi’s Jing- to go from nearby provinces, such as rather than urban areas is a fluke of dezhen city and Wuyuan county, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. geography. Anhui’s Huangshan city and The villages are known for their Being born in mountainous areas Changshan county in Zhejiang’s A highway is histories and preserved residences in ancient agricultural society was Quzhou. built in the Ming (1368-1644) and considered a misfortune, since The Y-shaped expressway leads transforming Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. there was little land on which to from Jingdezhen in the west, which produce crops. is celebrated as China’s “porcelain transportation Delicate carvings Men had to travel far away to do capital”, and bifurcates in Wuyuan and, consequently, The houses are typical Huizhou- business. Some became wealthy toward Huangshan in the north- style architectural marvels featur- and wanted to invest in their home- east and toward Changshan in the tourism in East ing delicate carvings on wood, towns, building resplendent resi- southeast. brick and stone. Many were built Hongcun village in Huangshan, Anhui province, on March 18. dences, temples and schools. This “The expressway was the first of China by ancient Huizhou merchants. HAN XU / XINHUA led to a reputation for ornate carv- its kind in Wuyuan and has put the Huizhou prefecture was the old ing craftsmanship in the area. county on the fast track for develop- name of Huangshan city, which Locals have revered knowledge ment,” said Shan Changhua, an governs Yixian. Jingdezhen-Wuyuan-Huangshan Expressway for millennia, hence the local say- information official of Wuyuan’s Heritage-protection authorities ing: “Even in a village of 10 house- ANHUI Party committee. said the city now has more than holds, education won’t be The county received over 23 mil- 8,000 ancient Huizhou-style houses. neglected.” lion tourist visits in 2019, generat- “It’s because Huangshan is a Huangshan In July 1979, then leader Deng ing 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) in The expressway mountainous region that was sel- Xiaoping, the chief architect of Chi- revenue, the local government has also played an dom disturbed by wars that its na’s reform and opening-up, visited reports. ancient houses could be much bet- ZHEJIANG Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, In 2008, Anhui extended the important role in ter preserved than other areas of Jingdezhen when it received few visitors and expressway by about 50 kilome- keeping Huizhou’s the country,” said Hu Weimin, mar- infrastructure was virtually nonex- ters inside Huangshan city, which keting manager of Yixian Hui- Wuyuan istent. is famous for Huangshan Moun- culture intact by huang Tourism Group, which runs JIANGXI Deng encouraged local officials to Changshan (Quzhou) tain, or Yellow Mountain, which is enhancing 13 of the county’s 17 major tourism develop tourism to improve locals’ listed as a UNESCO Cultural and exchanges attractions. TOTAL LENGTH: 151km lives, “making the brand of Huang- Natural Heritage and a Global This is reflected by the fact that CHINA DAILY shan famous”, as Deng said. Geopark. between Huizhou’s the city’s forest coverage exceeds 80 Subsequently, a mountaintop Local officials said the city’s tour- former percent. The scenery also attracts thou- province in 1949, shortly before the pine with branches that seem to ism sector started booming in the The buildings’ elaborate interior sands of art students, Hu said. founding of New China. wave and form a shape like the 1980s, after the country’s then lead- jurisdictions.” carvings contrast with the simple And these landscapes are similar “The expressway has also played character ying, meaning to wel- er Deng Xiaoping, who initiated the and clean white exterior walls and to those found in Jiangxi’s Wuyuan an important role in keeping Hui- come, has become an icon known Hu Weimin, marketing reform and opening-up in 1978, manager of Yixian gray roof tiles. county. zhou’s culture intact by enhancing as “the pine greeting guests”. visited Huangshan Mountain in Huihuang Tourism Group “In early April, when the ancient In ancient times, Huizhou pre- exchanges between Huizhou’s And today, the tree, like the July 1979. villages are surrounded by yellow fecture governed one urban area former jurisdictions,” Hu said. mountain and region, hails guests “The visit was considered the canola flowers, the scenery is very and six rural counties, including from every corner of the country beginning of China’s modern tour- much like a watercolor painting,” Yixian and Wuyuan. Contact the writers at and the world — including those ism development,” said Fang Ying, said Hu. Wuyuan became a part of Jiangxi [email protected]. from places as far away as Salem. An ancient village at the crossroads of time and space generates new vitality By WANG JIAN in Wuyuan, Jiangxi, ers earned around 3,500 yuan spill down the mountains that soar Day holiday in 2014, and photos of and ZHU LIXIN in Huangshan, Anhui ($540) a year on average. to nearly 100 meters at their peaks. the event went viral online. In 2012, Cao Jiaxiang quit his job The village is rated as a national Many photographers have since Huangling village only won nation- in Hangzhou, capital of East China’s 4A scenic spot — the second highest flocked to the area. al acclaim following the opening of Zhejiang province, and returned to level. It draws visitors from around “There are a lot of great shots Wuyuan county’s first expressway, Huangling. the country and world throughout year-round,” Cao said. “People often the Jingdezhen-Wuyuan-Huangshan “In Hangzhou, I was able to earn the year, who come to savor its pic- ask me for advice as to the best pla- (Changshan) Expressway, in 2006. at least a decent life,” the 46-year-old turesque landscapes. ces to shoot.” Three years later, villagers and recalled. In autumn, farmers fill bamboo The influx of visitors has led many local officials began developing “But back in my hometown, I trays with red chilies, chrysanthe- villagers to open restaurants and tourism in the settlement in Jiangxi know I can make greater contribu- mums and corn for air drying and guesthouses in their homes. province’s Wuyuan county. tions to my fellow villagers.” winter storage, conjuring yet anoth- And tourism development also The roadway’s efficacy in luring He began growing canola after his er magical scene on the slopes. means per capita incomes now aver- visitors has also been boosted by its homecoming.