Sometimes is hard to tell exactly from where are the views shown in the postcards. In the case of these two I have no doubt that they are from the ancient villages in Southern Anhui, but not sure if they are from Xidi or from Hongcun. The sender of the first postcard says it is Xidi and the sender of second says it is Hongcun. However, after googling some images, I think they are both from Hongcun.
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| Ancient Village in Southern Anhui |
Xidi (Chinese: 西递) is a village in Yi County of the historical Huizhou region of Anhui province, China.
First built during the Huangyou era (1049–1053) of Song Dynasty Emperor Renzong, the village was originally called Xichuan (West River), owing to the various water courses flowing through it.
The rise of the village was closely tied to the fortunes of the Hu family. By 1465 CE, during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), family members had started in business as merchants, leading to construction of major private buildings and a public infrastructure. By the middle of the 17th century, the influence wielded by members of the Hu family expanded from commerce into politics. The prosperity of Xidi peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, at which time the village comprised about 600 residences.
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| Ancient Village in Southern Anhui |
Hongcun (Chinese: 宏村; pinyin: Hóngcūn, lit. "Hong village") is a village in Yi County in the historical Huizhou region of southern Anhui Province, China, near the southwest slope of Mount Huangshan.
The village is arranged in the shape of an ox with the nearby hill (Leigang Hill) interpreted as the head, and two trees standing on it as the horns. Four bridges across the Jiyin stream can be seen as the legs whilst the houses of the village form the body. Inside the “body”, the Jiyin stream represents the intestines and various lakes such as the “South Lake” (Nanhu) form the other internal organs.
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