Taiji Lake Village, also known as Hucun, is located about 17 kilometers northeast of Jixi County. Hu Yunlong, the privy councillor of Longchuan in the Southern Song Dynasty, was buried here. The descendants of the Hu family guarded the tomb and formed a village. Later, the Zhang family surpassed the Hu family and became the dominant surname in the village. The Yuanxi River flows through the village in an inverted ‘S’ shape. The west side of the river is the village, and the east side is farmland. The entire village looks like a Tai Chi diagram. In April, you can enjoy the blooming rape flowers on the farmland. Compared with other ancient Huizhou villages, Taiji Lake Village is not large, but it wins with many brick-carved gatehouses. Although Taiji Lake Village belongs to Xuancheng City, it is far from Xuancheng, about 140 kilometers away. It is close to Huangshan City, about 70 kilometers away. Therefore, it is more convenient to start from Huangshan City. The main entrance of the village is in the south. Before entering the entrance, you can see the two water gates of ‘Lions and Elephants Guarding the Gate’ and ‘The Sun and Moon Guarding the Pass’ in sequence. At the place of ‘Lions and Elephants Guarding the Gate’, the left and right mountains sandwich the flowing water in the middle, and the scenery is very beautiful. After entering the village, the first important scenic spot to visit is the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall, which was built in the Ming Dynasty. On the screen wall in front of the hall is painted a ‘greedy beast’ that looks like a unicorn. The wood carvings in the ancestral hall are exquisite. You can also see the props related to the swing palanquin during the local grand event parade, such as the schematic model of a young child suspended in the air on a square palanquin, the three-barreled gun used as a salute, the Guanyin platform of the Ming Dynasty and the Panlong incense pavilion. Among them, the Panlong incense pavilion is very attractive. The six Panlong on the pavilion are vivid and can be disassembled. Leaving the ancestral hall, you come to the Yinquan Street, a water street in the Ming Dynasty. The stream flows along the street, and the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties with white walls and black tiles are built along the street. Continuing forward, you can see a small alley. In the alley, there are seven brick-carved gatehouses concentrated. The hollowed-out carvings on the thin layer of bricks have a strong three-dimensional sense. The fine parts seem to break when pinched. It is extremely beautiful. Walking towards the end of the village, there is a well under the Longyin Pavilion. The house next to the pavilion is more than 800 years old. It was the place where the Hu family tomb guardians lived at that time. Behind the pavilion is the imperial tomb of the Hu family in Longchuan in the Song Dynasty. There is a thousand-year-old bitter chestnut tree growing on the imperial tomb. Seven or eight people can hardly encircle it. Standing under the tree and looking at the Qigu Mountain in the south, it looks like a sleeping Buddha. The Yaowang Temple is not far from the tomb. Rather than being a temple, it has more characteristics of Huizhou folk houses. There are few places to eat and stay in Taiji Lake Village. Since it can be visited quickly, there is no need for accommodation. Generally, tourists will visit the Longchuan Scenic Area (11 kilometers away from Jixi County), the Shangshu Mansion of Hu Zongxian (200 meters away from Longchuan), and Taiji Lake Village (6 kilometers away from Longchuan) together. There are convenient places to eat and stay in Longchuan. You can play in Taiji Lake Village first and stay in Longchuan, or simply return to Jixi County for accommodation. The opening hours are from October 8th to April 30th, open from 08:00 to 17:00; from May 1st to October 7th, open from 07:30 to 17:30. Preferential policies: Children: height 1.
Taiji Lake Village offers discounted admission for children between 2m (excluding) and 1.4m (including). Please note that the information provided is for reference only; specific details should be verified with the day’s disclosures at the attraction.
Essential Tips: 1. At the main entrance on the south side of Taiji Lake Village, a guide can be hired for a fee of 30 yuan per explanation session. 2. To fully appreciate the Tai Chi diagram layout of Taiji Lake Village, one must view it from a high vantage point. The hill behind the ticket office on the south side of the village offers such a vantage point. However, due to the difficulty in navigating the mountain paths surrounding the village, it is not highly recommended to attempt climbing. Alternatively, by opening Google Maps on a computer, searching for Taiji Lake Village, and selecting ‘Satellite Image’, one can also view the Tai Chi diagram layout.
