Nanping is located approximately 4 kilometers southwest of Yixian, and is a typical Hui-style ancient village, earning the reputation of ‘China’s Film and Television Village’. There are not many tourists here, and one can often see art students sketching the scenery. Visit the numerous ancestral halls that are highlights of the area, or get lost in the 72 alleyways at will without worrying about crowds, making for a very comfortable experience.
Nanping was originally built during the Yuan and Ming dynasties and is home to families with the surnames Ye, Cheng, and Li. Several films and TV dramas, including ‘Ju Dou’, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, and Hunan TV’s ‘Grade One’, have been filmed in the village. The local villagers are quite friendly, and if you need directions, you can ask them. Nanping is bordered by a river to the north and mountains to the south, with the main entrance located at the northeast corner, requiring passage over the Wansong Bridge to enter the village. Some old houses’ keys are in the hands of tour guides, so visitors need to follow the guides to visit. You can first get a general understanding with the guide and then take your time to explore on your own. Following the film and television trails through the ancient village is a good route. The Ye Family Ancestral Hall (Xuzhi Hall) in the center of the village is an important attraction, originally built during the Chenghua period of the Ming dynasty, with 80% of the scenes from Zhang Yimou’s ‘Ju Dou’ filmed here, still maintaining the original appearance from the time of filming. The sign of ‘Old Yang’s Dye House’ from the movie hangs on the gate, with several colorful dye cloths hanging from high up to the ground inside the hall, and the walls around are adorned with stills from ‘Ju Dou’. The ‘Ju Dou’ pharmacy to the south of the Ye Family Ancestral Hall is also a filming location for ‘Ju Dou’. Not far from the Ye Family Ancestral Hall, the Ye Family Branch Ancestral Hall (Kui Guang Hall) is where Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh had a duel in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. Among the 36 wells in the village, the representative Sanyuan Well, which has three well openings, and the small western-style building (Xiaosi Building) combining Western style are quite distinctive attractions. After passing through the Wansong Forest from the main entrance and heading south, you will soon see these two attractions. You can also visit attractions such as the Cheng Family Ancestral Hall, known for its exquisite stone carvings, and the Li Family Branch Ancestral Hall, which is dedicated to the late Qing merchant Li Zongmei. For photography enthusiasts, good spots include the village entrance with vast farmlands, capturing the fields, Hui-style villages, and distant green mountains in the frame, especially impressive in April when the rapeseed flowers bloom. The second spot is the Wansong Forest, with its large ancient trees reaching for the sky, offering good photographic effects in the morning with the morning mist in the forest creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Thirdly, some residential buildings in the village have roofs and balconies set up as viewing platforms, allowing for an aerial view of the village, but there is a fee, and you can negotiate with the locals. Accommodation and dining in Nanping are quite convenient, with many agritourism homes converted from ancient buildings, exuding an antique charm, such as the aforementioned small western-style building, the Bingling Pavilion, which was originally the residence of a fifth-rank official, and the Baoyishu House, a private school of the Li family.If you want to visit their interiors, you need to communicate with the person in charge or directly check in. Guanyu, 3 kilometers west of Nanping, is also an ancient Huizhou-style village and can be visited together.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 17:00.
Preferential policies:
Minors: Minors between 6 years old (excluding) and 18 years old (including) can enjoy half price with valid certificates.
