Walking Through Xidi 西递 Ancient Town
Xidi isn’t really a very big town, in fact you could probably walk through the entire town in thirty minutes. However, there is much more to the town than just walking through it. The town has hundreds of narrow alleys which lead to different places each time. It was like walking through an old Chinese movie. This was a world where there is no internet and the nearest big city is still an hour away by bus. Xidi is a real working community and it seems the locals do not really mind the extra people.
Entrance to a Guest House in Xidi 西递
It is really amazing to see how homogenous the village looks. Although the houses aren’t really exactly the same they are similar enough to confuse visitors when navigating the alleys. For me, it is a joy to be wandering around here and just getting lost. One turn can bring you to a house where an old lady is drying chili. Another turn can bring you to a school. While another turn takes you outside into the fields. You don’t see a lot of places like that anymore. Xidi is just like a village frozen in time.
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