From above, Hongcun is said to look like an ox, and the people who built it in the Southern Song and later planned it that way on purpose. A stream, channelled through the village, makes the ox's intestines, two small bridges are the legs, a moon-shaped pond at the centre is its stomach and the hills around are its body, and a pair of ancient trees at the entrance are the horns. It is an engineer's dream as well as a feng shui chart, because the water channels run through the lanes to every house, bringing fresh water for washing and putting out fires, and the Moon Pond is a reflecting pool that mirrors the white walls and curved gables.
The families of Hongcun, mostly named Wang, were merchants who traded salt and tea, and their wealth shows in the mansions of the Ming and Qing periods, with fine carved wood, stone and brick. The Chengzhi Hall, a merchant house with painted beams and a rich interior, is one of the best. With Xidi, the village is listed by UNESCO as part of the Ancient Villages of Southern Anhui. The village also appeared in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which brought attention and tourists.
What to expect on arrival is a ticket gate, a car park, and then a wall of photographers at dawn, because the reflections in the pond at first light are the classic shot. Painting students sit at easels around the water, and in autumn the light is soft and the hills fade into blue. The morning mist is common from spring to autumn, and rain is frequent, so the stone paths are slick.
No town is listed nearby in the data, but the area is in Yi county, and the larger centres are the town of Yixian and the city of Huangshan. As with the rest of China, foreign visitors who want to ride must deal with Chinese licensing and registration rules, which in practice limits most of them to hired transport. Plan fuel and meals in Huangshan, bring cash for small stalls, and try the local bamboo-shoot dishes and the hairy tofu, which has a fuzz of white mould and is cooked with a bit of oil and spices. Visit early or late to avoid the groups from tour buses, and remember that it is a living village, so be careful with doors and private courtyards.