Huanglongxi 黄龙溪 Heritage Town, Sichuan

Huanglongxi Heritage Town (20 October, 2005)


Huanglongxi 黄龙溪 is a 1730-year-old town about 50 km from Chengdu, in Sichuan province. It has been lovingly restored to retain its rustic charm, albeit with touches of modernity. Visitors can explore Huanglongxi's ancient cobbled streets and admire its temples, wharves and houses along its curving alleys. Many of these old houses are now turned into shops selling Huanglongxi souvenirs.

The buildings in Huanglongxi are in the Qing Dynasty style. Their roof, with pointed eaves, spot tiles are often encrusted with aged moss, giveing them an aged look that is hard to duplicate. No wonder many film makers choose to shoot exterior scenes of period movies in Huanglongxi. Among the well-known templs in Huanglongxi are Zhenjiang Temple, Chaoyin Temple and Gulong Temple. On the ninth day of the sixth and ninth lunar month, the temple fairs in Huanglongxi recreate the lively scenes of the olden days.

When I visited Huanglongxi, I find that the town continues with its way of life seemingly oblivious to the visitors. Or perhaps, they are used to prying eyes by now. Still, I see many shops are open specially to cater to tourists. Prices are reasonable ... if you bargain. The town is named after the Huanglong River which makes a gentle curve in the middle of town. Here, you can take a pleasure boat or dine at one of the riverview restaurants. It is every bit as romantic as Venice or Paris.

My girlfriend and I, together with participants from AsiaExplorers, wandered the alleyway. I especially like the curving alleys, because you never know what gems are hidden behind the curves. They invite you to explore more and more. Around one corner and you come to an ancient temple. You go through the doorway, and suddenly you're in the temple courtyard. It's like stumbling into a page in history.

Huanglongxi is a truly charming place which I would encourage you to visit if you ever have the opportunity of going to Sichuan Province, China.

Plaque on a shop at Huanglongxi Heritage Town (20 October, 2005)


The ancient buildings in Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


People playing mahjong at the sidewalk, at the entrance to Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


I am not sure what this is, but I saw many sidewalk stalls selling it in Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


Elderly lady plucking soyabean at a restaurant at Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


Shophouses along the curving alley of Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


A t-junction with traditional houses on all sides (20 October, 2005)


There is much street life on some stretches of Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


Buddhist temple in Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


Another temple in Huanglongxi Heritage Town (20 October, 2005)


A restaurant by the riverside at Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)


A quiet passageway at Huanglongxi (20 October, 2005)

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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