Longchuan Scenic Area

Longchuan is an ancient village where the Hu Family has been living for about a thousand years. Hu Jintao, the former Chinese president, was born and grew up here. Embraced by towering mountains and lying in a small basin, it is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Jixi County in Xuancheng City of Anhui Province, and 47 miles (75 kilometers) from Huangshan City, where the famous Yellow Mountain is located. Longchuan Scenic Area with its beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural relics gets good reputation in the world. It consists of seven main attractions.

Longchuan Scenic Area

Water Street

 It has a long history and is preserved well. Along it, you will find a lot of cultural relics and historical buildings that are endowed with profound local features and cultural values. The length of the Water Street is 550 yards (500 meters). The river banks are made of bluestone and granite and are good places for local people to wash clothes. In addition, the Water Street never lacks water, and visitors can enjoy the poetic scenery all year round.
 It is the best stone-carving memorial arch in Anhui Province. Built in 1562, Yishi Memorial Arch is 33 feet (10 meters) high and 9.8 yard (9 meters) wide. Its whole body is made of granite and tea garden stone. There are two famous plaques where the Chinese characters are engraved, respectively "Yi Shi Shang Shu" and "Yi Shi Gong Bao". "Yi Shi" means successive generation; "Shang Shu" and "Gong Bao" are two official positions of the ancient times. Yishi Memorial Arch celebrates two great people, Hu Fu and Hu Zongxian, who made great contributions to the Hu Family.

Yishi Memorial Arch

Hu Family Ancestral Hall

Originally built in 1547 and renovated in 1878, Hu Family Ancestral Hall faces the south and occupies 2,068 square yards (1,729 square meters). It is surrounded by lofty mountains and clear water. Its inner decoration is very exquisite, and diverse woodcarvings are well preserved, so people call it "Anhui Woodcarvings Art House".
 Hu Zongxian was famous for defeating Japan pirates in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He was then appointed "Shaobao" which is a high official position. As a Sino-Japanese memorial hall, Shaobao Hall vividly shows Hu Zongxian's life story by using modern technologies, leaving deep impressions on every tourist's mind. It can be divided into four exhibition halls. The first hall shows the life of Hu Zongxian; the second one tells how Hu Zongxian accepts the difficult task of defeating Japanese pirates; the third one exhibits his great achievements in southeastern China, being full of wisdom and courage; the fourth one shows that he got unfairly treated in his later life.

Hu Zongxian Shaobao Hall

Rice Paper Workshop

In the Longchuan Scenic Area, there is a kind of grass called Longxu grass that grows in Longxu Mountain. The grass is the best raw material for Rice Paper and has good reputation at home and abroad. Rice Paper Workshop shows the working process to visitors. The name of Rice Paper Workshop is "Chengxin Hall", meaning that people should purify their inner heart. People who came to Chengxin Hall are basically liberators in the ancient time. In order to make great achievement in literature, they should clean up their inner world. It is the origin of the name.
 Notable Ancestral Temple enshrines and worships some noble Hu family members in order to remember them, spread good traditions and strengthen patriotic feelings. In the Notable Ancestral Temple, there are 15 noble people to be remembered. Now, it is an educational base and can enhance Longchuan's charm.

 

Wood Carvings on Local Residences

There is a legend about Lingshan Buddhist Temple. It is said that young Hu Zongxian practiced martial arts here, but the shape of this mountain is like a fish and local people thought that this place was more suitable for the building of a Buddhist Temple, not practising martial arts. Therefore, Lingshan Buddhist Temple was built. The temple enshrines and worships Buddha and Avalokitesvara. A plaque hangs on the door of the main hall, and it reads "Liao Wu Da Cheng", meaning to feel and understand Mahayana. The whole surroundings of the Buddhist Convent are solemn and quiet.
 

Visitors can take a bus from Xuancheng Bus Station to Jixi Bus Station, and it takes about 2 hours and the ticket fare is CNY40. After that, visitors can take a special bus to the scenic area; the bus departs every 20 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY2; the trip takes about 20 minutes.

 Visitors can take a high speed train from Huangshan North Railway Station to Jixi North Railway Station; it takes about 14 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY 19 for a second class seat and CNY 31.5 for a first class seat. After that, visitors can take bus line 6 to Longchuan Scenic Area; the bus departs every 20 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY2. 

 Take a normal train from Huangshan Railway Station to Jixi County Railway Station. The trip takes about 50-80 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY 11 for a hard seat and CNY 57 for a hard sleeper. Upon arrival, walk eastward for about 1,500 yards (1,370 meters) to Jixi Coach Station and then change to the direct bus to the scenic area; the bus departs every 20 minutes and the ticket fare is CNY2; the trip takes about 20 minutes.

 At Huangshan General Bus Station, there are buses to Jixi at 07:45, 08:20, 08:50, and 13:00; the trip takes about an hour and the ticket fare is around CNY 10. Upon arrival, change to the direct bus to the scenic area.
 

Admission Fee	Adult: CNY 75 Children above 3.5 feet (1.2 meters): CNY40 Children under 3.5 feet (1.2 meters): Free of charge.
Opening Hours	You can enter the village any time. But the scenic spots inside are open from 08:00 to 17:00.