Huangyao Ancient Town

A millennial Lingnan secret realm, crisscrossing blue flagstone alleys, ancient houses and ancestral halls standing in great numbers, a picturesque ink painting beside the Bailong Bridge, savoring authentic black bean delicacies, and exploring the vestiges of Ming and Qing dynasty commerce.

Huangyao Ancient Town has a history of nearly a thousand years. It originated in the Song Dynasty. Because the town is mostly inhabited by the surnames Huang and Yao, it is named “Huangyao”. Huangyao Ancient Town was not a well-known place before. It was not until the popular TV series “Tea is Hometown Thicker” and “Wine is Hometown Mellow” and the movie “The Painted Veil” were filmed here that Huangyao came into the spotlight. Fortunately, it has not been over-developed. Like many ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, Huangyao also has bridges, flowing water, and homes, as well as exquisitely carved eaves, beams and murals, and ancient houses and residences with poems and paintings on the eaves. The stone slab streets are still the same as they were hundreds of years ago, and the houses with blue brick and tile roofs are connected into a large area, which appears to be deep and profound. Compared with the ancient towns in Zhejiang, Huangyao has less hustle and bustle and more tranquility. It is a beautiful ancient town in China worth recommending. Huangyao Ancient Town has attractions such as the Ancient Opera Stage, Baozhu Temple, Dragon Claw Banyan, Bailong Bridge, Nongqu Garden, and Wu Clan Ancestral Hall. The Ancient Opera Stage is located at the entrance of the village. The entire building is carved with beams and painted rafters, with images of various flying eaves and beasts. It is an old opera stage, with a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Keyi Xing” by a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examination) in the Qing Dynasty. In front of the opera stage is Baozhu Temple. Stone dragons are carved on the stone pillars in the temple, and the surrounding murals are mottled with color. After exiting the temple gate, you can see the Dragon Claw Banyan. The ancient tree grows on a rock, shaped like a dragon claw, which is amazing.