Intricate Archway at Xidi 西递 Ancient Town
The houses in Xidi 西递 seem to be of a single pattern, in fact, this is called Huizhou 徽州 style and it is found in large portions of Anhui 安徽 province. One characteristic that seems to be common in Huizhou style is that most of the houses are black and white. The walls of the houses are painted white, while the roofs are colored black. The roofs themselves are quite distinctive that it features eaves that point up.
Detail on the Archway
Practically all of the houses here in Xidi look like that, this single fact makes the place so picturesque. These houses originally come from the houses built by Huizhou merchants long ago. This somehow became a fad over the years until everyone’s houses looked the same. Much Chinese influence can be seen in the design of the houses, so this can be considered regional variation in architectural style.
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