Huangling: A Poetic Landscape Hidden in the Mountains

A 40-minute drive from Wuyuan County brings you to Huangling, a mist-shrouded ancient village built in the traditional Hui style. With white walls and black tiles nestled against the mountains, this village has preserved nearly 600 years of history within its intricately carved windows. Once on the brink of becoming a "hollow village" due to geological disasters and poor transportation, Huangling was revitalized through protective development in 2009. By the end of 2024, its designation as a 5A tourist attraction will serve as a badge of honor for its rebirth. The first sight upon entering the village is the "flowing palette" on the rooftops—Huangling's iconic sun-drying tradition. Due to the uneven terrain, villagers use bamboo trays as canvases to dry tea leaves and fiddlehead ferns in spring, eggplants and beans in summer, and peppers and grains in autumn. These colorful agricultural products adorn the black-tiled roofs, creating a "most beautiful symbol of China." In 2014, local women arranged a giant national flag using sun-dried goods, and the Sun-Drying Culture Festival, which won the "Asia Pinnacle Award" in 2024, has brought this rustic charm to the global stage. From the observation deck, the pink walls and colorful trays complement each other, swaying gently in the breeze, while the air is filled with the sweet aroma of harvest. Sun-drying is the soul of Huangling, but its terraced flower fields are its flowing skirts. Ranked among the "Top 10 Most Beautiful Terraces in the World," these fields burst into golden waves of rapeseed flowers in spring. The newly opened high-altitude cableway in 2024 offers the perfect vantage point to admire the scenery. From the cable car, the flower fields, ancient village, and misty clouds form a dynamic painting. Even outside the flowering season, Huangling remains a "flower town," with hydrangeas and bougainvillea climbing the horse-head walls in spring and summer. Wildflowers in ceramic pots line the alleys, blending rustic charm with vibrant life, creating a place where worries seem to vanish. When you're tired, take a leisurely stroll along the 388-meter-long Tianjie Street, known as the "Hui-style Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival." Here, the sounds of wood carving workshops, the skilled hands in bamboo weaving stores, and the aroma of steamed cakes and Qingming dumplings fill the air. Grab a freshly steamed cake, its sticky texture hiding the savory flavors of bamboo shoots and minced meat. The surrounding Hui-style guesthouses feature intricately carved beams and painted eaves, with exposed wooden carvings of birds and flowers vividly telling the refined stories of Hui merchants. The ancestral hall showcases the "Three Wonders of Hui Culture"—stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings. These intricate works have withstood centuries of wind and rain without losing their craftsmanship. Touching the patterns on the stone carvings feels like hearing echoes of time. Huangling's charm continues into the night. The ancient Ming and Qing-era houses, transformed into boutique accommodations, offer views of the starry sky right from your bed. After dinner, take a stroll under the warm glow of streetlights illuminating flower-covered walls. Encountering a smiling villager carrying a basket evokes the sentiment, "You stand by the window admiring the view, while someone below admires you." Here, everyone becomes part of the picturesque scene. As you leave the village and glance back, the mist envelops the ancient village, embodying the essence of "Sun-Drying Homes, Terrace Cloud Village." Huangling has become a cultural and tourism landmark, demonstrating how "green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as gold and silver." It is a paradise for photographers and a living museum of Hui culture. If you yearn for a poetic landscape that changes with the seasons, come to Huangling, where the wind and tiles await to share their stories with you.