Old banks
And trading houses.
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An old trading town at the meeting of the Wu and Yuan rivers that was, under the Ming and Qing, the main river port for the produce of south-west Hunan and east Guizhou, so merchants from many provinces gathered here and built their banks and trading houses. More than 380 old buildings from the Ming to the early twentieth century survive over upwards of two hundred thousand square metres, among them old banks, trading houses, inns, workshops, shops and the offices of foreign firms; eighteen are national monuments, and the whole complex has been protected since 2006. Visitors walk its narrow stone lanes climbing between tall white walls and step into houses with courtyards open to the sky and old shops kept as they were. Tickets cost CNY 90, and it is open from 8 am to 5 pm, per visitor guides.
And trading houses.
Between white walls.
Open to the sky.
Xinmin Road, Hongjiang District, about 50 km south-east of central Huaihua, Hunan
Choices are few in the town; Huaihua city has restaurants run by Muslims under the halal sign, while west Hunan cooking uses a lot of smoked pork, so ask about ingredients.