Xu Guo archway
Eight pillars.
Yumeto — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0 · 江上清风1961 — CC BY 3.0
The town that served as the seat of the historic Huizhou region for more than a thousand years, in She County east of Huangshan city, ringed by an old wall and laced with lanes and traditional houses; it is counted among the best-preserved old towns in China. At its heart stands the Xu Guo stone archway, raised in 1584 to honour Grand Secretary Xu Guo, a rare eight-pillared archway 11.54 metres long and 11.4 metres high, guarded by 12 stone lions and covered in carvings of dragons and birds, with inscriptions by the calligrapher Dong Qichang. Around it run old streets such as Doushan Street with its merchants' houses and courtyards and the rebuilt prefectural office, and on the edge of town lie the ancient Yuliang stone dam on the river and its quiet village; the town is also known for the inkstones called She stone. Walking the streets and seeing the Xu Guo archway are free, while a combined ticket for the main sights such as the prefectural office starts at about CNY 128, per visitor guides. The town is quieter than the famous villages and suits half a day from Huangshan.
Eight pillars.
Merchants' houses.
Ancient stonework.
She County, about 25 km east of Huangshan city
Walking the streets and seeing the Xu Guo archway are free, while a combined ticket for the main sights starts at about CNY 128, per visitor guides.