Do you want to visit the ancient dwelling houses not far from Beijing which boast the characteristics of south China? If so, we recommend you visit the Chuandixia ancient village located in the suburb of Beijing city. This village is also called the Potala Palace in Beijing due to its unique construction style. It is favored by many photography enthusiasts and painters.

The village is located 90km from Beijing. To get there take bus No.929 at the Pingguoyuan metro station and get off at Zhaitang station. This will take you more than two hours. At the station take a taxi to the village directly. The taxi charge is about CNY15 - CNY20. It is very crowded on weekends or during vacations. During those times it is best to get on Bus 929 before 07:00am. Another way to get there is to take Bus 326 at Pingguoyuan station or Bus 336 at Zhanlan Road Station, to the Hetan bus stop, then change to a micro-bus direct to Chuandixia.

Chuandixia Village

With a hundred year's history, the village still keeps its traditional folk culture. Situated at the mountain canyon, the village is surrounded by green pines and verdant cypresses. The trees make a pleasant shade around, and the melodious sound of the birds breaks the silence of the village now and again, making you feel as if you were in a totally different world.

Chuandixia village used to be a traffic artery for access to Shanxi province from Beijing, and was moderately important since ancient China. You may feel that you are walking through a historical corridor by seeing the sharp aphorism from ancient to modern China. It is a very ideal televisual scene.

When you walk on the old pavements and view the traditional layout with four houses surrounding a courtyard with delicate caved patterns, the old Beijing people's life will come into your mind. The well-preserved traditional Ming and Qing Dynasties style Si He courtyards with exquisite carvings are highlights here. To adapt to terrain, these houses were all built on the hillside. If you want to visit, you will have to climb the steep stairs. The hospitable villagers, peasant meals, and legends of the village are really amazing for travelers. The admission fee is CNY20.00.

Besides the traditional houses, other sites worth a visit include the temple where local people pray for prosperity, health and peace and the natural scenery. You can also visit the historic relics of the local people's resistance to the invasion. Although it has gone through generations of vicissitudes, this old village still keeps its original style.

Although one day is enough to visit this village, if you want, you can also stay overnight with a local family. You may learn more about the village by talking with your home-stay host, such as the local folk custom, the legend of the village, people's life here and this is also a good opportunity to taste the local food.

Once finishing your visit, you can return to urban Beijing with the same transportation as what you have used in the morning.