Cuandixia Village

Cuandixia Village is located in Zhaitang Town, Mentougou District, about 90 kilometers (31.3 miles) from downtown Beijing. It has a history of about 400 years and preserves more than 70 courtyards with approximately 500 rooms which were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This ancient mountain village, the best preserved in China, covers an area of about 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres) and is renowned as the 'Potala Palace' of the Beijing area.

The village, surrounded by mountains, stands on the northern gentle slope of the hills and, having being built in harmony with the terrain of the mountains, and it looks like a castle or a mountain city. A winding and rugged lane built from many oddly-shaped stones, winds its way from east to west and divides the village into two groups. There are mainly quadrangle dwellings and a few courtyards with houses on three sides. The houses, which are in good order, have delicate gate piers as well as distinctive screen walls and, along with the stone, wood and brick carvings, reflect our ancient Chinese culture.

Until now, only the Han family lived here. It is said that the ancestors of the village migrated from Shanxi Province during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. The character 'cuan' has the meaning of a stove and the villagers named it 'cuandixia' with the implication being, of a shelter to keep away the severe cold as well as the scourge of war. In the Qing Dynasty, it was a distributing center for businessmen and goods, so it was very prosperous during that time. Moreover, on the walls, remain the maxims of managing family, inscriptions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the slogans of Anti-Japanese War period.

The village belongs to the Qingshui River Valley, thus, the grass is lush and trees are luxuriant. Walking in the village, visitors will feel they have entered an ideal world. It is also a natural place to make films and TV plays. The farmers of Cuandixia Village keep in step with the times and they exploit the idea of folk-custom tourism to welcome tourists home and abroad. At evening, there are varied amusements, such as outdoor movies and campfire parties.

Admission Fee:	CNY 30
Bus Route:	About 150 meters west of Pingguoyuan Subway Station (地铁苹果园西), take Bus No.929 Zhi (929 支) to Cuandixiacun Lukou (爨底下村路口) at 7:30, or 12:40, then you could arrive at the Cuandixia Village (爨底下村).

Comments and Questions

We live in China, and have our own car, so we plan to drive to Cuandixia ourselves sometime. However, we are interested in staying over night and I've seen some tours that include a stay in a traditional "si he yuan". Is it possible to just book accommodation, with no tour or anything else?

Reply10/9/2009 2:14:00 AMAlison , Australia

Lin Shuang ( China ) :10/9/2009 9:10:00 PM

Hi Alison
As I know, there is no star hotel to book in Cuandixia Village. Most farmhouses there provide lodgings for visitors. So you may not need to book and just get there and choose one yourselves.

Keary ( China ) :11/17/2009 3:59:00 AM

You can just go there and ask the owners at the various homes if they have a room available. The family we spoke with back in Oct. while we had lunch in their home, said that they go into the city to stay when it gets cold, return to the village in March.

Good review and driving direction at
http://chinatravelminusgreatwall.blogspot.com/2009/10/cuandixia-village-over-stove-2.html

Go asap before the easy tourist money spoils everything cultural and pristine about this little village.

Reply10/25/2009 8:39:00 PMjoseeto , United States

Hi, Tina
You may visit travelchinaguide.com. It offers tour to Cuandixia Village. See the 'Option 8' on this page: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/package/tour-bj02.htm.

Reply7/22/2009 9:51:00 PMtravel , China

are there any tours available to Cuandixia Village

Reply7/22/2009 7:49:00 AMTina Young

would you please let me know if you have a 3 days package with hotel and travelling to Cuandixia Village
thanks.

Reply2/3/2009 7:24:00 AMHelen Boyle , China