Moon Pond

Moon Pond

Shaped like a crescent moon, its surface is as smooth as a mirror. The blue sky, white clouds, grey bricks, and green tiles create another world within it. Known as "Moon Pond" among locals, it is also referred to as the Moon Pond. This is what is called the "cow’s stomach" in the village’s symbolic layout, or the "cow’s small belly" as locals say. Moon Pond was built during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424), when the 76th-generation ancestor of Hongcun, Wang Siqi, found a natural spring in the village that flowed continuously all year round. After consulting three times with the feng shui master He Keda from Haiyang County (now Xiuning) and other senior clan members, he “surveyed the mountains and rivers in detail” and devised a blueprint for the ox-shaped water system to expand Hongcun’s layout and comprehensively plan the village. They channeled water from Xixi Stream, bending the "ox intestines" water channels in nine twists and ten turns, directing the water to the village’s central natural spring. A pond was then built to supply water for fire prevention, drinking, and washing. Later, his descendants Wang Shengping and others invested over ten thousand taels of silver to continue digging and constructing the crescent-shaped pond, completing the unfinished "Moon Pond." The water in Moon Pond remains emerald green year-round, with a mirror-like surface. The pond is surrounded by bluestone paving, and orderly rows of white-walled, grey-tiled houses stand on all sides, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds in the water. Elders chat, women wash clothes and handkerchiefs, and children play.

Hongcun Town: Located at the southern foot of Huangshan Mountain, Hongcun Town is just 29 kilometers from the southern gate of Huangshan Scenic Area and 60 kilometers from Huangshan Airport, making transportation very convenient. It currently governs 21 villages and 142 villager groups, covering an area of 187.1 square kilometers, with a permanent population of over 20,000 and a floating population of 5,000. The area features overlapping mountains, lush forests and bamboo, and clear streams flowing back and forth, offering pleasant scenery. It has 14,318 hectares of forest, with a coverage rate of 77%. It is now recognized as an Environmentally Beautiful Township of Huangshan City, an Ecological Civilization Township of Huangshan City, and an Environmental Education Base of Anhui Province.

The area is dotted with numerous... More details about Hongcun Town++