Baihe Ancient Town

Baihe Ancient Town

A millstone-shaped old street, century-old stilted houses, umbrella-like ficus trees, and homemade tofu skin that’s truly exceptional — this is Baihe Town, one of the Four Great Ancient Towns of Western Sichuan.

Like many ancient towns in Sichuan, today’s Baihe is made up of a new street and an old one. Compared to the old street, the new one always gives off a sense of bustle and restlessness; whereas the old street is like a composed elder, having endured the vicissitudes of centuries and undergone many changes. Now it just sits quietly, telling visitors the ups and downs of its long history.

The main part of the old street is enclosed by houses in a millstone shape, with two additional streets extending outward from the “millstone,” but they are very short, ending after just a few steps. The buildings along the street are almost all wooden structures, with brown doors and windows covered in a thin layer of dust. People go about their business here without loud noise, just as quiet as the old street itself. In front of a house, a small table is occupied by two students who, while buried in their homework, laugh and chat, keeping the old street feeling young.

A small food shop on the street is still open, so naturally you should try some tofu skin, which comes in two flavors: red and white. The red flavor is, of course, spicy. During cooking, seasonings are added three times, and a lot of oil is used. When done, the tofu skin takes on a scorched appearance, coated in seasonings and oil, with no visible steam. The white flavor is not spicy and is prized for its delicate and smooth texture.

Most of the houses on the old street are over a hundred years old, all built with wooden structures and consisting of two stories, forming the unique stilted houses of Baihe. In the past, the upper floors were all residential, but now most of the wood has rotted and can no longer bear weight — forget living there, even storing odds and ends isn’t possible. The houses follow a front-shop-back-residence layout. Walking through the front shop and into the back residence, you’ll find the house extends surprisingly deep, complete with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and even a courtyard.

Eight ficus trees on the street are still standing. In the past, they were lush and leafy, like umbrellas, bringing cool shade. But later, when cement roads were built, rainwater could no longer seep into the soil, and the trees gradually withered and died. Now, only six ficus trees remain in Baihe, with two having died and several others slowly deteriorating.