Huangyao Ancient Town

Huangyao grew as a river trading town from the Song and took its present form in the Ming and Qing, with some eight kilometres of streets paved in slabs of local stone, three hundred old houses, ancestral halls, stone bridges and banyans, laid out along streams between karst hills. It sits far enough from major routes that restoration has been slower and lighter than at better-known old towns, so the lanes are still partly residential and the pace is slow. Guesthouses occupy old courtyard houses, the town is small enough to walk entirely, and the surrounding hills, fields and rivers are cycled.

What you actually see

• The stone streets - slab-paved lanes through the old town.
• The courtyard houses - Ming and Qing residences, some open.
• The stone bridges and banyans - crossings and old trees along the streams.
• The karst setting - hills rising directly behind the roofs.

When to go

March to May and September to November for mild weather; summer is hot, humid and wet. Weekends and holidays bring visitors from Guangdong but midweek is quiet.

Honest expectations

Tourism has arrived, with souvenir shops and cafés on the main lanes. Entry is charged. Access without a car is slow, and English is almost absent.

Nearby

Hezhou lies northeast; Yangshuo is northwest.