Huizhou enjoys a time-honored history. In 2000, Xidi and the nearby Hongcun village were declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO for their outstanding preservation of rural architecture (date) back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Huizhou houses are often wooden structures with brick walls, which require a lot of maintenance. Moreover, daylight is valued in Huizhou houses, which is reflected in the building of open interior courtyards, (allow) sunshine to enter the rooms. Now, walking along the bluestone streets there, visitors can appreciate the distinctive Huizhou-style houses featuring white walls, dark tiles(瓦片)and layered horse-head roofs, feel like they are immersed in a traditional Chinese ink painting.
The tourism boom helps to protect and breathe life into the ancient village. A (symbol) paifang, standing at the entrance to Xidi, (build) in the 16th century in memory of Hu Wenguang, Ming Dynasty official born in the village who made great (contribute) to local education and livelihoods. It is the local people's desire to protect the local historical characteristics that leads to the buildings (preserve) to this day. Besides ancient dwellings and paifang, there stand some ancestral halls clans(宗族，家族)will gather to make sacrifices to their ancestors. With their own unique and marketable value, all these old Huizhou buildings are giving full play their distinctive cultural charm.
