Huangyao () is a town in

Zhaoping County Zhaoping County (; za, Cauhbingz Yen) is a county in the east of Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hezhou Hezhou () is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, China. It has a new and an old part of the town; the old town of Huangyao (黄姚古镇) has a history of around a thousand years, and many of its buildings date from the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

History

It is believed that settlement of the Huangyao area began during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

in the Kaibao era (968 – 977) of Emperor Taizu. The name Huangyao was first recorded in the Huangyou era (1049–1053) of Emperor Renzong when general

Yang Wenguang Yang Wenguang (; died 1074) was a general in ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty. In history, Yang Wenguang was the son of Yang Yanzhao, however, he is the grandson of Yang Yanzhao in the popular fictionalized stories of Yang clan warriors. ...

passed through Zhaoping to pacify

, and the place was named after the two most common surnames of the locals living in the area –

Huang Huang or Hwang may refer to: Location * Huang County, former county in Shandong, China, current Longkou City * Yellow River, or Huang River, in China * Huangshan, mountain range in Anhui, China * Huang (state), state in ancient China. * Hwang Riv ...

and Yao. The town first developed during the reign of Wanli Emperor (1572 – 1620) of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, and it prospered during the reign of

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

(1735 – 1796) in the

. As a result, it has many buildings from the Qing and Ming eras, numbering at over 300. The town was part of a number of administrative divisions throughout its history; today Huangyao includes both an old town and a new district. Many of the buildings in the old town have stayed relatively unchanged in the modern era, and it began to develop as a tourist destination in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was listed as one of 50 most worthwhile places to visit in China in 2006.

Description

Huangyao is surrounded by

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

peaks and traversed by streams. There are many bridges, and the streets are paved with slate. There are over 30 temples, ancestral halls and pavilions in the old town of Huangyao. Many of the buildings are doubled-storied structures of simple construction in bricks and black tiles.

Demographics

Huangyao has a population of around 50,000, covering an area that included many villages. Most of the people live in the new part of the town, with only around 2,000 remaining in the old town as many have moved into the new district.

Popular media

Because of its picturesque location and old buildings, the old town of Huangyao has been used as a setting for a number of television dramas and films, such as the 2006 film '' The Painted Veil'' and the 2001 Chinese television drama '' Country Spirit''.

References

External links

Huangyao
{{commons category, Huangyao Towns of Hezhou Tourist attractions in Guangxi