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After the rain, Tra Te seemed cleansed, but everywhere was shrouded in a thick mist, clinging to the old, weathered horse-head walls, the crunchy stone path underfoot, and the tree branches still damp... making the traveler wonder if he was still in a dream.
This not-yet-famous ancient town in Anhui has left such a lasting impression on me!
I often heard the saying, "The misty rain of Jiangnan is a common sight...", but it wasn't until I set foot in the ancient town of Tra Te that I experienced it for the first time.
Tra Te is a small town located in Jing County, Xuancheng Prefecture, Anhui Province, China.
The largest remaining ancient town from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Located in Jing County, Xuancheng, Anhui Province, Tra Te is a small town not as widely known as its two "compatriots," Heng and Xidi villages, even among Chinese people themselves. It wasn't until this spring, when a tourism promotion video for Xuancheng, thanks to the influence of Liu Yu – a young artist from Jing County – went viral on Chinese social media, that I stumbled upon this place. I suddenly became curious: What would an ancient Jiangnan town look like before commercialization?
Tra Te is not as widely known as its two "compatriots," Hoanh and Tay De villages, even among the Chinese themselves.
Built during the Sui Dynasty, reaching its peak during the Ming Dynasty and declining at the end of the Qing Dynasty, this ancient town has survived to this day, carrying the history of over 1,400 years across seven feudal dynasties. Currently, Tra Te is recognized as the largest surviving Ming-Qing period ancient town in China. During its heyday, it flourished like never before. The decline of the era and the ravages of time have destroyed many things, but fortunately, more than 140 ancient architectural structures remain, including roads, bridges, temples, village gates, pagodas, and ancient wells.
Some experts and scholars who came here to inspect it exclaimed that Tra Te is like a museum of ancient architecture; few places in China can preserve it on such a large scale and with such diversity. This is because ancient architectural structures were mainly made of wood, which over time are easily damaged by termites, rot, and fire...
Furthermore, with modernization, old houses will gradually be replaced to suit the times. Yet, even before the government paid attention and included them in the conservation plan, the people of Tra Te had already consciously preserved the traces of hundreds of years on such a village scale, which is truly invaluable.
Tra Te is like a museum of ancient architecture.
Despite its incredible historical and architectural value, Tra Te has inexplicably not been properly appreciated. However, its lack of commercialization is perhaps an advantage for this small town. Every house, every street corner bears traces of daily life.
In my perception, if the ancient towns of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are likened to delicate, refined young ladies, and Dayan in Lijiang to a free-spirited, vibrant mountain girl, then Chazai is like a naive village girl who hasn't yet learned to dress up. But perhaps it is precisely this rustic, unspoiled quality that attracts me, as well as a host of domestic and international tourists, to come here to enjoy its rare tranquility.
The tranquility of Tra Te
Small bridge, flowing water, houses...
Speaking of Tra Te, an ancient poem once described it as follows: “Ten miles of Tra village, nine miles of smoke, three streams converging, thousands of households. Under the shade of pavilions and pagodas, small bridges and flowing water create a sky of apricot blossoms…” This ancient town in the mountainous Anhui region also possesses the characteristics of ancient towns in Jiangnan, with the famous “small bridges, flowing water, and people's houses” renowned in Chinese poetry. To this day, Tra Te retains the appearance depicted on the ancient town map from 1484 during the Ming Dynasty. It seems that the vicissitudes of time have never touched this place, leaving us a vivid witness, reminding us of the glory of a bygone era.
The Tra Te area isn't very large; you can walk through it in just a few hours. However, to truly appreciate its charm, you need more time. At the very least, stay overnight to experience the feeling of being awakened by the sound of the pestle washing clothes at dawn. The rhythmic pounding of the pestle, combined with the gentle sound of flowing water and occasional hushed chatter, stands out in the tranquil space, as if heralding the start of a new day.
Every house, every street corner bears traces of daily life.
The vitality of Tra Te is closely linked to the Xu Xi stream. Flowing from west to east, the Xu Xi stream, passing through the town's main tourist area, has a gentle slope, with clear, babbling water where you can see the bottom. The higher you go, the steeper the stream becomes, the sound turning into a roar, sometimes churning with white foam, and the mist thickening, making visitors feel as if they are entering a dreamlike state.
Occasionally, as I travel upstream, I encounter young people carrying easels and palettes. They are art students from across the country who come here to practice sketching. Many freelance artists also come here to find inspiration, even buying houses to facilitate their long-term creative work. Tra Te is also known as "China's First Sketching Village" for this reason. Currently, the town's economy is mainly sustained by this source of visitors, rather than by tourists like many other famous ancient towns.
Students from fine arts departments across the country come here to practice sketching.
Even in these unfinished works, one can recognize the distinctive white walls and black tile roofs characteristic of Huizhou architecture. The tall, horse-head-shaped walls, originally built to deter thieves or prevent the spread of fire, have now become a unique identifying feature.
Along both banks of the Xu Xi stream, houses stand close together, their horse-head-shaped walls overlapping one another. Behind them, majestic green mountains serve as a backdrop, below, a babbling stream provides support, white clouds drift in the distance, and smoke from cooking fires lingers in the air—this is how generations have passed. This is also a distinctive feature of the technique of borrowing scenery, commonly seen in classical Chinese garden art, which Huizhou architecture has applied to create "harmony between nature and man," giving Tra Te its allure.
But perhaps it is this unspoiled, uncommercialized nature that attracts me, as well as a host of domestic and international tourists, to come here to enjoy the rare tranquility.
Walking along the rough cobblestone path, touching the weathered brick walls, looking at the bridges, experiencing things that perhaps Li Bai also experienced when he came here, I suddenly felt the meaning of the words "time." This is something I couldn't appreciate when I visited bustling ancient towns, swept up in their vibrant rhythm.
On the day of farewell, Tra Te also saw me off with a light drizzle. With each step I took, the ancient town receded deeper into the hazy rain, as if it had remained hidden in the mists of time all this time, yet to be known by many…
Guide to visiting Tra Te ancient town:
- Move:From Hanoi, the quickest way to get to Tra Te is to fly to Hefei, then take the expressway from Hefei to Jing County, which takes about 1 hour. From the Jing County expressway station, walk to the nearby bus station, which takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Tra Te. If traveling in a group, you can take a taxi, which will only take about 1 hour.
- Tickets, visiting hours:60 yuan per person, purchased at the ticket gate near the bus stop. Tra Te is quite small; you can explore the entire ancient town in a single afternoon, but it's recommended to stay overnight to experience the slow pace of life and the beauty of the ancient town from early morning until the lights come on.
- Hotel:Although not yet very famous, surprisingly, quite a few guesthouses and hotels in Tra Te accept foreigners, but it's still advisable to confirm with them beforehand to avoid any problems during check-in. It's best to choose a hotel located within the old town to save travel time, as the cost difference isn't too significant.
Combine schedules:
Within Jing County, there are several attractive tourist destinations that can be combined, such as Peach Blossom Pond, the Museum of Xuan Paper Culture of China, Moon Bay, Ma Tou Ancient Town, and Ma Tou Xiang Ecological Park… However, these attractions are quite far apart, making it suitable to rent a car as transportation is not very convenient.
