Xidi Village is located at the south foot of Mt. Huangshan. Its original name is Xichuan. It can also be called Xixi. This name is given because there are three brooks which run from east to west. But because there is a relay station in the west of the village, so the name was changed into Xidi. Xidi was built in the Huangyou period of the Northern Song dynasty, developed in the middle of the Jingtai period of the Ming dynasty, and was prosperous at the beginning of the Qing dynasty. It has a history of nearly 1000 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the businessmen reached the period of highest development. They carried out an extensive building program, such as building houses and ancestral temples, making roads, building bridges and so on. Nowadays, more than 100 old folk houses in Xidi maintain the basic appearance and feature they used to be.
Xidi is an old village which accepts the blood relationship of the clan as tie and where most of Hu families live. There is a green stone memorial archway which has three rooms, four pillars and five floors. It was built in the Wanli time of the Ming dynasty. The structure is very exquisite. It's tall and erect, which stands for the eminent station of Hu family. There are nearly 300 buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Hui style. Exquisite bricks, wood and stone carving decorate every building. The Lingyun Pavilon, the Cishi (an official title in ancient time of China) House, the Ruiyu Pavilon, the Taoli Garden, the East Garden, the West Garden, the Daifu(an official title in ancient time of China) House, the Jing'ai Hall, the Lvfu Hall, the Qingyun House, the Yinfu Hall, etc have been exploited into scenic spots. In addition, beautiful and imposing folk houses and exquisite gardens are worth visiting.
