AmazingAnhui | Couplets and harmony philosophy of Hui-style architecture

HEFEI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Located in Yixian County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Xidi Village is known as the museum of residential houses of Ming and Qing Dynasty (1368-1911). 

In Xidi Village, home to hundreds of well-preserved Hui-style ancient wooden dwellings, almost every hall of the buildings here hangs a couplet. The culture of hanging couplets, which tell the importance of reading, moral cultivation, and family harmony, has prevailed for centuries in this area. 

Here a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) building facade inscribed with the words "Take a step back" shows just how important the philosophy of harmony meant to the Chinese people. "Take a step back" is the ancestral motto of the house owner's family. A step back is a step forward. In 2020, local people drew inspiration from the old house, refurbished the time-honored building, and opened a mediation room in it. Mediators there successfully solved many disputes by following a harmonious manner.