Wuyuan County is located in the northeast of east China's Jiangxi Province. The county is famous for its ancient Hui-style architecture, and for the sea of bright-yellow rapeseed flowers (every year during March). The remote county lives up to its reputation as "the most beautiful countryside in China." As such, it attracts multitudes of visitors, from both home and abroad.

Elegant Hui-Style Architecture

Dating back more than 1,000 years, Wuyuan County, in the city of Shangrao, in Jiangxi Province, was established during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is an essential element of ancient Huizhou culture; as such, several ancient villages retain the typical Huizhou residences, ancestral halls, antique gallery bridges, and mansions of historical celebrities. 

Hui-style architecture, one of the major ancient Chinese architectural styles, typically involves construction with black tiles, white walls, and artistic decorations made with bricks, stones and wood. This architectural style embodies elegance, conciseness and magnificence. 

Xiaoqi Village has had distinct historic and cultural influences on Wuyuan, and it has long been home to many well-preserved Hui-style buildings and houses, which date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties. Many of the buildings are decorated with exquisite wood carvings. 

Sixiyan is another historic village in Wuyuan. While wandering through the winding alleys of the ancient village, one will encounter exquisite stone, wood and brick carvings in the courtyards of many of the old houses. The courtyards, combined, create an intricate homage to Wuyuan's history and culture. Sixiyan is home to 56 well-preserved Hui-style buildings and houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The buildings were constructed with distinguished features, such as skywells and elaborate carvings. 

Hundreds of well-protected ancient villages are worth visiting in Wuyuan. Those villages include Likeng Village, famous for its harmony of cottages, little bridges and flowing brooks; Wangkou Village, renowned for its well-designed ancestral halls; and, Jiangwan Village, home to rich cultural heritage, and which has produced numerous well-known scholars.

Sea of Rapeseed Flowers

The breathtaking scenery of boundless terraced fields amid the immense sea of bright-yellow rapeseed flowers, each spring, has earned Wuyuan the reputation of being "the most beautiful countryside in China." Every March, tourists swarm the small town, to get a look at the harmonious beauty, like a traditional Chinese painting, with green hills and valleys, karst caves, limpid streams, terraces and exquisite houses. 

Since ancient times, the locals have been cultivating rapeseed, not just as a vegetable, but also to extract oil from the seeds. The crops are sown each autumn, and harvested in the summer the following year. During the flowering season, the expansive rapeseed flower fields turn bright-yellow. The stunning view has gradually transformed Wuyuan from an unknown countryside into a popular travel destination. 

Jiangxi Province is a big producer of rapeseed flowers. It has many counties like Wuyuan. So, what makes Wuyuan stand out as "the most beautiful countryside in China?" 

Wuyuan is a mountainous region, with 83 percent of its land being on the mountains. Unlike other places, where flowers are planted on plains, rapeseed is grown in Wuyuan on terraced fields (flat areas built on the slopes). Terrace cultivation, or terrace farming, makes it possible to use land that would not normally be usable with conventional farming methods. It also protects the terraced area's soil from erosion, and therefore reduces damage caused by flooding in the valley. 

The terraces can be long or short, and wide or narrow. The longest can be tens of meters, while the shortest can measure three to five meters. Wide terraces are sometimes 10 meters broad, and narrow ones often too narrow for cattle to plough. Large terraces are bigger than basketball courts, and small ones are not big enough for an adult to lie down. Countless terraces combine to form a naturally compelling picture. In Wuyuan, layers of golden terraces, planted with rapeseed flowers, are said to be one of the 10 most beautiful terraces in the world.

Photos from Tuchong and VCG

(Women of China English Monthly March 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha