Xiaoqi Village

Xiaoqi (晓起) is widely considered the most unspoiled of the accessible Wuyuan villages, particularly the upper hamlet (上晓起) where the rice paddies and fields are still being farmed around the edges of the old buildings. The combination of Qing-dynasty architecture, working farmland, ancient camphor trees, and the relative absence of souvenir shops makes the upper village one of the most rewarding stops in the entire Wuyuan area.

The lower hamlet (下晓起) is more developed for tourism and has guesthouses and restaurants. The upper village is reached via a path from the lower hamlet and requires about 20 minutes of walking. The ancient camphor trees that line the path between the villages — some reportedly over five centuries old — are themselves worth the trip.

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A story
Xiaoqi's most famous resident was Jiang Shiquan (蒋士铨, 1725–1784), one of the most celebrated poets of the mid-Qing dynasty, known for his dramatic poems and plays at a time when the form was considered highbrow entertainment at court. His family's ancestral home is preserved in the upper village. That a village this remote produced a court poet of national significance reflects the extraordinary investment that Huizhou merchant families made in education — sending their best sons to study for the imperial examinations that were the only route to official status.

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