Hidden in the hills close to the Hebei-Shanxi border, lies the unusual ancient stone village of Yujiacun. Almost everything here is made of stone, from the houses and inside furniture to the wells.
Yujiacun is extraordinarily well preserved and features cobbled streets lined with traditional courtyard homes that date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The most magnificent of all the stone houses, Sihelouyuan or the Quadruple Yard is a towering brick building on stone foundations constructed in the late Ming Dynasty, which boasts more than 100 rooms and covers a living space of nearly 1,000 square meters.
Another remarkable if not strange architectural building was completed in 1581 without a foundation and its stones have not been spackled with mortar despite being of widely varying sizes. Although the residents’ homes are open to visits from tourists, village life continues at a gentle pace in charming Yujiacun, with farmers herding their animals through the narrow alleys, women sorting their vegetables and goats taking a sunbath on the rooftops.
Getting There & Away
All roads to Yujiacun go through Jingjing, around 35kms west of Shijiazhuang, and regular buses take 1 hour for the journey. From Jingjing, you can catch a bus to Yujiacun which takes another hour. The two fastest trains run from Shijiazhuang to Yujiacun in 50 minutes, while trains back take about 2 hours.
Things to Do
Yujiacun Attractions
- Sihelouyuan
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A stone house dating from the late ming dynasty with over 100
rooms that cover almost 1,000 square meters.