Introduction:

The Oscar winning film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon made many people dream of running up trees and sword fighting among the treetops or flying off a bridge into the mist filled mountains below. This trip is to let you recreate these dramatic scenes (at least the scenery bit) in the south China Anhui province where much of the movie's filming actually took place.

Hong Village (Hongcun), one of the main movie shooting sites, was originally laid out in the shape of an ox. The west end of the village, called Leigang Hill, resembles an ox head and that is where two huge trees stand like ox horns. At the front and rear of the village are four bridges that span a Jiyin stream and resemble four legs of the ox. The several hundred well-arranged houses form the body of the ox (They have been referred to as museum of Ming and Qing residential houses in China), and the 1,000-meter-long Jiyin stream that meanders through the village is regarded as its intestines. A crescent pond in the village is the ox's fourth stomach, and a larger South Lake is its reticulum, the second stomach. All the buildings follow local architectural style, have exquisite carvings and are magnificent symbols of its time.

Because of this extraordinary feature of the village, Hong Village was added to the list of the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in late 2000.

Itinerary:

Day One:

07:00-12:00: Heading Hong Village
12:00-13:00: Lunch
13:00-14:30: Hiking to Leigang Hill to enjoy the bird view of the village
14:30-16:30: Wonder around the village
16:30-18:30: Hiking to surrounding villages
18:30: Dinner.
Stay overnight in guest house besides the pond.

Day Two:

08:00-10:30: Breakfast and free time
10:30-13:00: Hiking to a village amidst the endless bamboo forest where the most unforgettable scene of the movie - sword fighting among the treetops, was shot.
13:00-14:00: Lunch
14:00-19:00: Heading Shanghai. Trip ends.

Trip Cost

The cost of each trip will normally cover the following:
> All land transportation
> All domestic air transport and transfers as stated in the itinerary and airport departure tax
> All services of trip leaders and local guides
> All scheduled meals and accommodation
> All entry fees

YANA trips do not include:
> Food other than breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and beverages other than tea, coffee, or soft drinks at meals arranged by YANA
> Travel and medical insurance
> Gratuities to leaders or guides
> Excursions other than those specified in trips
> Private snacks and drinks