It is not hard to find villages which are enriched with a very strong smell of Chinese culture all over Beijing. According to statistics, over 61% of the area of the Beijing region consists of a mountainous area which housed thousands of villages with more than hundreds of years of history. Cuandixia, which was later more known as Chuandixia as the Chinese character of Cuan is too seldom used; it is one of the most significant ancient village in Beijing.

Chuandixia is located to the west of Beijing. There are still about 500 houses and over 70 sets of Siheyuan which were built since the Ming and Qing Dynasties that can be found in this village. The overall surrounding of this village still retains its original architecture and design. The village was built along the hillside in a two-level horizontal line. Thus, it is well known as the Potala Palace in Beijing. Hancunhe is another famous ancient village in Beijing. Hancunhe is located about 40 km to the southwestern part of Beijing. Besides enjoying the scenery of  the countryside, visitors can also grab the opportunity to visit the residential area of local people as well as staying with them to experience the life of villagers in this ancient village. If you are interested in discovering more about the ancient villages around Beijing, please join our Beijing Village Tour which enables you to visit interesting places while escaping from the bustling city.

Chuandixia village or Cuandixia stands in a useful location, with convenient transportation to Hebei province and Inner-Mongolia. As such, it was flooded with a stream of horses and carriages during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911). However, part of the village was seriously damaged during the Japanese Occupation (1937-1945) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), leaving parts of the village in ruins even today.

Following the policy of Reform and Opening and with the development of the railway, express way and roads through the mountains, the village lost its strategic significance and quickly became deserted. Currently, there are only 14 families living here, making the total population around 30 people. Because of this, the village is very well maintained and has become frozen in its history making this small town a living museum in the Beijing region.