Guardians of heritage: preserving Xidi and Hongcun

HEFEI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Listed as World Cultural Heritage Sites, Xidi and Hongcun are two renowned villages in east China's Anhui Province.

With exquisite homes, ancestral halls and memorial archways, Hui-style buildings of Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) are widely found here.

To protect these two villages, people from various walks of life contribute in their own ways, such as fire captain Shu Jianjun and ancestral hall conservator Hu Xiaowen who are dedicated to preserving and passing on those cultural heritages.

This aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows a view of Xidi Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

This aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows a view of Xidi Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

This aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 18, 2024 shows ancestral hall conservator Hu Xiaowen cleaning at a yard of an ancestral hall in Xidi Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Ancestral hall conservator Hu Xiaowen inspects an ancient building in Xidi Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Ancestral hall conservator Hu Xiaowen (1st R) explains to visitors at an ancient building in Xidi Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Fire captain Shu Jianjun (R) patrols with his colleague Xie Xiaoqiang in Hongcun Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Fire captain Shu Jianjun (L) and his colleague Xie Xiaoqiang check fire alarm equipment in an ancient residential house in Hongcun Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

An aerial drone photo shows fire captain Shu Jianjun (L) patrolling with his colleague Xie Xiaoqiang in Hongcun Village of Yixian County in Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)