Ming Village

A couple weekends ago, myself and six other friends ventured 90km outside of Beijing to the Cuandixia Ming Village. This village is has been virtually unchanged since it was built. During the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the village was built by a single extended family and consists of more than 70 courtyards.

It is truly an ancient mountain village. The roads are built from funky stone and wind throughout. There are approximately 500 rooms in the village and it is known for its local honey.

As we wandered about, we stumbled upon a 'honey for sale' sign. This kind old man gave us a sample of his honey -delicious! We bought 4 containers, I think, of this sweet treat. He said that if the season is good, he can gather enough honey to fill the barrel in two weeks. This is incredible as the season is only 40 days long. I wonder what they do with the rest of their time...

After spending a few hours here, 8 of us piled back into the 7 seater van. On our way back to the city we were stopped at some sort of check point. The driver said that if the van wasn't full of foreigners, resident permits, registration, etc., would have been required. Being an expat in China definitely does have its perks in circumstances like this.

 The 2 hour drive back to Beijing was pretty uneventful. I have a hard time sleeping in vehicles, planes, etc. so I stayed awake while the others slept, with exception of one.

Hiring a driver was definitely the best way to travel. In comparison to tours, we paid one third of the price. I recommend making sure that you have someone who can speak Chinese though. Thank goodness for Richard!