The village of Longchuan (Dragon Creek), Anhui province, is a national 5A tourist attraction known for its picturesque scenery, with Longxu Mountain to the East and Fengtou to the West, meaning it sits between a dragon (‘long’) and phoenix (‘feng’), a sign of good feng shui, or auspiciousness.

It is near the city of Xuancheng and, from the air, looks like a boat moving through a sea of meadows and forests, with the sharp bow pointing south. In the past, this unique boat-shaped village was said to be the birthplace of great men.

Historical records say that, during the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties (960-1911), Jixi, the county that contains it, had 222 successful candidates for the imperial exams at the provincial level, 119 successful candidates for the highest imperial exams, and one who came in first in those exams.

It is also known for a family with the surname Hu, a prosperous family, which seems to support the idea of good feng shui. The amount of arable land was limited so the people of Longchuan turned to business outside their hometown. The most successful also put money into local education, resulting in many famous people, including Hu Shi, famous for his culture and a president of Peking University.

Other prominent people include Hu Fu, a minister of the census, and Hu Zongxian, a minister of national defense and governor of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, who is known for driving Japanese pirates from China's eastern seaboard.

Today, the city has four members of China's Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering, which is, no doubt, remarkable for a county with a population of only 180,000.

The village of Longchuan (Dragon Creek), Anhui province, is a national 5A tourist attraction known for its picturesque scenery. (By Le Qin)

Yishi Minister Arch (By Le Qin)

Longchuan is the hometown to Hu Zongxian, a minister of national defense and governor of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, who is known for driving Japanese pirates from China's eastern seaboard. (By Le Qin)

Hu Family Ancestral Hall (By Le Qin)

By Le Qin

Edited by Roger Bradshaw, Huang Pei