Heshun Ancient Town, a quiet and scholarly ancient town

I decided to visit Heshun Ancient Town in the morning. There is a shuttle from the hotel at 7:30 am. It's still early, and although there are guesthouses everywhere, all is quiet. I found a guesthouse on Ctrip with a scary name, good location, and reasonable price—Junwang Ancient Mansion. They have rooms but the guests haven't checked out yet. I left my luggage and went out to explore. There's a breakfast vendor in the alley by the entrance. A bowl of thin bean noodles and a fried dough stick made for a comfortable meal. The first stop is the Heshun Library. This small town library is a first-class library, ranking higher than many city libraries. There are many overseas Chinese and local gentry who invest in their hometowns, building ancestral halls and schools. But this is the first time I've seen one build a library. Visiting the Li, Liu, and Cun ancestral halls, I learned that these three prominent Heshun surnames all migrated from Sichuan. I liked the Li ancestral hall the most. The entire building is unpainted. Natural wood color, simple, grand, and solemn. I also learned about catalpa wood. This type of wood has a fine texture, is resistant to decay, and does not attract insects. The old town is full of jade and southern red agate. The cultural atmosphere is quite strong. There is an archway at every alley entrance. There are couplets at every door. The laundry area even has pavilions to shelter from wind and rain. This is Heshun's unique way of cherishing women.