by Nicole Chabot

FOR AN authentic experience of Chinese village life, it's hard to beat a stay at the Pig's Heaven Inn Xidi. The guesthouse is located in Xidi village, also in Yi county in Huangshan. Such is the beauty of the village and its sylvan feng shui setting that in 2000 it too picked up a coveted Unesco World Heritage Site listing.

There's nothing to suggest from its exterior that the Pig's Heaven Inn Xidi is a hotel. The 6,500-sq-ft, three-storey guesthouse looks identical to other houses in Xidi. The building dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and exemplifies the widely lauded Hui architectural style.

The soaring horse-head walls and grey-tiled roof cut a dignified silhouette while the carved door shadow denotes social standing. Then there's the sky well, a rectangle cut out of the roof which lets in water. The hotel certainly isn't of the bland, big-is-best school of modern Chinese architecture.

The six rooms are individually furnished, with rates at 300-800 renminbi per night. Some contain futons, others wonderful Chinese beds of carved wood. All of the bedrooms have heated shower rooms, heaters and electric blankets, and some have TVs and radios.

Pigtailed local girls who double as cooks serve meals in the ground-floor reception room or at the long table on the terrace where the pigs used to be kept. The terrace contains potted plants, a koi pond, creepers and an old stand-up radio, through which 1950s singers croon. Anhui food is one of the eight major cuisines in China and the Pig's Heaven Inn Xidi is a great place to try it. Breakfast, which is included, is likely to feature congee, fried eggs and spring onion pancakes. Lunch and dinner, available on request, might include dishes such as spicy lake fish hot pot, fresh greens with tofu strips and noodles fashioned from sweet potato.
There's nothing to suggest from its exterior that the Pig's Heaven Inn Xidi is a hotel. The 6,500-sq-ft, three-storey guesthouse looks identical to other houses in Xidi. The building dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and exemplifies the widely lauded Hui architectural style.

 The second floor of the Pig's Heaven Inn Xidi includes a music area with easy chairs, an eclectic CD library and an impressive ink stone collection. An outdoor viewing platform provides both total tranquillity and breathtakingly picturesque views over ancient grey-tiled rooftops.

The Pig's Heaven Inn Bishan, which shares the same husband-and-wife owners, opened in June 2008 on the back of the success of the first hotel. It's a 10-minute drive from the Xidi hotel and, at more than 14,000 sq ft and 600-1,000 renminbi per night, it dwarfs the former. The property was the dwelling of a businessman before it was divided into four parts to house impoverished families. Its combination of traditional Hui architecture and modern amenities gives it an upscale vibe.

Like the area that surrounds them, the two piggy properties are a glimpse into a slower-paced, bucolic China quite at odds with the frenetic speed of much of the country today. For people wishing to withdraw from city life and get back in touch with their own personal hidden dragon, there's no better place to do it.