Do you need to book Xidi in advance?

Yes — Xidi in Hongcun & Xidi runs on real-name advance reservation. A foreign passport works as the real-name ID. Use the official channel linked below and confirm its current ID requirements before paying.

Verified 2026-06-13 · rules change; confirm on the official channel before you travel

The booking rule, in detail

Reservation
Required in advance
Foreign passport
A foreign passport works as the real-name ID.

How a foreign visitor actually books it

A separate ticket from Hongcun — buy it at Xidi's own gate with your passport, or in the same 徽黄游 mini-program. The official Xidi scenic-area site even has English/Korean/Japanese versions, but the actual booking flow is the Chinese mini-program, so plan on the manual window with a passport. Real-name ticket; carry your passport for the gate.

What else to know

The official booking page is chinaxidi.com.cn, the official Xidi operator site (黟县徽黄西递旅游开发有限公司, part of the 徽黄 group). Important: Xidi is NOT included in your Hongcun ticket — it's its own ~¥104 ticket, also valid roughly three days with multiple entries. Xidi is the older, more lived-in village: intact Ming-Qing residences, the stone memorial archway (胡文光牌坊) and ancestral halls, and noticeably fewer tour buses than Hongcun. There's also a paid evening light/performance show in season. Pair the two villages over a day or two rather than trying to rush both in a morning.

If the official channel does not work

Do not assume an unrecorded booking route is available. Recheck the operator’s current instructions; where the interface itself is the obstacle, the practical mechanics are in buying tickets the official way and booking without WeChat.

Other Hongcun & Xidi sights and their booking rules

Full city context, hotels that register foreigners, and what to eat: Hongcun & Xidi guide. Release times across every city we track are in Reservation Radar.