Located in east China's Anhui Province, Xidi ancient village is a UNESCO's World Heritage Site that was built nearly 1,000 years ago. The village is home to 224 well-preserved Hui-style ancient wooden dwellings, which makes fire prevention a top priority.
Every day around midnight, a watchman would sound the gongs while patrolling the village's crisscrossing alleys to give fire prevention reminders to residents. The procedure is known as "Dageng", a night watch tradition that meant a lot to public security in ancient times.
Although the job gradually became obsolete in many other places, it was kept with minor adjustments in Xidi ancient village, where the watchmen are still on duty every night to guard the UNESCO's World Heritage site.
Lu Lei, a night watch patrols at Xidi ancient village, east China's Anhui Province, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
Aerial photo taken on July 29, 2021 shows a view of Xidi ancient village, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
