Yi county is one of the birthplaces of "Hui Merchants" and "Hui culture", as well as a provincial historical and cultural city in Anhui Province. There are a large number of Ming and Qing Dynasty dwellings, ancestral halls, memorial archways, gardens, as well as the world cultural heritage Xidi and Hongcun ancient villages. Yi county is also known as "village in Chinese painting" and "family in Taohuayuan". Xidi and Hongcun were included in the world cultural heritage list in 2000, and were successfully promoted to national 5A scenic spots in May 2011.
Yi county has won more than 10 national honors, including China's strong tourism County, national cultural tourism demonstration county, China's most culturally attractive tourism County, national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration county, China's most happy leisure city, national top 10 county tourism stars, China's rural B & B development demonstration county, and the world's top 100 sustainable destinations. In September 2019, it will be selected as one of the first batch of national global tourism demonstration zones.