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Ancient Huizhou Culture Area: The Merchant Capital Behind Huangshan

Scenic
Sep 30, 2026
Tangyue Memorial Archways, a row of grey stone arches among green fields and trees in the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area

The Ancient Huizhou Culture Area is the part of a Huangshan trip most people skip. They climb the mountain, visit Hongcun, then leave. Fair enough. But the white walls and carved gateways in those villages were paid for by someone, and that someone lived, traded and got honoured here. This 5A area is really the old capital of Huizhou and its home villages: the town that ran the region, the stone arches that judged its families, and the clan villages that merchant money built. Seen together, they explain the postcards. So this guide treats it as one story over two days, not five separate tickets.

What the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area Actually Includes

Here is the first surprise. It is not one site. The rating, granted in November 2014, covers five separate scenic spots (Wikipedia, 2026a):

  • Huizhou Ancient City (徽州古城), the walled town of Shexian, with Yuliang Dam just outside it;
  • Tangyue Memorial Archways and the Bao Family Garden (棠樾牌坊群·鲍家花园);
  • Chengkan (呈坎), a clan village laid out by feng shui;
  • Tangmo (唐模), a canal-side village with a garden;
  • Qiankou Folk Residences (潜口民宅), an open-air museum of rescued Ming houses.

Worth saying clearly, too: Tunxi Old Street is not part of it. Many guides blur the two. Tunxi is the modern city centre of Huangshan and a handy base, but the 5A lies 20–40 km away, in Shexian and Huizhou District.

Why the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area Is Worth Two Days

A capital, not a village

Shexian was the seat of Huizhou Prefecture through the Ming and Qing dynasties (Wikipedia, 2026b). China often lists it with Pingyao, Lijiang and Langzhong as one of four well-kept old towns (China Daily, 2018). Yet it gets a fraction of their visitors. That is the point, really. People still live here, and the old streets are free to walk.

Merchant money, sent home

Huizhou’s merchants traded salt, tea and timber across the lower Yangtze. However, they built at home. Think of Renaissance families who made money in Florence or Venice, then endowed chapels in their home parish. The idea is similar. Here, though, the returns went into ancestral halls, schools and, above all, stone arches.

Ink, stone and a scholar’s desk

She County has long been known for fine ink and for She inkstones, two of the “four treasures” on a Chinese scholar’s desk (Wikipedia, 2026b). You will see small workshops in the old town. Frankly, an inkstone makes a better souvenir than most of what Tunxi sells. It is heavy, though, so maybe buy it last.

A moral scoreboard in stone

A paifang was an honour granted, or at least approved, by the court. Western towns put up statues of generals. Huizhou put up arches for filial sons, generous donors and — less comfortably — widows who never remarried. The arches read like a public ledger of virtue. And that is exactly why they are fascinating now.

Best Time to Visit

Late March to early April brings rapeseed flowers around the villages. October and November are dry, clear and mild, probably the best all-round window. Summer is humid, with heavy rain in June. Meanwhile, winter is quiet and grey but cheap. Still, avoid the May Day and October Golden Week holidays; Chengkan in particular fills up with tour groups.

How to Get to the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area

The Hangzhou–Huangshan high-speed line is the easy way in. The fastest trains from Hangzhou East take about 1 hour 43 minutes to Huangshan North (China Highlights, n.d.). Some also stop at Shexian North, which serves She County directly (Wikipedia, 2026c).

  • Base: Tunxi for choice and food, or Shexian old town for atmosphere.
  • Between sites: local buses exist but run slowly. A DiDi between neighbouring spots costs very roughly 30–70 CNY.
  • Simplest plan: hire a driver for a day. Ask your hotel.

If you are also doing the mountain, our Huangshan travel guide covers the cable cars and the overnight question.

A Two-Day Route Through the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area

Day 1 morning: Huizhou Ancient City

Start at the Xuguo Archway, right in the town centre. Built in 1584 for the Grand Secretary Xu Guo, it has eight legs instead of the usual four — locals call it the “eight-footed arch” (Wikipedia, 2026d). Look for the twelve stone lions. Then walk the lanes. The rebuilt Prefecture Office (徽州府衙) is the one paid stop in town.

Day 1 afternoon: Yuliang and Tangyue

Yuliang Dam sits about 1 km south of town. First built in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt in 1605, it held the river so merchant boats could sail for Zhejiang and Jiangsu (Wikipedia, 2026e). Put simply, this was where Huizhou’s traders left home. The cobbled Yuliang Street beside it is lovely late in the day.

Next, Tangyue, about 10 km away. Seven arches stand in a single line on the path into the Bao clan village, three Ming and four Qing, dated 1420 to 1820 (Wikipedia, 2026f). Walk them in order and the stories shift. Early ones praise filial sons. Later ones honour chaste widows and, finally, a salt merchant’s charity. Also, do not miss Qingyi Tang, an ancestral hall built for the clan’s women. Halls like that are unusual in China, so it adds a twist to the chastity arches outside.

Day 2 morning: Chengkan

Chengkan is the Luo clan’s village, founded in the late Tang and sited by feng shui (Wikipedia, 2026g). The lanes are said to follow a Bagua pattern, so getting lost is sort of the design. The highlight is the Luo Dongshu Ancestral Hall, a national heritage site since 1996. Its rear hall, Baolun Ge, is the part to linger in. Look up, mostly — the carved and painted woodwork is the reason people come.

Day 2 afternoon: Qiankou and Tangmo

Qiankou is a museum village. From 1984, about a dozen Ming buildings that could not survive in place were taken apart and rebuilt here (Wikipedia, 2026h). It is the easiest place to compare house plans side by side. Tangmo, next door, is gentler: a stream, a covered bridge and the Tangan Garden. Local lore says a merchant built it as a small West Lake for his mother. Nice story; treat it as a story.

Ancient Huizhou Culture Area Tickets (2026)

Each spot sells its own ticket. Prices below were checked on Chinese booking sites in September 2026, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise:

  • Huizhou Ancient City: streets free; Prefecture Office about 45 CNY (Hefei Bendibao, 2023).
  • Chengkan: about 107 CNY (Wander in China, 2026).
  • Tangyue and Bao Garden: roughly 100 CNY.
  • Tangmo: roughly 80 CNY.
  • Five-site pass: a two-day combined ticket has been sold at around 220 CNY. Ask at the first counter.

Children 6 and under and visitors 65 and over usually enter free, but bring your passport. Most counters open around 7:30 am and close by 5:30 pm.

What to Eat

  • Hairy tofu (毛豆腐) — fermented until fuzzy, then pan-fried. Better than it sounds.
  • Stinky mandarin fish (臭鳜鱼) — the region’s signature dish.
  • Crab-shell sesame cakes (蟹壳黄) — small, flaky, good for the car.
  • Local green tea — Huangshan Maofeng is grown in these hills.

Practical Tips

  • Visa: check whether your passport qualifies for visa-free entry before you book.
  • Payment: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card; village stalls rarely take cards.
  • Language: English signs are thin outside Chengkan. A translation app helps with the arch inscriptions.
  • Shoes: stone lanes get slippery in rain.

Common Mistakes in the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area

  • Thinking Tunxi Old Street is the 5A. It is a shopping street; the history is in Shexian.
  • Trying all five in one day. Possible, but you will see gates, not places.
  • Arriving at Tangyue at noon. Groups peak then. Late afternoon light suits the grey stone better anyway.
  • Skipping the old town because it is free. Honestly, free is its best feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Ancient Huizhou Culture Area the same as Hongcun and Xidi?

No. Hongcun and Xidi are UNESCO villages in Yi County, rated separately. This area covers Shexian and Huizhou District instead.

How many days does it need?

Two relaxed days, or one busy day covering the town, Tangyue and Chengkan.

Can I visit without a car?

Yes, with DiDi and some patience. A hired driver saves a lot of time, though.

Where else in the province fits this trip?

Our Anhui travel guide maps the rest of the south, including Mount Jiuhua.

The Short Version

Hongcun shows you what Huizhou looked like. The Ancient Huizhou Culture Area shows you why. Walk the free old town, read the seven arches at Tangyue, get lost in Chengkan. Then the villages you saw on the way to the mountain will make a lot more sense.

References