Tunxi Old Street

Tunxi Old Street runs about a kilometre and a half along the Xin'an river in what is now Huangshan City, a merchant street whose origins go back to the Song and whose surviving buildings are largely Ming and Qing: two-storey timber shopfronts with lattice fronts, hanging signs and the stepped gables of Huizhou style, opening onto a stone-paved lane. It traded in tea, ink, brushes, inkstones and Huizhou goods, and still sells them alongside souvenirs, with ink and inkstone workshops among the more genuine survivals. The street is the practical base for visiting Huangshan, Hongcun and Xidi, and is at its best in the evening when the lanterns are lit.

What you actually see

• The timber shopfronts - Ming and Qing buildings along a stone-paved lane.
• The ink and inkstone shops - Huizhou's traditional scholar goods.
• The evening lanterns - the street lit after dark.
• The river frontage - the Xin'an running alongside the old town.

When to go

March to May and September to November, matching the season for Huangshan and the villages; evenings are the best time on the street itself. Summer is hot and humid, winter cool and damp.

Honest expectations

Much of the street sells generic souvenirs rather than local craft. It is busy in the evening in season. The street is a stop rather than a destination, useful because most visitors stay here anyway.

Nearby

Huangshan rises north; Hongcun and Xidi lie northwest.