Tunxi District ---- Gateway To Huangshan City

Tunxi is an ancient city with a long history. Early in the Qin and Han dynasties (more than 2200 years ago) a prefecture was set up. During the period of the Three Kingdoms, Mao Gan, a general of the state of Wu, once quartered his army in Tunxi. As for that the name Tunxi came into existence.
Tunxi, a beautiful mountain city, is situated by the side of Xin'an River. It is surrounded by green mountain with delighted of forests and graceful region of rivers and lakes, giving you poetic flavour. Of all ages many writers, poets, painters and photographers, reluctant to leave, have done many a piece of excellent works in praise of the mountain city.
Tunxi is a city newly-opened to tourist. It has area of 120 square kilometers and a population of 100000. There are many place of historical interest and men of letters here. Pave with slab stone, the one-mile winding, and fascinating ancient street in the urban district is an ancient and bustling street well preserved in China. Shops on both sides of the street are built perfect order and antique style. As its buildings are after the fashion of the Song Dynasty, Tunxi is also called "Song City".
There are the Linjiang Park, Huangshan Park, Jiangxin Zhou Golden-Fish Park and other scenic spots in the city proper.27 kilometers to the east of the city, the town of Shexian (the old seat of Huizhou Prefecture) was set up in the Qin Dynasty (about 2300 years ago). Since the Song Dynasty it has gradually become the "Home of Culture". Xin'an paint school, Xin'an medicine, Anhui engraving, brick and wood carving of Anhui school, Anhui Opera, Anhui cuisine and Anhui businessmen, to some degree, all had their place in China's history, hence the saying "It's not a town without Anhui stores". Place of historic interest include the Memorial Archway of Xuguo of the Ming Dynasty, Taibai Pavilion, Taiping Bridge, the East and south Watchtowers of the Song Dynasty, Pagoda of Changqing Temple, and Xinzhou Stonetower. After a bus drive of 33 kilometers, you can get to the beautiful Qiyun Mountain--the sacred Place of Taoism in China. Xu Xiake, a well-known traveller in the Ming Dynasty, had this remark:"the most mysterious scene in the Qiyun Mountain is the flying-down waterfall." Qianlong, emperor of the Qing Dynasty, described it as "None are equal to the mountain which is the greatest in South Anhui."
The located products include the famous tea such as "Tunlu", "Qihong", "Houkui", "Huangshan Maofeng", and Huizhou's inkstick, Shexian's inkslab (two of the "four treasures of the study" in China), and lacquer-ware, bamboo weaving, and etc.
With pleasant weather, Tunxi is suitable for tourism all the year round. It is an ideal scenic spot and the only way to the marvellous Huangshan Mountain as well.

Tunxi
Like many growing Chinese cities, there are two vaguely distinct parts to TUNXI : an older town, down along the north bank of the Xin'an River ; and a newer quarter focused around the train and bus stations a kilometre or so to the northeast along Huang Shan Lu. If you haven't the time to explore more widely, there are two old houses to check out in the backstreets south of Huang Shan Lu, though you'll need a map to find them - pick one up at arrival points. Both houses belonged to the Ming-dynasty Cheng family , and are classic examples of the indigenous Huizhou style , of which you'll find plenty more at Shexian or Yixian. Neither building is well marked, and the more easterly house - that of the mathematician Cheng Dawei - is in a sorry state of repair, but their plan, of two floors of galleried rooms based around a courtyard, proved so popular that it became the benchmark of urban domestic architecture in central and eastern China.

For more, head down to Tunxi's historic, flagstoned Lao Jie - Old Street - reached off the southern end of Huang Shan Lu by pushing on over Xin'an Lu. Here, 500m of Ming shops running parallel to the river have been nicely restored for visitors, selling local teas, medicinal herbs and all manner of artistic materials and "antiques" - ink stones, brushes, Mao badges, decadent advertising posters from the 1930s, and carved wooden panels prised off old buildings. A few genuine businesses stand out, notably an apothecary sporting 1920s timber decor, and several small dumpling houses filled with local clientele. You'll also see characteristic horse head gables rising above the rooflines in steps. These originated as fire baffles between adjoining houses, stopping the spread of flames from building to building, but around Tunxi (and adjoining regions of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, for that matter) they've become somewhat decorative affairs.