This Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) built street, 1,273 meters in length, was a major commodity distribution center in Anhui Province during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has been well preserved by local residents and is now a shopping precinct in Ming and Qing architectural style.
Rambling along Tunxi Old Street, tourists will feel as if they were in a street of the ancient times. It is paved by the maroon granite slab, long and narrow, with many lanes crisscrossing each other, like a fish skeleton, is very convenient to reach any corner of its nearby places. Row upon row of shops built along the street orderly, all half-timbered, with white wall, and covered by grey tiles.
Beautiful carvings are found on the windows and door lintels of the street houses. Most of the houses on the street have several doors to be walked through to reach the last rooms, their passageways are dark and narrow, but there are dooryards for lighting. The unique high horse-head walls separate the shops, which show the beauty of the Anhui-style architectural complex.
In this street, you may shop in the oldest stores in Huangshan City, of which some have run for centuries. There are curios, Chinese four treasures of the study (i.e. writing brush, ink, stick, ink slab, rice paper), traditional Chinese paintings of the Anhui-school style, engravings, rubbings from the tablets, inscriptions, baubles and many tourist souvenirs for selling.
All in all, when you trip to Huangshan you should not miss Tunxi Old Street because it is a window to see through the culture of Anhui and a natural photo studio of southern China. Its enchantment has overwhelmed all the tourists from home and abroad!