14 Days in Huangshan

The old street runs 1,272 meters of Ming-and-Qing shopfronts; stock up on tea and ink sticks and let jet lag wash out on the riverside.

1. huangshan tunxi old street

The Huizhou culture museum orders two weeks of merchant houses into one narrative — clans, pawnshops, salt permits; dinner back on the old street.

1. huangshan huizhou culture museum
2. huangshan tunxi old street

Cable car up the Yungu side; the Beihai terraces and Shixin peaks first, Guangmingding at 1,860 meters by late light. The mountain is a 1990 dual listing.

1. huangshan scenic area

A full loop of the west canyon's gorges — the internal funicular spares the knees; sunset back on the summit terraces.

1. huangshan scenic area

Early light at Yupinglou and the Guest-Greeting Pine, then down by the west cable car; recover in Tangkou with a long lunch before the Tunxi bus.

1. huangshan scenic area

About 65 km west into Yi County; the Moon Pond and South Lake mirror the 1855 Chengzhi Hall. Both this village and Xidi were inscribed together in 2000.

1. Hongcun

Xidi keeps its 1578 memorial arch and rows of merchant courtyards; quiet Pingshan, a short drive east, lines a stream with ancestral halls.

1. huangshan xidi
2. huangshan pingshan village

Chengkan claims Han-era founding; the Qiankou open-air museum moved timber houses here hall by hall to save them from demolition.

1. huangshan chengkan
2. huangshan qiankou residences

The eight-legged stone arch of 1584, the restored prefecture offices and the river weir below town — the old capital of Huizhou deserves a full day on foot.

1. huangshan huizhou ancient city

Seven arches line the field path at Tangyue — three Ming, four Qing — telling the Bao clan's story of loyalty and filial duty; the landscaped garden next door pairs with them.

1. huangshan tangyue archways
2. huangshan bao family garden

West in Xiuning county, the low sandstone mesa tops out at 585 meters; Taoist halls tuck into cliffs along a ridge walk of a few hours.

1. huangshan qiyun mountain

From She county's Deep Ferry wharf, boats drift the river gallery past orange groves and whitewashed banks toward the Zhejiang border — a slow water day.

1. huangshan xinanjiang gallery

An honestly labeled side day — Jingxian belongs to Xuancheng, about two hours away; its Chaji village stacks Ming-and-Qing houses along streams, a different flavor of Huizhou.

1. xuancheng

One last old-street breakfast, a riverside walk, and the train from Huangshan North on the Hangzhou line opened in 2018.

1. huangshan tunxi old street