# Southern Anhui travel guide (皖南) Anhui Province · East China, China · 20 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/anhui/southern-anhui ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Hongcun → Nanping → Xidi → Tunxi Old Street (stay overnight in Tunxi) - **Day 2:** Tunxi → Huizhou Ancient City → Yuliang → Tangyue Memorial Archways → She County - **Day 3:** She County → Yangchan Earthen Building → Shendu Town (take a boat trip along the Xin'an River Landscape Gallery) → She County - **Day 4:** She County → Jixi → Kengkou → Hu Village ## The feel of the place - **Water:** The southern route is shaped by water, clean and clear. As you walk through village after village, the irrigation channels along the way are always there, wherever you go. Even inside the residential houses, the canal water follows right behind you. - **Tranquillity:** The villages of the southern route are home to simple farming families, an easygoing way of life, a leisurely pace, and green landscapes that always feel cool and peaceful. Here you find not only quiet to the ear, but also stillness of the heart. ## The feel of the place ### Preparation and Advice ### Language You can understand most local dialects, though some local vocabulary can be harder to follow. People in the southern route area who speak Mandarin can all be understood. ### Climate and Best Travel Season The southern route has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an annual average temperature of 15.8℃ and annual rainfall of 1795 mm. May to October is the best time to visit. ## Getting there & around ### By Air Buses to Yi County leave from the Huangshan Scenic Area bus station on the Xinguo Line (新国线黄山风景区汽车站) every day at 8:00, 9:30, 13:20 and 15:50. The fare is ¥25. Visitors going to Xidi can get off at the Xidi junction, then transfer to a bus bound for Xidi from the county town direction, which runs every 20 minutes. The fare is about ¥2. Visitors going to Hongcun or other attractions in Yi County should get off in the county town and transfer to a shuttle bus to Hongcun and other sights, costing about ¥2. ### By Train The railway station closest to Yi County is Huangshan Railway Station. After getting off the train, there are two ways to reach the county town, Xidi or Hongcun: first, hire a taxi at the forecourt of the railway station or airport forecourt, which costs about ¥150 to the county town, about ¥150 to Xidi, and about ¥160 to Hongcun; second, take a bus to Hongcun from the Huangshan Tourism Passenger Transport Center near Huangshan Railway Station, for a fare of ¥30. ### By Road Take a bus bound for Hongcun from Yi County, fare ¥2, arriving in about 40 minutes. From the Yi County bus station, take a minibus to Xidi, fare ¥2. There is a direct minibus to Nanping, fare ¥2, but services are infrequent. You can also take a minibus bound for Xiwu Township to the entrance of Nanping village, then walk 1 km to reach Nanping. Buses from Tunxi bus station run to Hongcun, and the entire journey takes about 1.5 hours. ## Eat & drink Food is central to life, and people on the southern route take eating very seriously. The region has many dishes with distinctive flavours that are truly remarkable. Once you taste them, you will not forget them, and as the flavours linger on your lips and tongue, you will marvel at the extraordinary character of Huizhou culture. ### Recommended Restaurants in Hongcun Several restaurants stand at the entrance of Hongcun village. Stinky Mandarin Fish, purple laver flower braised pork and free-range chicken are among their signature dishes. The village's farmhouse guesthouses also serve local home-style meals, and dining in a farmhouse courtyard is also a good choice. ### Recommended Guesthouses Jucshantang Guesthouse in Hongcun: the house is filled with carved wooden galleries, wooden walls, wooden windows and carved wooden beds, exuding a strong sense of history. Behind the main hall is a waterside pavilion garden, simple and elegant, with a feel of the classical gardens of Jiangnan. This guesthouse was once named one of China's Top 10 Atmospheric Guesthouses, so it is not to be missed by those who seek charm. - address: No. 6 Shangshuizhen, Hongcun, Yi County - phone: 18255917075 13705598177 - **Huizhou Stinky Mandarin Fish** — Huizhou stinky mandarin fish is a traditional delicacy of the southern route, with a history of more than 200 years. The fish is first salted and fermented, then braised. It smells pungent but tastes fragrant, with tender, silky and fresh flesh and a distinctive fermented aroma that leaves you wanting more. - **Laba Tofu** — Laba tofu is a folk speciality of Yi County. On Laba, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month just before Spring Festival, households in Yi County sun-dry tofu. This naturally dried tofu is known as laba tofu. It can be made into many delicious dishes that are very tempting. - **Food in Xidi** — Xidi offers a wide variety of food, including Laba porridge, shitou guo (stone-pan cakes), Huizhou guo, bolu guo (corn cakes), bolu song, crab-shell yellow flatbread, Wucheng dried tofu, pan-fried fresh tofu and crispy flatbread. Be sure to try some of these local specialities when you visit Xidi. ## Shopping The southern route is rich in local products. Among the most famous are Huizhou ink, one of the Four Treasures of the Study, Shexian inkstone, and tea, a popular gift. - **Shexian Inkstone** — Shexian inkstone is among the finest inkstones. Its value lies in carvings that display the characteristics of Huizhou stone carving, with vigorous and elegant knife work. Many shops in Shexian County sell Huizhou ink and Shexian inkstone, but quality varies, so if you plan to buy, ask someone knowledgeable to help you judge. - **Tea** — Top-grade teas such as Haibei Tuzhu, Huangshan Green Peony, Huangshan Maofeng and Dinggu Dafang have long enjoyed a strong reputation at home and abroad. - **Huizhou Tribute Chrysanthemum** — A superior variety selected from among chrysanthemum populations, originally grown around Jinzhuling in Shexian County. It is valued both for ornamental beauty and for medicinal use. ## Where to stay There are many guesthouses in the villages along the southern route. Prices are low and the surroundings are pleasant. - **Hongcun Guo Family Courtyard** — Located within the Chinese Painting Village scenic area, only a 2-minute walk from Nanhu Lake and Yuezhao Pond. (Within the Chinese Painting Village scenic area, 0559-5541216/13855981974) ## Things to see - **Tunxi Old Street** (★★★★): Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tunxi-old-street - **Huizhou District** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/huizhou-district - **Chengkan** (★★★): Admission ¥107; Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/chengkan - **Xixinan Ancient Village** (★★★): Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xixinan-ancient-village - **She County** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/she-county - **Yuliang** (★★★): Admission ¥30; Opening hours 7：30—17：00; Time needed 0.5–1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yuliang - **Tangyue Memorial Archways** (★★★★): Admission ¥100; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tangyue-memorial-archways - **Yangchan Earthen Building** (★★★★): Admission Free; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yangchan-earthen-building - **Shitan Village** (★★★): Admission Free; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shitan-village - **Huizhou Ancient City** (★★★★): Admission Huizhou Prefectural Yamen admission: ¥60; Opening hours 8：00—17：00; Time needed 0.5 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/huizhou-ancient-city - **Xucun Village** (★★★): Admission ¥40; Opening hours 8：00—17：00; Time needed 1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xucun-village - **Jixi** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/jixi - **Kengkou** (★★★★): Time needed 0.5 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/kengkou - **Huihang Ancient Trail** (★★★★): Admission ¥62; Opening hours 6：00—18：00; Time needed 2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/huihang-ancient-trail - **Yi County** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yi-county - **Xidi** (★★★★): Admission ¥104; Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xidi - **Hongcun** (★★★★): Admission ¥104; Time needed 2–5 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hongcun - **Nanping** (★★★★): Admission ¥43; Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/nanping - **Qiyun Mountain** (★★★★): Admission Peak season ¥68; off-season ¥60; Opening hours 8：00—17：00; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/qiyun-mountain - **Southern Sichuan–Tibet Highway (G318)** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/southern-sichuan-tibet-highway-g318 --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1282–1300. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.