At the foot of the Mt. Huangshan, in the bend of Xin'an River, lies the beautiful mountain town called Tunxi . The Tunxi Ancient Street can be found in this old city. The street starts in the west at Zhenhai Bridge, a stone arch bridge built during the Ming Dynasty, and ends in the east at the Memorial Archway. Its total length is about 1.5km and the sides of the street are laid with slab stones. Most of the buildings in the street are only three stories high, stone-based and brick-laid. They are decorated with small green tiles, wood carvings in the Hui style, ancient shop signs, and red-lacquered with double eaves on the roofs. They are simple and elegant, magnificent and clean.
Tunxi Ancient Street is lined with antique shops, medicine shops, teahouses, restaurants and galleries. Many of these shops have been opened for more than a hundred years. Many of the shops carry the Four Treasures of the Study (Wen Fang Si Bao), which are the paintbrush, ink, inkstone, and rice paper used by artists to create traditional Chinese paintings. Huangshan is famous throughout China for creating the best hand-made artist supplies. The shops, workshops and residences here have continued to maintain the characteristics and operational layout of ancient stores.
Surrounded by so many beautiful and elegant works of art, the Tunxi Ancient Street is like a simple and unadorned artist's gallery. It is a paradise for tourists to buy souvenirs rich in Chinese culture at comparatively low prices and is a must-see before or after hiking to Huangshan.