Tunxi

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 is a hill town, is the seat of the Huangshan Municipal Government. The lush Huashan Hill and Yangmei Hill lie across the city. The Xin'an River which is joined by Hengjiang River and Shuai Shui River flows through the city. Hence, Tunxi is also known as a, river town. It is today a garden city as well as the tourist center of Southern Anhui. Tunxi has been a strategic location throughout the past dynasties. It became a thriving commercial city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties when trade was most prosperous in Anhui. The old street is also referred to as Song Town in an epitome of its glorious past. Pave with slab stone, the one-mile winding, and fascinating ancient streets in the urban district is an ancient and bustling street well preserved in China. 0n both sides of the street are shops in classical Ming and Qing architectural style, with resplendent halls, exquisite pavilions, carved doors and windows, black tiles and whitewashed walls. This plus the Xin'an River nearby provides the living history of the social life of the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as ideal background for shooting films of classical themes. Over 20 films and TV plays based on classical Chinese stories have been shot here. Tunxi is also the birthplace of many renowned historical figures. There is located the residence of Cheng Dawei, a famous Ming mathematician as well as the magnificent residence of Cheng Minzheng, a noted Ming writer. The memorial museum for Dai Zhen, a famous Qing philosopher, is also in Tunxi. These places are frequented by visitors. What is also worth mentioning is that the factory making the famous Anhui ink stick is also located in Tunxi. The factory has over 7,800 mould plates for making ink stick, which are considered a national treasure. Tunxi is a city newly opened to tourist. It has area of 120 square kilometers and a population of 100000. As its buildings are after the fashion of the Song Dynasty, Tunxi is also called "Song City". The local products include the famous tea such as "Tunlu", "Qihong", "Houkui", "Huangshan Maofeng", and Huizhou's ink stick, Shexian's ink slab (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 marvelous Huangshan Mountain as well.