Huangshan International Hotel T

When I arrived in the airport my guide April was already waiting for me and she took me to the car and I was driven to the Huangshan International Hotel. I checked into the hotel after 9:00pm and so the surrounding shops were all closed, so I explored the hotel for a while before sitting down to write this.

Day4: September 12, 2008
Huangshan
I had breakfast in the hotel and met April at 8:00 in the morning to go to Huangshan. I checked my large suitcase into the hotel because...

Day6: September 14, 2008
Hongcun / Xidi
This morning after eating in the hotel, I was taken to Hongcun and Xidi Villages. I love ancient villages and was worried that since Hongcun and Xido had been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List and has become a very famous destination that it would be painfully touristy and like a theme park. I was delighted to find that that was not the case. There were many little shops of course, but they were located in ancient buildings and were not intr...

Hu Kaiwen Ink Stick Factory

The Hu Kaiwen Ink stick Factory is the oldest continually operating ink stick factory in China. Huangshan is famous for producing the finest traditional Chinese art supplies in China. One of these is ink sticks. Ink sticks are a stick of ink that needs to be ground on an ink stone with a little water to produce ink for painting and calligraphy. I study traditional Chinese landscape painting, and was very excited about visiting the factory. When we arrived,...

Tunxi Ancient Street

Located in the heart of Tunxi City, the Tunxi Ancient Street is an area filled with ancient Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings that have been restored and transformed into a shopping area. I know what you're thinking, another shopping street. This one is unique. The buildings have not been restored to new condition. I guess the word "restored" is a bad choice, maintained is more accurate. Because of this, the street has a lot of charm. It is filled with shops sellin...

Xidi Village

Located outside of Huangshan Mountain, Xidi Village is a stunning example of an ancient Chinese village. Since the village was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, I was afraid it was now touristy and had nothing left to make it feel like a living village. I was happily wrong. Although Xidi Village receives a lot of visitors, it doesn't show. The houses have remained untouched and although there are a lot of shops selling souvenirs, they are kept indoors and do not spr...

Hongcun Village

One of two famous villages located near Huangshan, Hongcun is the more famous of the two because it has been used in several major Chinese movies. The village is gorgeous. I was afraid it would be a tourist trap because it became so famous after being added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Happily, due to the administration of the village elders, the village has stayed a living village and has changed little. There are a lot of visitors every day, but they tend to sta...