Wannan Self-driving Tour (9) One of the Four Great Ancient Cities of China - Huizhou Ancient City

Wannan Self-driving Tour (9) 2022.10.25 Weather: partly cloudy, 14—23 degrees. The temperature has been relatively high in the past two days, with a slight drop today. Within the Anhui section of the Wan-Zhe No.1 Line, there are two famous historical and cultural areas: Tunxi Old Street and Huizhou Ancient City. Tunxi Old Street is the starting point of the Wan-Zhe No.1 Line, located at the confluence of the Hengjiang, Shuishi, and Xin'an rivers in Tunxi District (Image 1). A main street about 800 meters long, with more than 300 Hui-style buildings built in different eras nearby, it is currently one of the most well-preserved ancient streets in China with architectural styles from the Southern Song Dynasty and the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Image 2). Recently, there haven't been many tourists, and the most hawked items on the street are Huangshan pastries, Huangshan tea, the Four Treasures of the Study, as well as stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, and other Hui cuisine. Additionally, on the west side adjacent to Tunxi Old Street, separated by the Tunxi Old Bridge, there is another street called Liyang Water Street, which is also quite famous, a commercial street where ancient Hui-style architecture and modern buildings intertwine (Image 3). Huizhou Ancient City (4A), located on the east bank of the Lianjiang River in Shexian County (Image 4), is known as one of the four best-preserved ancient cities in China, along with Lijiang in Yunnan, Pingyao in Shanxi, and Langzhong in Sichuan. The ancient city was founded during the Qin Dynasty and has been the seat of Huizhou prefecture since the Tang Dynasty (Image 5). Inside the ancient city, the Hui-style architecture with dark tiles and white walls has a quaint charm. Even today, the city is still inhabited by generations of Huizhou people, and walking through it, one can feel a strong sense of historical vicissitudes and profoundness (Image 6). The iconic building of Huizhou Ancient City is the Daxueshi Archway. Its architecture is not the usual four pillars but eight, forming an enclosure on all four sides, a unique example in the whole country (Image 7). The Huizhou Ancient City (Image 8) and Shexian County (Image 9) are also very charming at night. As of the time this article was published, we are already on the way on the 'Sichuan-Tibet Line' in Southern Anhui, staying for one night. Tomorrow, after completing the second half of the 'Sichuan-Tibet Line', we will return to Shanghai, and the final installment of this self-driving tour diary will be shared after arriving in Shanghai.