The Xin’an River Landscape Gallery Scenic Area (新安江山水画廊景区) is located in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, stretching approximately 100 miles. This area is renowned for its unique combination of China’s Huizhou culture, natural landscapes, and ancient villages. The ecological environment on both sides of the river features a layered structure of “high mountain forests, mid-mountain tea plantations, low mountain orchards, and fish in the river.” Traditional Huizhou-style ancient residences are nestled among the green hills and clear waters, with the Xin’an River, often referred to as the “Oriental Danube,” flowing through. The scenery changes with the seasons, resembling a moving landscape painting, hence the name “Xin’an River Hundred-Mile Gallery.”
The scenic area passes through Shexian County, Xiong Village, Taohuaba (or Yuliang), Pukou, Nanyuan Pass, Kengkou, Zhangtan, Miantan, and Yuetan, ending in Shendu Town. Along the way, you can visit attractions such as the Jiusha Ancient Residences, Santan Loquat Garden, Mian Tan Hui Opera, cormorant fishing, Zhangtan’s millennium-old camphor tree, and the Huizhou Ten-Mile Bridal Procession Museum.
Table of Contents
- Basic Information
- Location and Transportation
- Highlights of Xi’an River Landscape Gallery
- Vlog about Xin’an River Landscape Gallery
- Delicious Local Food
- Other Notable Attractions in Huangshan City
Basic Information
| Estimated Length of Tour | Half a day |
| Ticket Price | Admssion: 80 RMB Boat Trip: 78 RMB Combined Ticket: 148 RMB including admission, boat trip, Jiuxing Fishing Performance, and Local Village |
| Opening Hours | 8.00 – 17.00 |
| Telephone Number | 0086-0559-6511599 0086-0559-6812333 |
Location and Transportation
The Xin’an River Landscape Gallery is located in Shendu Town, Shexian County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, along Huangshan Avenue. To get there, take a bus from the Shexian Bus Station to Shendu Port (深渡港), where you can board a boat to explore the scenic landscape gallery.
Highlights of Xi’an River Landscape Gallery
Nanyuan Pass
Nanyuan Pass is located at the starting point of the Xin’an River Landscape Gallery, near the fork of the old Hui-Hang Road and the Jinshan Interchange of the Hui-Hang Expressway, approximately 15 kilometers from Shexian County. As the starting point of the landscape gallery, Nanyuan Pass not only serves as a scenic area for sightseeing and recreation but also functions as the main entrance and tourist reception center.
Ancient Villages
The Xin’an River Landscape Gallery Scenic Area features a layered ecological landscape with high mountain forests, mid-mountain tea plantations, low mountain orchards, and fish-filled waters. This unique ecosystem is complemented by the ancient villages and residences with white walls and black tiles nestled among the green mountains and clear waters. These elements together create a beautiful Chinese landscape painting, where the mountains seem to rise from the painting and the villages are reflected in the water. Along the river, there are scattered ancient villages such as Jiusha, Xinyang residences, old workshops, Longmen Waterfall, Dachuan Island, Phoenix Island, and various rural tourism spots.
Three Pools (Santans)
Santans refers to three villages named after the deep pools in the Xin’an River: Yuetan, Zhangtan, and Miantan. The section of the Xin’an River from the Three Pools in Shexian County to Shendu Town is considered the essence of the Xin’an River Landscape Gallery. The loquat orchards along the slopes, the rapeseed flowers surrounding the villages and near the water, and the scattered Huizhou-style ancient villages together form a picturesque natural landscape.
Zhangtan Village
Zhangtan Village is located along the Xin’an River in Shexian County. At the end of Yuetan Village, under a large tree, stands a huge rock known as the “Echoing Stone.” The famous musician Zhang Shu often practiced his voice on this rock during his childhood, earning it the name “Echoing Stone.” Within Zhangtan Village stands a thousand-year-old camphor tree, towering at 26 meters with a trunk circumference of 9.2 meters, requiring more than ten people to encircle it.
Vlog about Xin’an River Landscape Gallery
Delicious Local Food
Huizhou Molded Tofu: Huizhou Molded Tofu is a traditional dish from the ancient Huizhou region in Anhui Province. It involves several steps, including selecting raw ingredients, adding coagulant, solidifying, unmolding, cutting into blocks, and allowing the tofu to grow mold. Through artificial fermentation, a layer of white mold forms on the surface of the tofu. This fermentation process converts the plant proteins in the tofu into various amino acids, resulting in an exceptionally fresh and savory flavor when cooked. It is often referred to as “Huizhou’s first oddity: tofu grows mold and becomes a gourmet dish.”
Huizhou Stone Cake: Huizhou Stone Cake is a famous Huizhou snack and a traditional pastry. The name comes from the fact that the cake is flattened using a stone, hence the name “Stone Cake.” There are three main types based on the ingredients: rice flour cake, oil flour cake, and corn flour cake. The filling is typically made from fresh Chinese toon shoots picked in spring, which are juiced, dried, chopped, and mixed with diced pork and roasted soybean flour. The filling is wrapped in dough, flattened into a round shape, and then cooked on a flat pan to create the Stone Cake.
Huizhou Bao Fu Dumplings: Huizhou Bao Fu Dumplings originated in the area around Shendu Wharf in Shexian County, ancient Huizhou. The dumplings are named for their unique shape, resembling a bundle (Bao Fu) carried by Huizhou merchants. The “Bao Fu” refers to one of the three essential items – bundle, umbrella, and dry rations – that ancient Huizhou people used to carry when leaving home. The dumplings are wrapped in square-shaped skins that resemble the traditional bundles, hence the name.
