How to Enjoy Autumn in Southern Anhui: From Huangling to Tachuan, Embrace All the Autumn Romance

Who understands! Deep autumn in Southern Anhui is not Jiangnan at all; it’s like a spilled palette of colors—red chili peppers hang from the horse-head walls in Huangling, the maple and sweetgum trees dye the valleys in Tachuan, the moon pond in Hongcun reflects golden yellow Chinese tallow trees, and even the morning mist on the bluestone slabs carries the scent of osmanthus✨ Here’s a comprehensive guide to avoid pitfalls—newcomers can follow it exactly to capture the soul of autumn in Southern Anhui!

🍂 First, lock in the essentials! Key information for autumn viewing in Southern Anhui

Best Time

- Peak drying season: Mid to late October to early November (Huangling/Chengkan are in full drying mode, with chili peppers, corn, and pumpkins covering the drying racks)
- Peak red leaves: Mid-November to early December (Tachuan’s red leaves are most vibrant, and the morning mist in Xieli combined with red leaves is breathtaking)
- Off-peak reminder: Don’t go to Tachuan on weekends! Expect 3-hour traffic jams if driving; it’s better to go Thursday to Friday when there are half as many people

Transportation Tips (Avoiding traffic jams is key!)

- Major transport:
- Airplane: Fly to Huangshan Tunxi International Airport, then a 15-minute taxi ride to Tunxi city center, followed by a minibus to the ancient villages
- High-speed rail: Prefer “Huangshan North Station” (40 minutes from Hongcun/Tachuan), avoid “Shexian North Station” (far from main scenic areas)
- Local transport:
- Self-driving: Southern Anhui has many mountain roads, an SUV is more stable; download offline maps in advance (mountain areas have poor signal). Some roads are restricted during the November red leaf season; start before 7 AM to avoid controls.
- Public transport: Tunxi bus station has direct minibuses to Hongcun/Huangling (20-30 RMB per person, 1.5 hours), but service is limited (last bus at 4:30 PM), so check schedules in advance.
- Village transport: Hongcun/Xidi are walkable; Huangling requires a scenic cable car ride (included in ticket); in Tachuan to Xieli, you can rent electric scooters (50 RMB/day, very convenient for red leaf photography along the way).

🚗 5 days 4 nights Southern Anhui autumn viewing route! Follow the order to avoid detours

Day 1: Arrive in Tunxi → Explore Jiangnan at night

1. Afternoon: Arrive in Tunxi, first visit Liyang In Alley (less crowded than Tunxi Old Street), with bluestone paths and red lanterns, perfect for photographing “Hui-style architecture + sunset.” Try the “Hui-style paper cutting” workshop in the alley, 30 RMB per piece as a souvenir.
2. Evening: Stroll Tunxi Old Street, feel the lively atmosphere of the ancient street, avoid overpriced trendy shops, focus on the old buildings with blue bricks and black tiles.
3. Night: Walk along Xin’an River night scene, see the gentle light reflections of lanterns on the water. When the light show starts, the atmosphere is even better. No need to wait for the whole show; a few photos are very photogenic.

Day 2: Hongcun → Tachuan (First encounter with red leaves)

1. Early morning 7 AM: Drive from Tunxi to Hongcun (1 hour), arrive before tour groups enter. The moon pond in the morning has no visitors, perfect for shooting “white walls, black tiles + morning mist + reflections.” Before the sun rises, it looks like an ink painting.
2. Morning: Explore Hongcun’s core area—Chengzhi Hall (“Folk Palace,” with exquisite wood carvings), Nanhu Academy (photograph “arched bridge + Chinese tallow trees,” whose yellow leaves look like oil paintings in autumn), find the “Moon Pond Café” in the alleys, sit by the window to capture the full view of the moon pond.
3. 2 PM: Drive to Tachuan (10 minutes). Tachuan’s red leaves are not all over the mountains but “hidden among ancient villages”—walk up from Tachuan Academy along the trail, photograph “red leaves + horse-head walls,” focus on the “Five Towering Trees” (5 ancient sweetgum trees with the most vibrant red leaves).
4. Evening: Visit Xieli (a lesser-known village next to Tachuan), find the “Xieli Viewing Platform” to shoot “morning mist red leaf village” (better to shoot early next morning, but fewer people at dusk). The sunset on the red leaves looks like sprinkled gold dust.

Day 3: Hongcun morning mist → Huangling (Peak drying season)

1. Early morning 5:30 AM: Shoot morning mist at Hongcun’s moon pond (fog is very likely in November). Wear dark clothes and stand by the pond to capture the silhouette of “people wandering in a painting.” After 6:30 AM, tour groups arrive and it gets crowded.
2. 9 AM: Drive to Huangling (1.5 hours), take the cable car up the mountain. Just off the cable car, you’ll see the “Drying Autumn Plaza”—chili peppers, corn, and pumpkins hang on drying racks, bright reds and yellows, perfect for shooting “drying racks + horse-head walls.” Use a telephoto lens to compress the scene for better photos.
3. Afternoon: Explore lesser-known spots in Huangling—Terrace Cloud Cable (take the cable car to see autumn terraces; after rice harvest, the scenery changes), Flower Town (cosmos flowers bloom in autumn, very fresh with Hui-style architecture), Wuguitang (shoot “drying + window view,” the window frames the drying racks like a painting).
4. Evening: Shoot sunset at Huangling “Drying Autumn Viewing Platform,” the sunset dyes the drying racks golden, making the red chili peppers even more vivid. Time-lapse photography here is stunning.

Day 4: Huangling morning drying → Chengkan (Drying season + ancient village)

1. Early morning 7 AM: Shoot morning drying at Huangling Drying Plaza (villagers just put crops on racks), focus on “villagers’ hands drying crops” for a more authentic feel, don’t just shoot empty racks.
2. 10 AM: Drive to Chengkan (1.5 hours). Chengkan is the “Bagua Village,” less crowded than Hongcun. Drying is hidden in “Zhongying Street”—shoot “drying racks + ancient alleys.” The drying here is more natural, less commercialized than Huangling.
3. Afternoon: Explore Chengkan’s core area—Luodongshu Ancestral Hall (“Jiangnan’s first ancestral hall,” with stunning stone carvings), Huanshou Bridge (shoot “bridge + flowing water + red leaves,” fallen leaves float under the bridge in autumn), find “Chengkan Bookstore,” sit in the ancient house to read, very peaceful.
4. Evening: Drive back to Tunxi (1 hour), on the way pass “Xin’an River Landscape Gallery,” shoot “river + sunset + fishing boats,” fishing boats casting nets create a picturesque scene.

Day 5: Shexian Ancient Town → Return

1. 8 AM: Drive to Shexian Ancient Town (1 hour). The ancient town is free to enter. Visit “Xuguo Stone Archway” (the only octagonal archway, shoot “archway + morning mist”), Doushan Street (ancient alleys with drying crops, shoot “drying + bluestone slabs”).
2. 10 AM: Visit “Huizhou Prefecture Government Office” (80 RMB ticket, worth it!), shoot “red walls + ginkgo trees.” The ginkgo leaves turn yellow in autumn, the red walls with yellow leaves are very photogenic. You can also try on ancient costumes (50 RMB/30 minutes).
3. 1 PM: Visit “Yuliang Dam” (ancient water conservancy project, shoot “dam water flow + red leaves”). The water is shallow in autumn, so you can stand on the dam to shoot reflections.
4. 3 PM: Return trip (Shexian to Huangshan North Station is 30 minutes, perfect for catching high-speed rail or flights). Before leaving, buy a pack of “Shexian Tribute Chrysanthemum,” great for brewing tea to reduce internal heat.

💡 Pitfall avoidance & photography tips

1. Hongcun ticket is 104 RMB, valid for 3 days. First entry requires fingerprint recording, don’t lose your ticket.
2. Tachuan ticket is 40 RMB, don’t buy the “Tachuan + Xieli” combo ticket (Xieli is free, combo ticket is a rip-off).
3. Huangling cable car is included in the ticket (145 RMB), don’t hike up (long and no scenery).
4. When shooting red leaves, don’t just shoot trees! Include “Hui-style elements”—horse-head walls, white walls, black tiles. That’s the true autumn scenery of Southern Anhui.
5. Wear non-slip shoes for morning mist shooting (bluestone slabs can be slippery in fog), bring heat packs (mornings in Southern Anhui in November are very cold).
6. Don’t take the “Tachuan-Hongcun” small road when driving (narrow and difficult for passing), take the main road for safety.
7. Don’t take “tricycle tours” in Shexian Ancient Town (100 RMB/person, they take you to shopping spots). Exploring on your own is freer.
8. Don’t buy souvenirs in scenic spots! Tunxi Old Street’s “Huxingtang” and “Zhan’s” Huangshan baked cakes and tribute chrysanthemum are 30% cheaper than in scenic areas.

Once autumn arrives, Southern Anhui is no longer “ordinary Jiangnan”—it’s the red chili peppers smashing against white walls during drying season, the red leaves in Tachuan dyeing the morning mist, the moon pond in Hongcun reflecting golden Chinese tallow trees, and even the wind carries the smoky charm of Huizhou✨ Save this guide and set off now—don’t wait until the red leaves fall to regret!