🏛️ 5A National Attractions
Last verified 30 Jun 2025
Huangshan Municipality concentrates three official 国家5A级 scenic areas—two already inscribed on UNESCO's World-Heritage list and a third that stitches together riverside Huizhou merchant towns.
1 Quick Metrics
Total 5A sites
3
UNESCO share
2 / 3 (Huangshan Scenic Area · Xidi & Hongcun Ancient Villages)
Ticket range
¥ 100 (Huizhou Cultural Area, low season) → ¥ 259 (Huangshan peak, cableway extra)
Real-name booking
Required for all three sites (ID + health QR on entry)
Transit reach
High-speed rail to Huangshan North; direct tourist buses to each 5A gate
2 Why It Matters
Iconic granite peaks & sea-of-clouds — "黄山归来不看岳" ("Once you've climbed Huangshan, no other mountains compare").
China's most photogenic villages — Xidi & Hongcun's horse-head walls and moon-pond reflections have starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and countless wedding shoots.
Huizhou merchant legacy — Tunxi Old-Street lacquer shops, archway-lined ancestral halls and clan libraries explain how salt, tea and timber fortunes once financed a distinctive Hui culture.
3 Pro Tips
1
Huangshan Mountain – Book the 06:30 shuttle up the Yungu Cableway; sunrise at Beginning-to-Believe Peak 05:40 (summer) / 06:50 (winter).
2
Cableways math – Yungu up + Xihai Grand-Canyon funicular combo saves ¥50 and 2h of knee-battering stairs.
3
Village light – Hongcun's South-Lake mirror shot best 07:30 – 08:30; avoid mid-day tour-bus glare.
4
Huizhou pass – ¥180 "三点通" joint ticket covers Tunxi Old-Street museums, Tangyue Memorial-Arches & Bao Family Garden—valid 48h.
5
Shoulder season – Visit March–April or late-October for rhododendron bloom or maple-red ridges with half the crowds.
4 Full 5A List
| # | Site (EN / CN) | County / District | Key Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huangshan (Yellow-Mountain) Scenic Area / 黄山风景区 | Huangshan District | 1 864 m Lotus Peak · "Sea of Clouds" viewpoints · hot-spring foot soak at Mercy-Light Pavilion · real-name e-ticket via "黄山旅游" mini-prog (drops 7 d ahead). |
| 2 | Ancient Villages of Southern Anhui—Xidi & Hongcun / 皖南古村落·西递宏村 | Yixian County | UNESCO cultural site (2000) · Ming-Qing merchant mansions · Moon-Pond + curved Nanhu Lake · ¥ 104 combo; shuttle links 20 min apart. |
| 3 | Ancient Huizhou Cultural Tourism Area / 古徽州文化旅游区 | Shexian County | 10 km² cluster: Tangyue Memorial-Arches, Bao Family Garden, Shexian Old-Bridge, Nanping movie village · ¥ 100 base ticket; joint pass recommended. |
String these three icons into a three-day circuit—cloud-sea granite, ink-wash villages, clan-hall carvings—No Tourist Traps. No BS.