Huangshan, a provincial city of Anhui, is established as the scenic support area for the Mountain Huangshan, as known as the Yellow Mountain. It is a tourist city that includes Yellow Mountain Scenic Area and many ancient Huizhou style villages. Located at the southernmost tip of Anhui Province, Huangshan covers an area of 9807 square kilometers. It neighbors Xuancheng City in Anhui Province in the northeast, Chizhou City in the northwest, Zhejiang Province in the southeast, and Jaingxi Province in the southwest.
Being in the southern mountain area in Anhui Province, Huangshan is in the middle of the subtropics. Therefore, it belongs to a typical subtropical monsoon humid climate. Four seasons are distinct with short Spring and Autumn while long Summer and Winter. The topography is mainly mountainous region, and the highest peak, Lianhua Peak, is 1860 meters high.
Huangshan is a city with a long history and splendid cultures. As the hometown of Huizhou Merchants (one of the three largest merchant groups in history of China) and the birthplace of ancient Hui Culture, Huangshan has had a former name of “Huizhou.” The Hui Culture includes Hui carvings, Xin'an school of painting, Xin'an medicine, Hui architecture, Hui cuisine, and Hui Opera. To showcase its significance, Hui cuisine is one of the Eight Cuisines of China, and Hui opera is the predecessor of Beijing Opera. In April 1988, the current name “Huangshan” was officially used as the city’s name ever since.
Internationally, Huangshan is also a famous city due to its three UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites and one UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Xidi Ancient Town and Hongcun Town are both included into World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO in 1999. The Yellow Mountain, being the most reason people visit the city, became a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site in 1990.