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   The average temperature of MT.Huangshan in spring is 10-20℃.The temperature is smaller same between day and night. The night air temperature is lower, Take adequately warm and damp things.
   

    During Emperor Gao Zong’s reign of the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital city was moved to Lin’ An. Nothing but the most impressive architecture would suffice for the Emperor-- the new palace, with all its gardens and ponds, was ten times as large as that in the old capital, Kaifeng. His courtiers followed suit in their demands for architectural excellence. Many Song Dynasty military officers and state officials moved south to build private mansions and pavilions. This not only encouraged the Huizhou merchants to engage in trading bamboo, wood and lacquer, but also brought heightened esteem to Huizhou craftsmen and spread the reputation of southern architectural art throughout China.
     Huizhou merchants, who sought success for their families, often returned home after making a fortune to erect estates fit for their new family honor. They painstakingly designed and built new houses to proclaim the good fortunes of their line, paying close attention to quality and custom. Their purposes were, on one hand, to meet the demands of their luxurious lifestyle, and, on the other hand, to ensure and increase their vested interests through patriarchal-feudal activities. They were therefore eager to construct houses in their hometown. Villas, gardens and temples were built, ancestral halls renovated, roads and bridges improved, and real estate was purchased to increase the clan property. Consequently, Huizhou’s distinctive architecture was gradually cultivated into a stylized and systematic art form.
     Upon setting foot on the soil of any of the four counties in the Huangshan Municipality, you will instantly find yourself in another world. Huangshan is home to over 5,000 sites of cultural importance. Of all China, the area can proudly claim the most and the best-preserved ancient architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ancient streets and lanes web the towns, while age-old houses, bridges, pagodas, temples, arches, ruins, graves and steles, all differing greatly in function and design, act as portals to a bygone era in China’s past. The streets and lanes, a testament to ancient Huizhou’s ingenuity, are all paved with flagstones, which incline gently to one side as a time- worn drainage system. The pavement on these elegantly curved and winding roads is neat and smooth, but the stones are pitted so that they are not slippery in rainy days. A stroll along Huangshan’s antique paths leaves tourists nostalgic, their hearts full of appreciation for Huizhou heritage. (See Ancient Villages and Buildings in the Gallery)
    Official residences and ancestral temples share similar architectural style, featuring whitewashed walls and grey tiles. Houses are enclosed by walls taller than the actual house, the tops of the walls increasing in height by steps. These walls have two interesting colloquial names: "horse- head walls" and "wind-and-fire" walls. The stepped look is said to give the impression of a horse’s head, thus the first, and, as primary defense from wind and fire (not to mention burglars), they are also known by the latter. A common person, in contrast, generally lived in a compound comprised of several houses on three or four sides of an inner courtyard. Though there are some three-storey residences, the homes of the area are predominantly two-stories. Classic doorways are built of stone, with a roof or an arch over the gateway. The front door opens to a winged forecourt, which serves to ventilate the rooms and provide more natural light. Flower beds and fishponds were also popular landscaping details and can be found in several of the courts. On the ground floor is the central hall, flanked by bedrooms and, in some exceptional cases, opposite a stage. The upper level boasts a veranda that usually runs around three or four sides of the court. In some cases, wealthy families commissioned special benches to be set along the balustrade of the veranda, providing seats upon which he ladies of the family would while away their leisurely hours, taking in the garden sights. These benches are both practical and artistic, locally known as "beauty recliners".
     In the feudal China, the quality and standards of dwelling places was officially stratified according to the owner’s social position. Any house constructed beyond the restriction was considered an open offense to the owner's superiors and would induce severe punishment. Therefore, the local gentry, in an effort to avoid appearing ostentatious, opted for exquisite interior decorations as opposed to a luxurious exterior. Beams, pillars and purling are found gilded or painted, and exquisite displays of carving -on wood, brick, and stone-can be viewed in these homes (See Carvings in the Gallery). Finely chiseled on the brackets, upturned eaves, latticework, arches, balustrades, and shrines are landscapes (suns, moons, clouds, waves, mountains, rivers, pavilions, gardens), animals and plants (flowers, insects, fish, birds, beasts), legendary stories, mythical figures, historical events, and depictions of daily life (farming, weaving, fishing, cutting wood, studying for an official career). The carvings, done with superb workmanship, illustrate a wide range of subjects and give valuable insight into the cultural past -a true gallery of the local conditions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
    Huizhou captures the very essence of historic Chinese culture, now globally recognized for its delicacy, intrigue, and charm. Numerous celebrities of a bygone era in China’s rich history claim Huizhou as their home -- writers, poets, painters, calligraphers and officials all hailed from Huizhou, their legacies still preserved. Besides the remarkable estates throughout the region, Huizhou hosts many thousands of complete architectural preservations. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) listed Xidi and Hongcun villages, both in Yixian County, as World Heritage sites in November 2000. The ancient town of Tunxi is its best-preserved business street with the characteristics of the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.
    Civilian Huizhou-style residences highlight local physical features of the area and embrace widely observed concepts of fengshui and aesthetic trends. Black tiles, white walls and ornamental horse heads painted elegantly on upturned eaves lend an air of majesty even the smallest of details. As a school of traditional Chinese architecture, Huizhou-style architecture amasses elegance, simplicity and dignity in perfect harmony. Tourists will appreciate the conceptual architecture as an entirely unique art form…Huizhou’s sites are simply awe-inspiring!

    From 1120, during the reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Huangshan was located in what was then called the Huizhou prefecture.
    Of course, Huizhou had been a prominent location for centuries before the Song Dynasty-- devotees of the The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese historical fiction that describing the warring period from 220-280 A.D., will be thrilled to learn that a former residence of General Caocao is located in Huizhou, and nine Cao family tombs have been discovered in the vicinity. This Third Century claim to fame not withstanding, it was not until the middle of the Southern Song dynasty (1127 - 1279) that Huizhou secured the reputation of national importance that it was enjoy over the next 600 years. Under Emperor Gao Zong (r. 1127 - 1187), the Imperial Court climbed to new levels of opulence. It reacted to the threat of a Jurchen invasion by relocating the Imperial capital to Hangzhou and initiating an extensive public works programs. When the Imperial Court arrived at its new site in 1132, it looked to the previously unknown Huizhou merchants to supply bamboo, wood, lacquer and craftsmen for the construction of palaces, pavilions, villas and temples.
    This construction boom provided Huizhou traders with capital necessary to fulfill their ambitions. The Huizhou merchants ten expanded into new industries and new provinces, garnering fame and fortune as they went. The cunning merchants took advantage of Huizhou’s prime location between the Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces, striking up solid, profitable business relationships in major cities. Before long, Huizhou had become an integral route for trade and communications; local traders then had the opportunity to specialize in selling diversified goods such as tea, grain, silk, cloth, pottery, ink and paper.
    Frowned upon by classic Confucian ethics, commerce was a marginal part of Huizhou culture until the early 1100s. At this point, during Emperor Jiajing's reign (1522 ¨C 1567), trade proved to be such an incredible boon to the lifestyle of Huizhou’s citizens that some 70% of Huizhou's population was involved in some form of mercantile activity. Successful as this average trading was, it was not until the Huizhou merchants turned to the high margin salt and pawn broking businesses that they were able to accelerate their expansion. They dominated the industry, spreading to all corners of China and even into some Southeast Asian countries; indeed, it was said that by the reign of Emperor Guangxi (1875 ¨C 1909) all pawnbrokers were from Huizhou!
    This newly famous merchant class was clever! By investing in Huizhou's education system, they were able to field many candidates for Imperial examinations and thus influence the Imperial bureaucracy. Between 960 - 1911 as many as 2,018 sons of Huizhou achieved the highest level in Imperial government, conspiratorially working for the interests of their home Province. Commercial advantages like valuable salt monopolies could be maintained and cultivated through artful manipulation of the government.
    Another unique attribute of the Huizhou merchants was their response to newly bulging pockets. Having traveled far and wide to seek fame and fortune, Huizhou merchants returned to their homeland to invest their gains in large-scale construction. In the name of personal prestige, ancestral honor, and to strengthen their clan, they built ancestral halls, mansions, memorial arches and bridges; all the architectural splendors that still decorate Huizhou's magnificent landscape!

    The success of Huizhou merchants no doubt played a fundamental role in the emergence and growth of Huizhou culture. The term "Huizhou merchants" generally refers to businessmen from the six counties under the broader title of the Huizhou Prefecture-- Shexian, Xiuning, Qimen, Yixian, Jixi and Wuyuan. Researchers generally believe that the Huizhou merchants have origins in the southern Song Dynasty (1127~1279), began preliminary development between the late Yuan Dynasty (1271~1368) and the early Ming Dynasty (1368~1644), to solidify power around mid-Ming period. The merchants flourished during the reign of Jiajing (1522~1567), culminating in power and influence while Qianlong sat on the throne (1736~1796). The turn of the 19th Century saw the beginning of the end for the Huizhou merchants, their power finally dwindling under Jiajing and Daoguang (1796~1851).
     The history of the Huizhou merchants spans a period of about 600 years, 300 of which they dominated the region, deservedly occupying a significant place in the history of Chinese commerce. In the Southern Song Dynasty, as the capital was moved from Kaifeng to Lin'an (now Hangzhou), the political and economic centre of the Empire shifted south. This stimulated the economy of neighboring areas and opened China’s southern regions to the introduction of Central Plains culture. Huizhou, conveniently situated between Dingus and Zhejiang Provinces, was significant to the economy of southeastern China as a communication hub between the South and the North. As a result of Huizhou's particular geographic assets and the need for economic development, landowners saw their opportunity and began to take up business.
    According to records, by the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Huizhou people were "engaged in trade every where", selling tea, ink, paper and wood. This is a reasonable claim, as, after Ming Dynasty Emperor Jiajing assumed the throne, the number of merchants amounted to 70% of Huizhou’s population. In fact, there is saying commonly heard throughout China attesting to Huizhou trading acumen: "It is a Huizhou practice that thirteen year-olds start their career in town and at seventeen they do business all over the country". At the young age of 12 or 13, a Huizhou child could expect to begin work as an apprentice in town and not as a farmhand on his father’s property. As a result of a land shortage and a superfluity of manpower, farmers were driven away from their rural lifestyles centered around agriculture, and into more urban forms of making a living. As the Ming Dynasty Anhui Chronicle commented, "Many Huizhou people take up business, because they have no other choice". Generally speaking, Huizhou merchants operated on a small scale, engaging in minor trades, and most of them were under the control of a larger business. They were not born merchants.; their success was a result of various social factors and painstaking efforts to climb a ladder of ambition. The Huizhou Chronicle, of the Jiaqing years (1796~1821), describes Huizhou citizens as "properly dressed, well-spoken... fully aware of prices, knowing when to buy and sell, and gaining extra profits from selling local goods at other places." Despite their overwhelming achievements, the earliest people who left Huizhou to "make a living away from home" never suspected that a flourishing Huizhou business would "spread almost all over the country", and that Huizhou merchants would "gain a national fame".
    Huizhou’s grip on trade was all encompassing, selling tea, grain, salt, silk, cloth, wood, paint, paper, ink, pottery, and simply anything else that proved to be profitable. Through some merchants opened teahouses, restaurants and hotels, the salt trade and pawn-broking businesses were the most lucrative of their endeavors. Pawn- broking, in those days, was actually a form of usury. Wei Chaofeng, a Huizhou pawnbroker depicted in fantastic stories, deprived a scholar of his real estate in three years' time by changing him exorbitant interest rates. By the late 19th Century, one could hardly find a pawnbroker who was not from Huizhou, for there was "no place too far for Huizhou merchants to expand". They pressed eastward to the north of Jiangsu, went west to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Gansu, north to the surrounding areas of Liaoning, and south, to Fujian and Guangdong. In even further bursts of expansion, they sailed to Japan, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, their footmarks left on "almost half of the globe".
    The resourceful Huizhou merchants were well versed in the principles of trade, fully recognizing from what body came the hand that fed them. By maintaining close friendships with the ruling party and firmly aligning themselves with the court, these businessmen occupied a position of the utmost power and influence. Their strategy was to "provide funds for academic pursuits with business profits, get political positions through academic pursuits and ensure business profits from the political positions," thus illustrating the close link between education, politics, and power during this era. Bent on establishing academies, schools, examination centers, and cultivating feudal intellectuals to consolidate the patriarchal clan system, the five counties of Shexian, Xiuning, Yixian, Qimen, and Jixi managed to produce an incredible 2,108 "Jinshis," or people who passed the final imperial examination. The exams were held every three years and presided over by the emperor, who then selected a successful few for title holding. Later, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368~1911), the literary works of 343 people from Shexian County alone were included in Best Poems or Best Essays. There are stories about "three successive Jinshis from one place, four Hanlina (members of the Imperial Academy) within ten li", "father and son both ministers", "brothers both prime ministers" and "three generations of imperially-honored courtiers." Academic studies and etiquette both greatly advocated, Huizhou was a cradle for talented scholars with achievements in various domains. Huizhou culture, enriched through these achievements, welcomes visitors from far and wide with splendid displays of arts and a wide range of interesting history.

    Mt. Huangshan is the birthplace of the Huangshan school of painting. In the preface of A Collection of Drawings by the Ming and Qing Artists, Li Yimang, a renowned contemprorary artist and painter, says: "Attracted and charmed by the appearance and connotative beauty of Mt. Huangshan, the Huangshan schools of painting has eventually evolved into a typical one of landscape painting."
    The Ming and Qing artists such as Li liufang, Shi Tao, Jian Jiang and Mei Qing lived alone in the mountain, search for novelty, drawing nourishment from the beautiful landscape to enrich their artist creation. They observed all the miraculous peaks before they made their drawings. With the compact touches, the graceful outlines and the elegant styles, their painting formed a unique school. Added to them were Xue Zhuang, Cheng Sui, Zheng Xue, Ding Yunpeng, Zha Shibiao, Dai Bengxiao and Xiao Yuncong. Artists of modern and contemporary times such as Huang Binhong, Zhang Daqian, Li Keran and Liu Haisu are also fascinated with Mt. Huangshan. They express their emotion through their drawings and create a spiritual but inspiring artistic conception. Their paintings are of great value of art.