【正文】 s patriarchal clan system. In Chengkan Village of Huizhou District in Huangshan City there is the Luo Dongshu Ci (Luo Dongshu Ancestr。 most Hui merchants started their business from nothing and they firmly believed that spendthrifts could never build up family wealth. In the late Qing Dynasty change came about: due to a series of unfavorable policies adopted by the Qing government, the keen market petition fueled by foreign counterparts, and the impediment of traditional but backward operation methods, the businesses run by Hui merchants were gradually eclipsed. Today only Tunxi Old Street, with its many old and wellpreserved shops, vividly evokes images of the prosperity they once knew here. Situated in Tunxi District of Huangshan City and dating back hundreds of years, this is one of the bestpreserved pedestrian mercial thoroughfares in China. Its construction was initiated in the Song Dynasty (9601279) and it gradually evolved into Huizhou trading center during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Many beautiful old shops still stud both sides of the street, with their backyards used as workshops or residences. Over ten timehonored brands still exist on Tunxi Old Street, including the Tongrende (a traditional Chinese medicine seller that opened in 1863 in the Qing Dynasty), and the Yubutou Tea House (engaged in tea production and sale since 1875 in the Qing Dynasty). Visitors wandering along the street can find various products that bear the imprints of the Hui culture, including teas, ink, inkstones, bamboo carvings, brick carvings and woodblock prints. Families in Huizhou were formed based on a sophisticated system of lineage, which essentially meant people sharing the same lineage would live under the same roof as a big family。tea was the most popular foreign export. The following two figures might demonstrate the relative economic power of Hui merchants at the time: the total assets of the Hui merchants who engaged in salt trading in Yangzhou reached 40 million taels of silver, while the national treasury altogether held around 70 million taels of silver. Hui merchants were deeply influenced by Confucianism. Guided by Confucian philosophy, they valued honesty and morality in their business dealings. They made profits based on the Yi rules (Yi in Confucianism means duty or righteous behavior), and paid strict attention to learning new things and accumulating experience. Education, and repayment of one39。 the tea business is still flourishing today. Huizhou has been a famous Chinese tea production area since the Tang Dynasty (618907), with three of the Ten Great Chinese Teas being produced here, namely Huangshan Maofeng, Houkui Tea of Taiping County and Keemun Black Tea. Its thriving tea business was due in part to the fine natural environment which guaranteed the tea quality, and in part to the efforts of Hui merchants. By the end of Emperor Qianlong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty, Huizhou merchants39。s business circles for about 300 years. It is said that it was natural in the past for most Huizhou male adults to choose business and trade as their means to make a living because Huizhou was a mountainous area with limited arable land and overabundant manpower. Hui merchants rose to mercial prominence as early as the middle of the Ming Dynasty and maintained this status to the end of Emperor Qianlong39。 but all are hidden behind high horsehead walls. Externally they present tall, solid walls with only a few small windows, and inside the dwellings patios of varied kinds allow the passage of sunlight. Generally speaking, the exterior appearance of Huistyle buildings differs little while their interior can vary a lot based on the wishes of the owners. Home decor is characterized by three types of Hui carving: stone carving, wood carving and brick carving. The average homeowner would expend less effort on decorating the interior rooms than their facades. The windows and gates facing outward would normally require delicate workmanship, and the gatehouse in particular served as an important banner of wealth and social status, so worthy of the most ornate designs. To take a look at the Hui architecture, Xidi Village in Yixian County is the best place to go. It is a site of typical Hui residences, and one of the Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui that have been collectively listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. With a history of over 950 years, the village came into being in the Huangyou Period (10491054) of the Northern Song Dynasty (9601127) and had its salad days in the early part of the Qing Dynasty (16441911). Historical records suggest that in its heyday it supported a population exceeding 10,000 people and saw the construction of over 40 public buildings, mostly schools and temples, and more than 1,000 dwellings. Today over 240 well preserved residences from the Ming and Qing dynasties still house some 300 households of more than 1,100 residents. The tourist attractions in the village include Lingyun Pavilion, Cishi Archway (or known as the Memorial Archway of the Governor), Taoli Garden, East Garden and the Hall of Respect. These centuriesold structures have made the village a microcosm of traditional Chinese culture and an openair museum of Ming and Qingstyle residences. No Town Without a Hui Merchant locals created a splendid Hui (short for Huizhou) culture, much of which can still be seen on Tunxi Old Street and in Xidi Village. Huizhou existed for about 800 years, from the year 1121 in the Song Dynasty to 1911 in the Qing Dynasty, and prised six counties, including Yixian, Shexian and Xiuning in presentday Huangshan City. The Hui culture mirrors every aspect of the local life in the late feudal period – in its Huistyle architecture, Hui mercialism, the patriarchal clan system, NeoConfucianism, Hui Opera and Hui cuisine. The best place to get a glimpse of the culture pressed, visitors should look in the Hui Culture Museum in Huangshan City, which is s