Just a hop, skip and a jump away in the city's northern Baoshan district, Shanghai residents can appreciate the ancient beauty of historical Anhui architecture at the Scarlet Ecological Leisure Park without even stepping foot into the neighboring province.

Covering an area of more than 800,000 square meters of greenery, the resort park showcases a dozen of the old buildings from the Anhui counties of Xiuning and Tunxi. Dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the buildings from some 500 years ago detail Anhui culture through handcrafted Huizhou carvings, which were typically set in wood, stone and brick materials.

Built by local craftsman, the two-storey buildings feature pillars and rooftop structures laced in the intricate carvings illustrating traditional Chinese folklore, designed with symbolic dragons, phoenixes, lotuses and peonies.

Long part of Anhui history, these carvings also surfaced various household items and furniture, including window ledges, table and chairs. Many of these designs can still be found in nearly every Anhui village today.