Tongqingji Old Street is a partially preserved commercial lane in the old city, south of Wuyi Square, with a mix of genuine old shophouses and restored facades. Less polished than Pozi Street and Taiping Street, Tongqingji retains some of the rougher character of pre-tourist Changsha commercial life: an antiques and second-hand market operates on weekends in the lane, alongside traditional medicine shops, hardware merchants, and a handful of old-fashioned teahouses.
The weekend antiques market is the main draw for outside visitors: porcelain, calligraphy, Mao-era collectibles, folk embroidery, and various other objects of varying authenticity. Bargaining is expected and prices start high. Even if you buy nothing, the market provides a useful counter-image to the heritage-tourist version of the old city a few streets north. Best visited on Saturday morning when the market is at its fullest.