Independent Travel from Zhanjiang to Hainan and Then to Guangxi

After the 2021 Spring Festival, once the busy Spring Festival travel season had passed, it was our travel season again. It was still a bit cold in the north, so we decided to fly to the south. We bought tickets from Shanghai to Zhanjiang, then planned to go to Hainan, then return to Leizhou, and then go to Yulin, Wuzhou, and Liuzhou in Guangxi, and finally return to Shanghai from Nanning. We were independent travelers. After buying the outbound and return tickets, we could adjust the middle part of the itinerary.

In late February we arrived in Zhanjiang, which was as warm as spring. The southern scenery there was intoxicating.

We went to Cunjinqiao Park in the city center. The flower beds were splendidly arranged. The reason we chose Leizhou Bay as a travel destination was our strong interest in the flavors of old Guangdong. We had already been to Guangzhou and Chaozhou-Shantou, so this time we rushed to southern Guangdong to have a taste.

This is Cunjinqiao Bridge. We arrived at the old town, where there are old Republican-era street names such as Minsheng Road, Minquan Road, Minzu Road, and Zhongxing Road. There are old chamber of commerce buildings and arcade houses (qilou). We met a retired teacher from the local ocean university, who was also investigating old place names. He took us to some places that even locals found hard to locate.

We ate a bowl of black sesame paste at the nearby Nanhua Market that we still remember to this day. A bun shop at the entrance also had its characteristics—the prices were so low and the variety so rich that it was rare. We bought quite a few to take on the road. We went to Puti Vegetarian Restaurant on Yuejin Road and had a buffet. The variety and quality were both good. The next day we went to Techeng Island, a small island in Leizhou Bay.

This is the view of Zhanjiang from the island.

There are private battery-powered carts on the island that can take you around the island. Several cart owners compete with each other. We took one for 5 yuan per person, and it really took us around the island.

Now the fishermen have set up restaurants, and the chickens they raise are very good.

We returned to Zhanjiang and went to Huguangyan Scenic Area.

This is a volcanic relic; the crater has turned into a round lake. The green space, scenic spots, museum, and temple around the lake are well built. Our trip to Zhanjiang was coming to an end. Back in the city center, at a Cantonese restaurant opposite Cunjinqiao Park, we ate what I consider the best salt-baked chicken. The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender and chewy, indicating it was free-range Qingyuan chicken made with authentic Cantonese techniques. We couldn't order too much; the three of us could only order half a chicken, and they didn't sell it for takeout. The price was reasonable, and it left a deep impression.

The next stop was Hainan. We chose to take the train across the Qiongzhou Strait. It took five hours. When crossing the strait, the train had to be pushed onto the ferry in sections, and on the other side, they had to be connected again. I really don't know when the bridge will be built.

We stayed in Haikou city, which felt more down-to-earth. Most young people go to Sanya.

After checking in, we first went to the Arcade Old Street (Qilou Old Street) and saw the iconic Clock Tower, just opposite the old street.

The next day we went to Wenchang, specifically to Dongmen Market. We tried Laoba tea (Dad's tea), which was just so-so—it's a kind of mass morning tea, a Hainan culture.

We tasted the local Wenchang chicken. Compared with the salt-baked chicken in Zhanjiang, it was far inferior—different people have different tastes. The Confucian Temple in downtown Wenchang was well built.

In the afternoon we took the high-speed train back to Haikou. We had a buffet dinner and thought it was pretty good.

On the third day we visited small attractions in the city, such as Qiongtai Park, the Drum Tower, and Wugong Shrine. They were all close, so we just walked.

We stayed in Haikou for four days, which was a relatively long stay. We went to Wanlü Garden, a good place for citizens to rest, exercise, and enjoy the view.

We had grilled fish at a restaurant run by a northeasterner, and the price was very affordable.

This changed my previous impression that Hainan always overcharged tourists. This beautiful and friendly island—I'll come again.

This time we chose to take the ferry to Xuwen Port, then by car to Leizhou.

Early in the morning we arrived at Xiuying Port. After two hours we reached Xuwen Ferry, then took a shuttle bus to Xuwen county town. We found a return taxi and arrived in Leizhou city by noon. This is a small tourist town with nice scenery and cheap prices, and it's cooler than Hainan. Citizens were playing by the West Lake in the city center, and the municipal construction was well done.

We went to a scenic spot that happened to be holding an opening ceremony.

Most of the area was restaurants. Due to the pandemic, there weren't many tourists.

We only stayed one night in Leizhou, preparing to go to Guangxi. Dog meat is popular here, but we didn't eat it. Instead we ate the roasted pork, which was really cheap and good—arguably unrivaled nationwide. We boarded a northbound train to Yulin City in Guangxi.

There weren't many attractions in the city center. We went to Rong County, the hometown of Guangxi's Shatian pomelos. We saw pomelo symbols everywhere—on lampposts, a pomelo sculpture in the central square. You can imagine how lively it is during pomelo ripening season. Here there is also Rongzhou Old Street and the Zhenwu Pavilion historic site. The town is small, so we just walked around.

This is the porch outside the scenic area.

This pavilion, built in the Tang Dynasty, can be climbed. Inside you can see the real dougong (bracket set) structure.

We took a bus to Duqiao Mountain Scenic Area. In the distance, it looked a bit like the Guilin mountains, but it was too far, so we had to give up.

In the afternoon we returned to Yulin city, stayed two nights, and then continued north to Wuzhou.

Our accommodation in Wuzhou was right next to the Arcade Old Street, not far from Longmu Temple, Zhongshan Park, and Zhushan Scenic Area.

Early the next morning we went to Longmu Temple. We arrived too early; people here get up late. We waited until 9 a.m. for it to open. The interior scenery was ordinary, but there was a large statue of Longmu (Dragon Mother) on the back hill.

We walked along the river to the foot of Zhushan. One special thing: there is an elevator that goes directly to the top, so you don't have to climb. On the mountain there is a museum, the former British Consulate site, and Baihe Taoist Temple.

This is the Guijiang Bridge seen from the mountain. We also went to Zhongshan Park, which has some Republican-era buildings.

Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area is not far away. There is a fitness trail on the mountain, with a Qilin Stele by the roadside, and the Si'en Chan Temple.

Before leaving Wuzhou, we had a vegetarian buffet at a restaurant opposite our accommodation. The variety was rich, and locals were eating there. The next stop was Liuzhou in Guangxi. We stayed by the Liujiang River, near Gubu Market, which was convenient in many ways. From the window we could see the night view of the Liujiang River.

Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty served as a prefect here, leaving many poems and earning much praise. There is a Liuhou Park in the city with a statue.

Liuzhou has mountains and water, ethnic minority elements, well-protected and well-developed scenic spots, clean streets—a beautiful mountain city.

This is the Wind and Rain Bridge in Longtan Park.

This is the Beauty Looking in Mirror scenic spot in Longtan Park.

Everywhere in Liuzhou you can see Luosifen (snail noodles). At first we dared not try it, remembering an experience a few years ago at a tourist attraction. We had gone to a snail noodle shop, ordered one bowl each, and when it arrived it had a stinky smell. After one bite we put it down, looked at each other in confusion, and left.

This time at the food city, we braced ourselves and entered a snail noodle shop. We ordered only one bowl, planning to take a bite and leave. When it arrived, there was no stink at all; it tasted good. Everyone ordered one bowl. We ate it a few more times in the following days, and even bought packeted Luosifen to take home before leaving. Besides Luosifen, Liuzhou has many other snacks. We went to a Cantonese-style tea restaurant and found that the dishes had a Guangdong flavor but were cheap. We frequented it several times in the following days.

We bid farewell to beautiful Liuzhou, wishing we could stay longer, but our return flight was already booked. Reluctantly, we took the train to the final stop, Nanning.

I want to write more about our stay in Nanning. Our travel companion Xiao Zhong, a Ctrip Diamond member, booked this Phoenix Hotel, which had a good buffet breakfast and was close to the train station and Chaoyang Square in the city center. We spent our days in Nanning here, leaving good memories.

The next day we went to Nanning Botanical Garden, where the Zhuang culture was very strong. It was already the season of blooming spring flowers, and citizens came out to play; the impact of the pandemic had become small.

Nanning can also be called a flower city. Besides the parks, red flowers leaned out over the streets. The bougainvillea here bloomed particularly vigorously.

The cityscape of Nanning was also very good, with tall buildings everywhere. We walked one stop from our accommodation to the bustling Chaoyang Square, where Nanning Department Store is located. What impressed us most was this internet-famous rice ball shop. We also queued up to buy some and tasted them. They were really cheap and delicious. I can still recall it, and I kept this photo.

We went to Nanning Garden Expo Park. It used to be crowded with tourists, but now there were very few people. Yet the scenery was still beautiful.

The koi fish in the park were a major feature.

We went to the largest fruit wholesale market in Nanning. Many fruits from Southeast Asia flow from here to all parts of the country. We bought a few boxes of green mangoes from Vietnam, paid some shipping, and the goods arrived home before we did. We stayed three nights in Nanning and then ended this trip, returning to our starting point, Shanghai Pudong Airport.

Originally I felt that this journey from Zhanjiang to Hainan and then to Guangxi was a bit messy, with no famous attractions, so I didn't want to organize it. Instead, I first published accounts of later trips to various places in Jiangsu and Anhui, from Chishui to northern Sichuan, and from Heze to Luoyang to see peonies. But taking it easy has its advantages. Few travelogues write about these obscure small towns. After writing it, I found it quite interesting—I won't forget it.