Walking in Zhouning is a vibrant and fragrant journey

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Walking in Zhouning is a vibrant and fragrant journey.

The people here inherit the magnanimity of the sea and the tenacity of the mountains. Every Zhouning native's love for this small town, emanating from the depths of their hearts, from every word they speak, and from between the lines, is touching. This small town is not large, but it is full of human warmth.

In Zhouning, there are not only the majestic Jiulongji Waterfall clusters, the Liyu Creek where humans and fish coexist joyfully, the famous Dishui Rock, and the ancient residential houses scattered in Xiancun Village... all exuding the charm of pristine nature. Even the nostalgia in songs quietly overlaps in the mind.

The most unforgettable thing in Zhouning is its brilliant starry sky and dreamlike sea of clouds. On a clear night, looking up casually, you will encounter a sky full of stars, as if peering into the universe. In the early morning, the sea of clouds silently surges as you rush on your way, resting on the distant mountains together with the sun.

From September 3 to September 7, a 2020 all-region tourism promotion exhibition with the theme 'Cloudy Carp Village, Find Zhouning' was held at Sanfang Qixiang in Fuzhou. Through various forms such as the Zhouning cultural tourism image exhibition area and intangible cultural heritage exhibition area, it presented a unique Zhouning to all walks of life in Fuzhou, bringing my thoughts back to a place with beautiful mountains, dense forests, babbling brooks, and schools of fish.

As soon as I entered the Jiulongji scenic area, the roar of the waterfall sounded in my ears.

The core water area of Jiulongji is called Longxi (Dragon Creek). In a course of less than 1 kilometer, Longxi drops over 300 meters, forming nine levels of spectacular waterfalls and deep pools. The nine waterfalls connect one after another, twisting and tumbling among cliffs and valleys. Each waterfall has its own characteristics—some are majestic, some are gently flowing. Between the waterfalls, huge rocks stand steep and oddly shaped, creating a rare natural wonder.

Among them, the first-level waterfall is the most spectacular, with a height of 46.7 meters and a width of 76 meters. During high water season, its width is even more than 40 meters wider than the Huangguoshu Waterfall. The water rushes over the steep cliff top, plunges straight into the deep pool, with a thunderous roar.

Jiulongji is not only majestic but also beautiful and charming. Even hanging high on the cliff, it cannot hide its elegance and splendor. Below the nine-level waterfall there is a long pool where visitors can go boating and enjoy the surrounding mountain scenery, full of fun.

Huaguoshan Mini Guide

Jiulongji is located in the canyon downstream of Qibu Creek in Zhouning County. There are tourist shuttle buses to the waterfall from Ningde city center and Zhouning county town.

We also experienced another aspect of Zhouning's waters at a very poetic place - Liyu Creek.

Puyuan Village is surrounded by mountains and waters, with beautiful scenery. Moreover, the famous Liyu Creek flows through the village. For over 800 years, the villagers have lived and worked in peace and harmony amid such beautiful landscapes.

According to legend, during the Song Dynasty, villagers released carp into the creek to purify the water and established a clan rule prohibiting the catching or harming of carp, thus forming the custom of protecting carp. When a carp dies, the villagers retrieve it and bury it in a fish tomb under the intertwined branches in the village. In 2008, with the 'three world uniques' (fish tomb, fish funeral, fish eulogy), it was recorded in Guinness World Records as the 'oldest carp creek'.

What is amazing is that the carp in Liyu Creek only grow in the middle section of the creek within Puyuan Village, insisting on staying with people, from Hulu Pool upstream to Banyue Pool downstream. Every rainy season, the carp bite onto the green calamus on the creek walls to avoid being washed away. Once washed downstream, they do everything they can to swim upstream, 'leaping over the dragon gate' to return home.

Huaguoshan Mini Guide

Puyuan Village is 5 kilometers from Zhouning county town, reachable by tuk-tuk.

Chenqiao Village in Zhouning is a generous gift from nature. Here you can find magnificent sunrises, seas of clouds, starry skies, majestic cliffs, caves, canyons, as well as thousand-year-old streets, covered bridges, and folk customs. Chenqiao is characterized by overlapping mountains, grotesque rocks, and steep precipices. It is praised by tourists as 'the number one steep peak under heaven' and is an excellent place to watch sea of clouds and sunrise.

In the early morning light, patches of clouds rise from the mountains, forming ribbons of clouds that wrap around the hillsides and rush into the bends, eagerly surging forward. The cloud ribbons merge into a cloud river, and the cloud river converges into a boundless sea of clouds. The peaks are submerged in the sea of clouds, desperately poking out their pointed heads.

Chenqiao Village still maintains a primitive ecological village with a traditional agricultural lifestyle of 'work at sunrise, rest at sunset'. Most houses are rammed earth structures, uniformly with black tiles and mud walls, leaning against rocks and facing abysses, stacked on the mountainside. Through many seasons, Chenqiao Village carries the weight of history, as if taking people back a thousand years. If you have time, you might walk along the cobblestone village path, immersing yourself 360 degrees in the mountain and water scenery. But the village always seems too quiet, with occasional rooster crows and dog barks, but rarely seeing villagers coming and going.

Palm-bark raincoat making is an ancient folk traditional craft in Zhouning. This raincoat resembles a swallow spreading its wings, also called swallow raincoat. Until the 1980s, it was an important tool for people's daily life and production. Although palm-bark raincoats have gradually faded away under the erosion of time, many people still persist in this old craft, allowing these fruits of folk diligence and wisdom to continue to be passed down.

The people of Zhouning have a long history of making malt syrup. According to historical records, the technique of making malt syrup was introduced to Zhouning in the late Tang Dynasty. Every year in the twelfth lunar month, every household makes malt syrup.

Sweet malt syrup is a major specialty of Zhouning. Watch the master pull, swing, pull, swing... repeating over and over, the syrup gets longer and whiter, becoming perfectly fresh and honey-sweet malt syrup.

Zhouning's pottery industry began in the 15th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, mainly producing tea bottles, water vats, and other pottery. In the late 1970s, after the emergence of enamel, stainless steel, and plastic utensils, the demand for pottery plummeted, but the centuries-old pottery-making technique has continued to this day. Besides maintaining traditional products, they also produce pottery with beautiful patterns, shiny glazes, and diverse varieties.

In today's workshops, the sound of wooden boards beating clay blanks rises and falls. The clay is silent, but the pottery has feeling. Each enchanting form transformed by the kiln witnesses the flowing years and interprets the persistent dedication of folk artisans.

Tinware products are durable and plain, paired with exquisite carving, making them indispensable dowries for many families at weddings. Tinware making uses high-purity refined tin, carefully crafted through more than a dozen processes including strict ingredient mixing, melting, pressing, cutting, shaping, hammering, scraping, polishing, welding, buffing, chiseling, engraving, and copper inlay decoration.

Currently, a small number of old folk artisans in Zhouning are still engaged in this ancient handicraft, with an average age over 60. Due to the impact of modern industrial products and modern lifestyle, traditional handmade tinware is time-consuming and energy-draining. Fewer and fewer people are willing to study and inherit it, making this rustic craft gradually become a 'swan song'.

Wu Dan Guo (Black Egg Cake) is one of the unique local snacks in Zhouning County. In Zhouning dialect, potatoes are called 'wu dan' (black eggs), so potatoes are the main ingredient for making Wu Dan Guo. Zhouning potatoes have good stickiness; after cooking, they can be directly patted into potato cakes.

Loach, known as 'ginseng in water', has the effects of nourishing yin, strengthening yang, and supplementing qi and blood. Loach noodles stewed with red yeast rice are not only delicious but also can treat hemorrhoids and edema. A bowl of loach noodles relieves the fatigue of villagers working in the fields.

Jiguang Cake is a specialty of Zhouning, also called Guang Cake or Gua Cake. Freshly baked Jiguang Cake has a crispy crust and soft interior, slightly salty, crispy and delicious. The improved meat cake is even crispier and tastes better.

The beauty of Zhouning is quiet, harmonious, and within your reach. In short, the ever-changing Zhouning will give you a different travel experience~

Travelogue Directory

1- One waterfall after another, twisting and tumbling among cliffs and valleys

2- The 800-year story of the magical bond between humans and fish

3- Fujian's 'Xishuangbanna' hidden in the deep boudoir unknown to the world

4- Old crafts living in time

5- Zhouning on the tip of the tongue

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