December in Xiapu: Chasing Light and Shadow on China's Most Beautiful Tidal Flats

📍 Edinburgh · 👁 3401 reads · ❤️ 2 likes

My first travelogue posted on Ctrip—I must dedicate the most beautiful scenery to you all!

China's most beautiful tidal flats, a place you must visit at least once in your lifetime: Xiapu, Fujian—it absolutely deserves to be called the most beautiful!

Is the renowned Xiapu truly like a fairyland, as seen online? This travelogue will reveal the answer.

At the same time, for each scenic spot, I'll also show a photo taken with a mobile phone without any post-processing, so you can see whether it's possible to capture great shots in Xiapu without a professional camera.

Enough chatter—let's set off!

Departure, heading to the airport.

In the freezing, snowy Shenyang, Northeast China, it started snowing in the morning. Friends from the south can imagine the driving experience—the roads are very slippery. I heard from a southern friend that he's still wearing short sleeves—it really makes you appreciate the vastness of China.

In the snowfall, the plane also needs extra care.

In the evening, after a 4-hour flight, we finally arrived in Fuzhou.

This photo was taken with my phone during the flight. I love the colors of the sunset—does it perhaps signal that this trip to Xiapu will be full of rewards?

Arriving in Fuzhou, a sumptuous dinner—the journey of the most beautiful scenery begins with delicious food!

The next afternoon, heading from Fuzhou to Xiapu.

Xiapu County is located in the northeastern part of Fujian Province. It is the county with the longest history in eastern Fujian and was once the political, economic, and cultural center of the region. Being coastal and peninsular, the county has a land area of 1,489.6 square kilometers and a sea area of 29,592.6 square kilometers. Its coastline stretches 404 kilometers, accounting for one-eighth of the province's total, ranking first in the province. There are 185 islands of various sizes. The long coastline and numerous islands and harbors define Xiapu's geography. At sunrise and sunset, Xiapu is a dreamy world of light and shadow—a paradise for photographers!

In the evening, we arrived at Dongbi Village in Xiapu, just in time for the spectacular sunset.

Truly a photographer's paradise—photographers engaged in their art can be seen everywhere.

The sun slowly went down, turning this place into a wonderful world of light and shadow.

Photographers raised their cameras to capture this beautiful moment.

Walking along the boardwalk, taking in the sights.

The sun continued to set behind the mountains, and enchanting colors appeared!

The photo below was taken with a mobile phone without any post-processing—please use it as a reference.

The sunset spectacle came to an end, and a sumptuous feast awaited us, reaping full rewards—haha, both camera and stomach are fully loaded!

Sunrise and sunset at Xiapu create a dreamlike world of light and shadow. When visiting Xiapu, you absolutely cannot miss the sunrise scenery!

We set out very, very early. When we arrived at the Beiqi shooting spot, it was already packed with people. In this era of advancing technology and ubiquitous smartphones, truly everyone is a photographer!

Before the sun rose, the colors were at their most enchanting.

First, take a look at a panoramic shot—here, we explore the most beautiful light and shadow together!

Silence speaks louder than words. Enchanting and wonderful colors emerged, turning this place into a fairy-tale world of light and shadow!

Let's have one in black and white.

Finally, the sun peeked out—the sunrise show began!

The beauty after the sun rose, different from the serene beauty before, appeared vibrant and surreal.

All kinds of equipment came into play.

Remember the panoramic photo at the start of this section? Let's see what it looked like after the sun rose.

Oh, by the way, the photo below was taken with a mobile phone without any post-processing—please use it as a reference.

The sun rose higher, and the sunrise show came to an end.

On the way from the shooting spot to the parking lot, let's enjoy the seaside scenery.

Next stop: Yangjiaxi.

Why is it called 'Heaven and Man in Harmony'?

'Heaven' refers to the century-old banyan tree grove—a miracle created by nature. 'Man' refers to the artificially added props. When heaven and man work in harmony, a fairyland naturally emerges.

Before the words faded, we arrived at Yangjiaxi.

Here, the natural century-old banyan grove, along with the various props added by humans, came on stage one after another.

Everything was ready—the show began!

By the way, the photo below was taken with a mobile phone without any post-processing—please use it as a reference.

In December, Yangjiaxi is colorful, full of autumn charm.

The century-old banyan trees stood tall and majestic.

Without the props, Yangjiaxi seemed somewhat ordinary compared to when it was in harmony with heaven and man.

Ending our trip to Yangjiaxi, the road outside the scenic area was lined with local specialties.

Next stop, also tonight's accommodation: Gaoluo.

Gaoluo Beach—tomorrow morning's sunrise show will feature a mesmerizing dance of colors.

Little egrets leisurely forage on the beach.

Facing the sea, facing east—what beautiful scenery will tomorrow's sunrise bring?

It's still early—let's find a fishing boat and go out to sea to fish.

After sailing for an hour, we hauled in the net.

Let's see the catch from this fishing trip.

Returning to our accommodation, let's take a look at Gaoluo Beach.

A sumptuous dinner—self-sufficiency is a joy!

Yesterday afternoon, we went fishing at sea in Gaoluo and had a great catch. In the evening, we cooked a big table of seafood ourselves, then sang until late.

In the morning, groggy, I glanced out the window—oh my, it was all red!

So, I made up my mind, overcame my drowsiness, grabbed my tripod and camera, and went to capture the most beautiful light and shadow of Gaoluo Beach.

Following the principle of 'take photos as soon as you see beautiful scenery,' I first took a few shots from the balcony. The beach after low tide was still damp, like a large mirror reflecting the red sky before sunrise—this was a real-life fairyland!

The morning light changed quickly—just five minutes later, the red on the beach had diminished noticeably.

So, if conditions allow, you must strictly follow the principle of 'take photos as soon as you see beautiful scenery'—capture it first, then think about it.

Picking up my tripod and shouldering my camera, I went to the beach outside.

The sun gradually rose.

The sun came up—time to pack up.

As the sun rose, the beach dried up quickly. The shooting positions for the previous photos were like this—I tried to keep the camera low to make full use of a small patch of wet sand.

Back in the room, I looked outside again—compared to an hour ago, it was completely different!

Perfect timing, favorable location, and human harmony—all are indispensable for capturing beautiful scenery!

Let's take a look at the homestay where we stayed—quite distinctive. Then we set off for S-Bend.

Arriving at S-Bend, the car can only go this far; then we need to walk a bit.

The signposts are very clear.

The weather was very bad, misty and foggy. Thinking about the beautiful morning scenery, it's truly something you can only encounter by chance.

Since it was foggy, I decided to shoot S-Bend in a foggy style—it has a unique charm.

Arriving at the next stop, Banyue Li, a She ethnic ancient village.

The small square in front of the village was quite lively.

Let's take a look at the She ancient village of Banyue Li.

A very distinctive large banyan tree.

Coming down from the ancient village on the hill, let's enjoy the street view.