Road Trip Through Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong: Celebrating the New Year in the South (Part 5)

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Previous: Road Trip Through Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong: Celebrating the New Year in the South (Part 4)

The hotel is located in the city center. Right next door at "Guangtou Shifu" (Bald Chef Restaurant), we ordered one Jian'ou pressed duck, one stir-fried dish, and two bowls of rice, totaling 58 yuan. Local prices are quite affordable.

Jian'ou is a provincial-level historical and cultural city with a history of over 1,800 years as a county.

After dinner, we took a stroll nearby.

The Jian'ou Drum Tower looks very beautiful under the night sky. It is built in the Ming and Qing dynasty style of a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof building, 26.5 meters wide, 17 meters long, and 28 meters high—majestic and towering. The main structure features double eaves, red columns on all sides, and carved beams and painted rafters, rich in ancient city charm yet with a modern touch. On the north and south sides of the tower hang plaques reading: "Xiong Zhen Nan Tian" (Mightily Guarding the Southern Sky) and "En Ying Bei Ji" (Grace Welcoming the North Star).

It started raining in the evening. When we woke up on the morning of the 24th, the rain hadn't stopped.

The hotel breakfast gave each person a 20-yuan card, redeemable downstairs in the Spring Building. Several food vendors were available there, offering free choice, and any leftovers could be packed to go.

Prices here are really cheap: rice noodles with soy milk were only 3 yuan, and fried dough sticks were also 3 yuan. We packed the extras to take away.

After checking out at 9 a.m., we drove to the pressed duck street we had visited the night before. Jian'ou pressed duck is quite famous and not expensive: two ducks for 120 yuan, plus a pack of duck gizzard jerky for 60 yuan. Then we headed to Dongyue Temple.

Jian'ou Dongyue Temple, also known as Dongyue Xinggong (the Eastern Peak Travel Palace), is located at the foot of Baihe Mountain, three li east of Jian'ou city in Fujian Province. It was first built in the first year of the Jianwu era of Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 AD), making it over 1,700 years old. The temple covers over 40 mu and is one of the few remaining ancient Taoist architectural sites in Fujian Province. In terms of the scale, form, and cultural value of its main hall, the Sacred Emperor Hall (Shengdidian), it is considered unique in the province and is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

In the main hall of Dongyue Temple, there is a well named "Tianyongquan" (Heavenly Gushing Spring), enclosed by iron railings (now replaced with wooden ones), which was dug in the third year of the Xining era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1070 AD). The temple has undergone many renovations throughout history; it was rebuilt in the 21st year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1682 AD) and repaired many times thereafter. Exiting the east gate, walking three li, crossing the Naihe Bridge, passing the Mengpo Pavilion, you arrive in front of Dongyue Temple, where green trees and a red ground are visible. The halls are built along the mountain, layer upon layer, arranged in a pleasing disorder. A cobblestone path leads up the steps to the gate, which bears the plaque "Dai Zong Long Si" (Grand Sacrifice at Mount Tai). Entering the mountain gate, climbing more stone steps, passing through the Heavenly King Hall, you reach a row of front halls enshrining the Ten Kings of Hell, and further up is the ordination platform, facing south toward the main hall.

Entrance to the temple is free.

Inside, many worshippers were praying.

After offering incense and touring, we departed at 10:20 a.m. for Xiapu.

We drove on the expressway, took a break at the Zhouning service area, bought some dried tofu and the packed pastries from breakfast, and continued on.

We arrived at Xiapu Haiyue Grand Hotel around 2:45 p.m.

The entire journey from Jian'ou Spring Fortune Hotel to Xiapu Haiyue Grand Hotel is about 256.3 kilometers, with a toll of 145 yuan.

Xiapu is the oldest "Marine Pearl" in eastern Fujian, known as "China's Hometown of Kelp" and "Hometown of Laver."

It has over 480 kilometers of coastline, featuring bedrock coastal mudflats—the largest tidal flat area in China. Over the long course of history, after countless tides, it has formed its own unique landscape. Every year, it attracts over 100,000 photography enthusiasts from around the world to Xiapu for creative photography.

After checking in, we drove to the eastern route of Xiapu: Xiaohao—Dongbi—Huazhu Village (34.5 km, 1 hour).

Xiaohao Beach is a must-visit for photographers in Xiapu. There are bamboo poles inserted into the sea. With the ebb and flow of tides, seasonal changes, and the rising and setting of the moon and sun, Xiaohao Beach presents a new, colorful appearance every day. The same tide, different light; the same labor, different mood. Photographers can always create endless exquisite works. Xiaohao Beach is mainly sandy tidal flats. When shooting in direct light, you can see the large golden tidal flats changing with the waves. In backlight, the streams flowing from the beach become winding arteries of the tidal flats, shimmering with enchanting silver light, truly exciting.

The specific spot for sunset photography is Xiaohao Xishan (West Mountain). It takes about 15 minutes to climb a small hill, where there is a dedicated viewing platform.

The best time to shoot is in the late afternoon when the sun is setting, especially if there are sunset clouds. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast when we went, and the surrounding environment was not impressive either. When we shot at 4 p.m., there were no sunset colors at all. After taking a few shots, we immediately headed to Dongbi, 4 km away.

Dongbi is situated by the mountains and the sea, with a wide view. Due to the orientation of the sea, this is the best place for sunset photography. Usually, photographers shoot Xiaohao first, then come to Dongbi. After getting out of the car, you barely need to walk to reach the shooting spot.

Near the church at the drop-off point, there is an information board about Dongbi Village and photography point markings.

On the beach, a winding water channel, with a small stream flowing through it, has washed out a complex and varied texture. The soft lines glow golden under the sunset's remaining light, adding vitality to the colorful beach. The photography point at Dongbi not only captures magnificent sunsets but also scenes of fishermen fishing and mending nets, as well as lines reminiscent of a galaxy falling from the sky.

Fishing ports, bridges, fish rafts, laver, sunsets, beaches, tidal flats... almost everything you want to see in Xiapu is gathered here.

Highly recommend this place as the best spot for watching the sunset.

For the same reason, we didn't see the sunset either.

Huazhu Village, 40 km from Xiapu, is the farthest photography spot on the eastern route. After passing Sansha Town, turn onto a fork in the road near the State Grid, then head north up a winding mountain road. Park the car on a rural roadside, where there is a signboard titled "Distribution Map of Scenic Spots in Huazhu and Other Villages." A small path leads down the hillside. The path winds among rocky debris, descending to a large rock halfway down the mountain. From here, commanding a high vantage point, it is the best place to view the entire "Fuyao Archipelago." Overlooking the sea, where water and sky merge, the foreground features buoys and bamboo poles, the middle ground shows fish rafts and wooden huts, and the background has islands and boat sails—scattered and faint, like a mirage.

During the laver cultivation and harvest season, when the red sun rises from the sea, the fiery sea surface spreads with rosy clouds, the water glitters with scales, and fishermen row small wooden boats among the buoy poles, creating a naturally beautiful landscape painting.

It was getting a bit dark. On the return trip, we took the expressway from Sansha for 12 km, then 33 km to the hotel. The total round trip was 33 km.

Today is February 25th. The hotel breakfast was still good.

We set off at 10:20 a.m., still raining.

First, we went to Ewan (Goose Bay). We took the expressway to Yantian, with a toll of 15 yuan.

Ewan is named after the bay in front of the village, which resembles a goose's head. In the 1970s, to prevent floods and reinforce the embankments, villagers introduced red maple trees from elsewhere, forming a mangrove forest of about 60 mu. As the tide rises and falls, the mangroves either expose the tidal flats or blend with the sea, complemented by brightly colored small boats, creating a unique charm. The mangroves divide the tidal flats into winding waterways. Small boats traveling through the mangroves form a wonderfully picturesque pattern. It also allows visitors and photography enthusiasts to intuitively understand the hardships of the past life of boat-dwelling fishermen drifting at sea and the happiness of those who have settled on land and now work as "fishery models." Unfortunately, the site was blocked off.

We continued to Huyu'ao (Tiger Fish Cove). The village felt dirty, messy, and poorly organized. Actually, you don't need to enter the village; just go directly to Shangqingshan Bridge. The bridge is an excellent spot for shooting sunrise and sunset over the sea. The viewing point is on the bridge itself. This season, there was no one around. We parked in the middle of the bridge and quickly took photos.

The next stop was directly to Banyueli (Half Moon Village).

Banyueli is a She ethnic village, developed through poverty alleviation into a historical and cultural village. The entire ancient village sits at the foot of Maitreya Mountain, shaped like a crescent moon, hence the name Banyueli. It is open for free. At the village entrance, three large trees grow lush and leafy. The Longxi Palace in the village was first built in the eighth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty. The She ancient folk houses with blue bricks and tiles, along with Ming and Qing architectural remnants, feature carved beams and painted rafters, exuding ancient charm. Strolling on the bluestone road, the peaceful and harmonious village is surrounded by greenery, as if traveling back to ancient times.

Look, those chickens by the tea trees look so spirited.

Leaving Banyueli, we drove to the inshore area of Weijiang Haidai (Kelp Village). Here, there are also vast tidal flats, with a protruding island reef in the sea. When the tide rises, it looks like a steamed bun from afar, hence the name "Mantou Shan" (Steamed Bun Hill), officially called "Zhaoli Yu". When the tide goes out, "Mantou Shan" looks like a top hat, also called "Limao Shan" (Top Hat Hill). The best photo spot has a guesthouse built there, with a sign saying 20 yuan to go upstairs and take photos.

At 3:30 p.m., we arrived at Beiqibei (North Qi), five kilometers from the county seat. Driving through the village to the beach, there is a road only wide enough for a single lane, about one kilometer long; it must be congested during peak season. The parking lot inside is quite large. Parking cost 15 yuan; the attendant said it's 20 yuan on holidays.

Beiqicun Village is a laver cultivation farm, with laver racks and boats scattered across the tidal flats and sea. At high tide, busy boats shuttle among the buoy poles (laver racks), blending with the sea, distant mountains, and islands. At low tide, the texture of the beach becomes delicate, and working fishermen move across the tiger-skin-like tidal flats, adding rhythmic and dynamic beauty to the area. No matter from which angle you shoot, the viewfinder cannot resist the temptation of the colorful tidal flats formed by the interplay of light and shadow. This is the charm that attracts wave after wave of domestic and international photography masters to Beiqit tidal flats.

Especially during the busy laver production season, tens of thousands of bamboo poles are inserted into the tidal flats, forming square net frames stretching from near to far for dozens of li. The mountains and sea mix with sunlight, scattering laver racks and boats. At high tide, busy boats shuttle among the buoy poles, integrating with the sea, distant mountains, and islands. At low tide, the texture of the beach becomes delicate, and working fishermen move across the tiger-skin flats, adding rhythmic and dynamic beauty. Every shot looks like an ink painting.

It's only a 5-6 minute walk from the parking lot to the photo spot. After 1 p.m., the tide recedes, revealing the tidal flats; at high tide, there isn't much to see. If you're only photographing, you can finish seeing the spot in at most an hour. On cloudy days, it's really not recommended to go. This time we happened to encounter rainy weather, but it had its own charm. Unfortunately, many villages and beaches around Xiapu are littered with garbage and plastic bags—too dirty. You can only enjoy the distant view, not get close. Major cleanup efforts are needed.

We didn't have time to visit Yangjiaxi.

We returned to the hotel around 5 p.m., having driven 155 km that day.

Please continue to browse "Road Trip Through Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong: Celebrating the New Year in the South (Part 6)."

Travelogue Directory:

1. XII. The Historic and Cultural City of Jian'ou

2. XIII. China's Most Beautiful Tidal Flats—Xiapu (I)

3. XIV. China's Most Beautiful Tidal Flats—Xiapu (II)

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