Jiande Travel | The Homeland of Love: A Couple's Free-and-Easy Travel Guide

May Day is just around the corner! Come to Jiande's 17°C Xin'an River, where the emerald hills and clear waters make it a perfect summer retreat—serene, delightful, and like a fairyland. Zhejiang truly is a great place to visit, and Jiande is an excellent spring getaway. Jiande is also known as the Homeland of Love, where love is in the 17-degree air. Bring your loved one on a holiday to Jiande!

Delving into Jiande, you'll feel as if you've stepped into a hidden paradise. The 17°C Xin'an River is a secret gem you'll long to return to—unforgettable.

Jiande is located upstream of the Qiantang River, blessed with a unique geographical position. Its urban greenery coverage rate reaches 32%, making it China's first climate-adaptive city and a provincial forest city. I've painstakingly put together a 4-day, 3-night itinerary and the most comprehensive Jiande travel guide for you—be one step ahead, like and save this!

Prepare: ID card, sun protection (sun protection clothing, sunscreen, hat), umbrella, power bank, and a small amount of cash. For travel: book hotels and flights in advance, plan well.

DAY 1: Jiande - Qianhe Village - Qianhe Study - Dragon Boat Drifting - Xin'an River Greenway - Xiaya Wetland - "River Clear, Moon Near" Performance

DAY 2: Shuo Nature Art Museum - Picnic on Songkou Village Three-Color Greenway - 7017 Flavor Factory - Jiande Water Forest Park

This is a women's spiritual education base. From the 1950s to today, Mao's proposition that 'women hold up half the sky' is not just a slogan for 'production' but a belief etched in women's hearts.

Why do Chinese women have a voice in society and enjoy freedoms that Indian women lack? At Jiande's Qianhe Women's Memorial Hall and Women's Militia Heritage Hall, you can find the answers.

Meanwhile, there's a trendy bookstore hidden in Qianhe Village, perfect for travel check-ins and photo shoots, with first-rate scenery. Near the memorial hall, don't miss it! Transport guide: Search 'Jiande Qianhe Women's Memorial Hall' and follow the navigation. Opening hours: 08:30–17:30.

When traveling to Jiande, one thing you absolutely must not miss is riding a dragon boat on the Xin'an River, taking in the scenic beauty on both banks.

If you want to experience the Xin'an River's 'crystal-clear water, refreshingly cool breeze, and mystical mist,' the best way is by dragon boat drifting.

The Xin'an River Dragon Boat Drifting Pier is at Jiangbin Park Fengyue Pavilion Pier, next to Shengde Square in Jiangbin Park. The entire drifting route is about 6 kilometers, with a tour time of around 1 hour.

Along the 6-kilometer stretch from the Nongfu Spring plant to Jiangbin Park, you'll see lush green hills and crystal-clear jade-green water. Enjoy sights like Zijin Suolan, rare rainbow trout, Jingzhong Silver Fish, Luotong Sunset, the Five Bridges Competing Colors, and Moon Island. Especially when river mist fills the air, you'll feel as if you're riding on clouds.

The Xin'an River water flows from the bottom of the Xin'an River Hydropower Station dam, with a constant temperature of 14–17°C. The 17-degree river water and 17-degree climate together create the 17°C Xin'an River. This unique microclimate, warm in winter and cool in summer, has earned it the reputation of 'gallery of mountains and waters, a cool world, a dreamy Xin'an.'

Paddling the dragon boat on the misty Xin'an River, listening to the gurgling water and watching fish swim, every breath you take inhales 180,000 negative oxygen ions. You're truly absorbing the 'essence of heaven and earth' in a natural oxygen bar, enjoying the freshness and ease nature offers. Transport: Take the Hangzhou Xin'an River exit and drive 15 minutes to the Dragon Boat Pier. Tickets: One-way: 75 yuan, Round-trip: 88 yuan. Opening hours: 08:00–17:00 (Jan 1–Dec 31, Mon–Sun).

Speaking of Xiaya Wetland, it is famously beautiful. Distant mountains are like dark eyebrows, and nearby waters are veiled in mist. The enchanting scenery is like a slowly unfolding beautiful painting of a well-off life—this is Xiaya Town.

This dazzling pearl on the 'Hangzhou–Thousand Island Lake–Yellow Mountain' golden tourist route, with its beautiful mountains and waters, pastoral scenery everywhere, and surrounded by high-speed rail, is attracting more and more visitors. They come to wander among green hills and clear streams, check in at this Instagram-worthy spot, and the town's rural tourism is booming.

However, in its early days, this town also suffered from wastewater runoff and was once branded as 'dirty, messy, and poor.' After years of environmental remediation, rural revitalization, and beautiful countryside construction, the town successfully made a 'green transformation' and became a well-known leisure tourism destination.

In this stunning place, there is a man who casts his net over 200 times a day, but not to catch fish. Amid his hometown's green hills and clear waters, he plays the role of a 'fisherman model.'

His name is Tang Linglong, 53 years old, of medium height and sturdy build. He was originally a fisherman in Xiaya Town, following his father to fish on the river since age 11. In recent years, local fishermen have turned to growing strawberries. Tang Linglong and his wife chose a different 'job.' With confidence in the improved environment, they paddle their boat and cast nets day after day, not for fish, but to 'catch' the lenses of photography enthusiasts from all over.

"I officially started as a fisherman model in 2009. During peak season, you even need to book me to cast nets. Over the past 11 years, I haven't caught much fish, but my wallet has grown fatter. When I work, I also promote my hometown's eco-beauty to friends from all over the country," Tang Linglong says with a simple smile. He says he'll keep being a fisherman model and be a good spokesperson for 'Xin'an Wonder Mist.'

We had booked this well-deserved fisherman model in advance. We saw him with a cigarette in his mouth, getting ready to cast the net. The model was very professional, even telling us which angle would make the best shot. He cast the net several times, each time perfectly. He joked, 'I've been casting nets for over a decade, always casting but never catching fish—only catching mermaids,' making everyone burst into laughter.

It's especially beautiful in the evening mist, when you can photograph the fisherman model casting nets without fishing. Fishermen's songs at dusk, misty wonderland, villages appearing and disappearing—it feels like a fairyland, hence the poetic name 'Misty Islet of the River.'

"River Clear, Moon Near" – a recreation of the Xin'an River

"River Clear, Moon Near" is an immersive performance that moves around an island, with five performance zones — 'River,' 'Clear,' 'Moon,' 'Near,' 'Person' — forming a complete live-action performance that's interconnected like a string of beads.

During the show, actors and lighting appear and disappear seamlessly, and the scenery changes as you move. At times, it vividly recreates ancient 'Jiande people' chasing deer among clear rivers and flower fields; at other times, it shifts to the Tang Dynasty, with Meng Haoran and Li Bai dancing and inviting the moon, showcasing Jiande's long history and contemporary charm.

️The entire performance is divided into five acts, and you have to follow the actors around for each one, truly immersing yourself in the performance. It's wonderful, lasting about an hour—a great experience.

An immersive island-circumambulating performance, a real-life show at 'zero' distance, centered around time travel in Jiande. On Moon Island, clouds and mist swirl, the performance scenes are vivid and dramatic, coupled with dubbing, music, and lighting—I was entranced. I truly felt I had traveled back a hundred years, dancing with primitive people and empathizing with the characters!

The final act—the great love story of the Nine-Surnamed Fishermen—moved and amazed the entire audience! The touching part was the love ending of the hero and heroine; the stunning part was the grand scene of a heavenly water curtain in the 'River Clear, Moon Near' live performance.

Overall, the performance was excellent, and it was my first time experiencing this type of show. No spoilers—be sure to see it over May Day! ️ Practical tips: 1️⃣ Venue: Shuangjiang Street Pier, Xin'an River Street, Jiande City, Zhejiang. 2️⃣ Ticket price: 298 yuan. 3️⃣ Showtime: 18:00–22:00. Transport guide: follow navigation, buy tickets in advance.

When visiting Jiande, there's an art museum you must check out—the Intangible Cultural Heritage Art Museum. What sparks fly when traditional intangible cultural heritage meets contemporary art?

Let's go to the Shuo Art Museum in Jiande. This intangible cultural heritage art museum is located at the confluence of the Fuchun, Xin'an, and Lan rivers, within the Jiande Jiangnan Secret Land Shuo Nature Art Space.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Jiande has had a thriving scene described as 'three thousand homes across the river, veiled in a touch of mist.' Yanzhou shrimp lanterns, dragon and lion parades, fishermen's wedding customs... intangible cultural heritage born of daily life has been passed down through the centuries.

️Now, these ancient intangible cultural heritages have been transformed into a light and shadow art installation exhibition, flowing through the 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Art Museum' in the Jiangnan secret land. The hope is that as visitors stroll, the momentary bodily experience seeps into eternal memory.

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Art Museum is divided into five zones: Water Light Illusions, Fleeting Shadows, Time Silhouettes, Songs of Ages, and New Tales of Old Objects. Here, sound, light, and shadow are perfectly combined, creating a natural and serene atmosphere. Jiande's old-time life scenes are reproduced in one magnificent art installation after another. The exhibits use intangible cultural heritage, employing traditional bamboo weaving techniques to shape metal into a sense of flowing water, with an overall majestic and eye-catching effect.

Jiangnan Secret Land: not just endless landscapes, but more than landscapes. Strolling among radiant light and shadow, in the waters of the Fuchun River, you pick up fragments of the old Nine-Surnamed Fishermen's lives, stirring a mysterious and yearning feeling for old Jiande deep in everyone's heart. Recommended best photo spots: ✔ At the entrance, the water-drop egg carving. Hollow cloud patterns and water ripples are projected onto the walls via light—perfect for photos. ✔ The huge reading space, where books and art venues are an ideal match, great for a large-scale composition shot. ✔ Time Silhouettes: stand in the light and shadow, take a panoramic shot, super beautiful. The art museum is temporarily not yet open! Coordinates: Shuo Nature Art Space, Jiande Sanjiangkou Jiangnan Secret Land National Resort.

️ Jiande boasts high vegetation coverage, pleasant temperatures, and beautiful scenery, making it a great place for a holiday picnic. The entire 17°C Xin'an River Greenway is quite suitable for picnics.

After eating and drinking your fill, leisurely stroll along the 15-kilometer greenway, or rent a bike from the rental spots along the way to cycle on the greenway—even in summer, you'll feel a refreshing coolness.

️ Spring is when everything comes back to life—it's time for a picnic outdoors. Discover hidden gem picnic spots nearby, bring delicious DIY picnic food, and explore a different picnic style.

Today, I brought my loved one to the 17°C Xin'an River in Jiande, to Songkou Village's Three-Color Greenway. The breeze is gentle, the weather just right. Let's have a picnic together! The Homeland of Love is right here at the 17°C Xin'an River in Jiande. Do you like it? Hidden gem picnic spot: the lawn at Fuchun Dielai Jiangyuewan Village Hotel, beside the Three-Color Greenway from Jiande's Songkou Village to Sandu Fishing Village. Transport guide: follow navigation, you can park by the Xin'an River. Opening hours: open all day.

Jiande Water Forest Park: located on the banks of the Xin'an River, opposite the Nongfu Spring water plant. Lined with dawn redwood trees, it's perfect for couples to take photos and even splash in the water. Don't miss it!

The tree-lined avenue of dawn redwoods is exceptionally beautiful. With a young lady holding a bouquet of flowers, you can snap stunning photos in no time.

"Jiande Jinglan" is built on the banks of the Xin'an River, where the water temperature is a constant 17°C. Shaded by green trees on both sides, it perfectly complements the emerald-like river water, with sunlight adding a touch of beauty—truly idyllic.

The crystal-clear river water occasionally reveals fish and shrimp darting about, adding a touch of liveliness. In the morning, opening the window, you see mysterious mist floating on the river—dreamlike and enchanting.

The hotel lobby is on the top floor, and the transparent elevator faces the Xin'an River, making the ride feel like practicing light kung fu and floating over the water. The rooms are spacious and bright, and opening the window reveals the Xin'an River, with excellent views. Jiande Jinglan • Xin'an River Resort Hotel

Detailed address: No. 61 Xindian Road, Xin'an River Street, Jiande.

Transport guide: follow the navigation to enter directly, free parking available.

Opening hours: 24h, lobby manager.

Accommodation price: basic room types generally start at ¥399/night, varying with peak and off-peak seasons.

7017 Flavor Factory (Xin'an River Branch)

A must-eat for locals, the number one on the Old Square food list in people's hearts. Business is always booming, and parking can be tricky. The decor has a very local flavor, and most importantly, the food is fresh and delicious!

7017's main store is in Jiande, where the flavors are even more authentic and local! Highly recommended: milk soup fish head, stir-fried chicken, extra-spicy duck webs casserole, wild vegetable lichen, ham with reed shoots. Special mention for the milk soup fish head: a huge bowl of creamy fish head soup, the fish meat is tender and fragrant, the broth is fresh and delicious, rich in flavor and generous in portion, suitable for 6–8 people! Detailed address: No. 38 Jiangbin Road, Xin'an River Street, Jiande. Transport guide: follow navigation to enter. Business hours: Monday to Sunday, opens at 10:00 AM. Price: ¥102 per person.