Road Trip to Qiandao Lake: Chasing a Spiritual Oasis
Road trip to Qiandao Lake, searching for a spiritual oasis.
Seeing Qiandao Lake again after three years, many things have changed in those three years, but when I returned to Qiandao Lake, I felt nothing had changed. Qiandao Lake's beauty remains as graceful as ever, and compared to before, it's become richer and more convenient—direct high-speed trains, red culture memories, and trendy outdoor adventure parks. This time, I drove to Qiandao Lake myself, just to show you the beauty of the lake and the highlights around it.
The best way to explore Qiandao Lake is, without a doubt, by self-driving. It's about four and a half hours from Shanghai, and just over two hours from Hangzhou, making it a great short road trip destination. Plus, the attractions around the lake are scattered, so driving is the most convenient. Driving along the lakeside, you can experience Qiandao Lake's beauty from a different angle.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Qiandao Lake – Leyou Cycling – Xiajiang Village – The Spirit of Water show
Day 2: Wenyuan Lion City – Hanhong Moxiang Pavilion – Huma Adventure Park
Day 3: Longshan Island – Meifeng Island
Leyou Cycling Around the Lake
If you love cycling around the lake, you can rent a mountain bike by Qiandao Lake and ride to your heart's content. I chose a rental shop called Leyou Cycling, where you can rent either a single mountain bike or a tandem bike. There are dedicated cycling paths along the lake, so you can ride around, with the deep blue water right before your eyes—stunningly beautiful.
At midday, the lake water takes on a sapphire hue, almost like the sea. Gazing at the distant water lifts your spirits.
You can also rent a tandem bike with a friend and cycle together; for couples, it has a special charm.
Here's the rental price list. Overall, it's quite reasonable. I suggest starting with one hour—riding for four hours would be too tiring.
Xiajiang Village, Where Dreams Begin
By Qiandao Lake, there's a place where dreams begin—Xiajiang Village. Gently intoxicating winds blow over the green mountains, and the glittering lake surface reflects the morning light. After driving about an hour from Qiandao Lake Town, you arrive at Xiajiang Village, filled with the fragrance of flowers. Xiajiang was once an ordinary mountain village by the lake, but it has undergone a beautiful transformation, becoming the prettiest village on Qiandao Lake's shores.
This 800-year-old village is picture-perfect, with clear waters and green hills. Walking along the flagstone village paths, passing the Siyuan Pavilion, Yide Pavilion, covered bridges... white-walled, grey-tiled houses are surrounded by the river, elegantly scattered, warm and inviting.
Xiajiang is located in the southwestern part of Chun'an County, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, known as "Elegant Villa in the Gorge." A jade-green river flows through the village, and because it's right by Qiandao Lake, the water quality is excellent. Verdant hills and clear waters—this is exactly what it means.
Xiajiang is best known as the filming location for the "Last Lesson" segment in the movie "My People, My Homeland." The dilapidated classroom has been preserved since filming, and stepping inside brings back touching scenes from the film.
You can sleep soundly in a refined guesthouse, enjoy a delicious farmhouse meal, and when you leave, take some locally brewed wine. At Shicheng Wine Workshop, you can taste wine made with Qiandao Lake water.
Xiajiang is also full of art. One shop displays paintings on stones with a variety of colors—stones picked up right from the lakeshore, given new life by the owner.
Wandering along country lanes, strolling across dams and covered bridges, the world's bustle always fades into tranquility after the excitement. Xiajiang is such a place of retreat.
Perhaps everyone dreams of such a distant place: peaceful, dreamy, untouched by worldly clamor. Through my lens, Xiajiang is exactly that fairyland.
The Spirit of Water: Qiandao Lake's Water Extravaganza
Qiandao Lake is famous for its water, and its beauty is unforgettable. During holidays, visitors flock here; by day, you can take a boat to see the scenic splendor, and by night, watch a spectacular water show—The Spirit of Water—that takes you into the deep historical culture and mysterious stories behind Qiandao Lake.
The show is themed around Qiandao Lake's exquisite water culture, set against the picturesque backdrop of Chun'an. Using 3D technology, holographic digital imaging, and a life-size panoramic stage with live performers, it presents a stunning visual feast. The unique water stage brings to life the timeless tales of Qiandao Lake.
The Spirit of Water blends Chinese martial arts, acrobatics, Jiangnan folk music, dance, and other performance elements, keeping the audience captivated throughout. The show has five acts: "Ancient River Path," "Valor on Clear Creek," "A Land of Culture," "A Mighty Undertaking," and "Water Splendor for All." Each act revolves around the water of Qiandao Lake, with interlocking stories that are deeply moving.
The first act, "Ancient River Path," tells of the love between a boat tracker and a tea-picking girl. On a flood night, the tracker is swept away by the torrent and saved by the girl; they fall in love, marry, but are forced to part due to his work. The second act, "Valor on Clear Creek," recounts the story of Fang La, a peasant uprising hero during the Song Dynasty's Yongle era, who led rebels against the Song army.
The third act, "A Land of Culture," tells the story of Hai Rui, a virtuous Ming Dynasty official, during his tenure as magistrate in Chun'an. The fourth act, "A Mighty Undertaking," depicts the year 1959, when local people had to leave their homes to support the construction of national hydropower projects.
The fifth act, "Water Splendor for All," shows the beautiful Qiandao Lake of today, blending culture and fashion, with lake and mountain scenery that attracts visitors from all over. The history beneath the water and the life on the lake—people living by Qiandao Lake now enjoy a happy and prosperous life, celebrating the water that graces the world.
Wenyuan Lion City: Exploring Qiandao Lake's Mysteries
The mystery of Qiandao Lake lies in the thousand-year-old city submerged beneath it—Lion City. On land, to commemorate this sunken city, Wenyuan Lion City was built. It's China's first living intangible cultural heritage experience base, awakening the ancient Lion City that has slept at the bottom of Qiandao Lake for millennia, restoring its original appearance. To learn about Qiandao Lake's past, a visit to Wenyuan Lion City is a must.
Lion City has a history of over 1,400 years. In 1959, to build the Xin'an River Reservoir, the two ancient cities of Lion City and He City were submerged underwater, forcing 290,000 people to relocate overnight. Based on numerous underwater archaeological findings, the newly built Wenyuan Lion City perfectly replicates the layout of the old Lion City. Though the underwater city can't be seen, you can still visit the replica. The dragon and lion dances at the entrance reflect local cultural charm.
Wenyuan Lion City is dotted with memorial archways—seven in total along the main street. These unique archways form a living museum of Jiangnan archway culture, each with a notable name: Loyalty and Righteousness Arch, Father-Son Fragrance Arch, Xujiang Merit Arch, Yumen Triple Arch, Scholarly Success Arch, Number One Scholar Arch, and Filial Piety Arch.
The distinctive Jiangnan water-town architecture, with buildings artfully arranged among the greenery, white walls and black tiles, presents the charm of an ancient city, like a Chinese ink painting. A lake hides a city, a reservoir holds a millennium of wealth—this ancient city by Qiandao Lake reveals the mysterious stories of the past. There's also a VR experience hall in Wenyuan Lion City; putting on VR glasses, you can immerse yourself in the original appearance of the thousand-year-old city.
Strolling along the ancient streets of Wenyuan Lion City, though it lacks the former bustle and historical ambiance, the shops lining the street make you feel like you've traveled back in time. The ancient city is very close to Qiandao Lake, where you can find peace and tranquility, and also enjoy the myriad charms of the lake from its shores.
Hanhong Moxiang Pavilion: Reading a Century of China
With brush and ink, history is recorded, pages upon pages under red flags. To document truth with ink, rekindle pure hearts. Not far from Wenyuan Lion City stands a place with a cultural ring to its name—Hanhong Moxiang Pavilion. It's currently the only museum in China with old newspapers as its medium, showcasing the glorious hundred-year journey of the Chinese nation and telling the story of China through newspapers.
The pavilion is divided into three sections: Memories from Then, Impressions of Old Times, and Miracles of Today, covering essentially a century of Chinese history. Representative newspapers from each era are preserved, allowing us to explore the historical events of those years.
Here, you can see the old Beijing cityscape from over 100 years ago, read about the solemn and sacred founding ceremony of 1949, and find the nationwide jubilation after the successful tests of "Two Bombs, One Satellite." From the late Qing Guangxu period's "Shen Bao" and "Jing Bao," the Xuantong period's "Beiyang Official Gazette" and "Shenzhou Pictorial," to the Republican era's "Ta Kung Pao"... Walking into the exhibition area, precious newspapers from all eras greet you. Historical events like the founding ceremony and the resumption of college entrance exams are presented chronologically.
Reading newspapers is reading China. Hanhong Moxiang Pavilion houses over 70,000 valuable old newspapers, of which 13,000 are red-themed. These newspapers are not just records; they give us a clearer understanding of the past. If you'd like to read old newspapers, don't miss Hanhong Moxiang Pavilion.
Huma Adventure Park: A Social Media Paradise Full of Fun
Besides lake cruises, what else is fun at Qiandao Lake? Now there's an incredibly fun outdoor adventure park that ranks among the top in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai—the Qiandao Lake Huma Adventure Park.
This is an international mountain adventure park themed around outdoor exploration, with tons of trendy outdoor adventure projects. Take the Cloud Top Walkway, for instance, which spans beyond the Guinness World Record and is the most Instagram-famous attraction here. There's also a 4.6-kilometer-long non-motorized luge track, a glass slide where you can control your speed, colorful cable cars, the screaming-fast rainbow slide, archery, bouncy clouds, a slingshot flying chair, and more—all so thrilling they'll make you scream.
Because the attractions are all up in the mountains, you first take a cable car to the summit. These open-air cable cars have no glass, letting you truly connect with nature. Blues music plays in the cable cars, adding a unique vibe amid the vast mountains. The candy-colored cars are guaranteed to make your heart flutter, perfect for couples.
The first activity on the mountain is archery; the moment you hit the bullseye, you feel a tiny sense of pride.
Unexpectedly, the quite girly rainbow slide is indeed so girly. From over 100 meters up, you rush down to the ground with a "whoosh"—the screaming lasts just a few seconds, but your heartbeat goes on longer. It's so fast, blink and you're at the bottom.
My No. 2 favorite is the glass cantilevered observation deck. Honestly, I agonized between No. 1 and No. 2 for a while, and this Instagram-famous skywalk ended up as my second favorite. Many promo photos of Huma feature this glass bridge. Perched on the mountaintop, it's truly the world's first skywalk, surpassing the Guinness World Record, and it's the best photography spot at Qiandao Lake. Walking on it is incredibly thrilling.
I have to say, walking on this glass bridge for someone with a fear of heights is extremely exciting, since below you only see endless mountains. But the distant view of Qiandao Lake is absolutely stunning.
The entire structure is welded steel, offering a full 720-degree panoramic view of Qiandao Lake. At the protruding section, with professional gear, you can even try stepping out.
Cautiously approaching the circular spot on the bridge, looking down, you see layers upon layers of mountains. To be honest, even holding the railing, I was a bit nervous—it really takes courage to look down.
Halfway down the mountain, below the glass walkway, there's also the popular Fantasy Mirror Palace. Inside, the dazzling world of mirrors made me feel dazed, like stepping into a fairy-tale dream, as if entering another world.
The slingshot flying chair, with its instant ups and downs and speed thrill, made my heart race wildly. The upward launch is no less thrilling than a drop tower.
My No. 1 favorite is the non-motorized luge. It's a 4.6-kilometer-long track winding around the mountain. Though it's non-motorized, the speed can reach up to 200 km/h, and cornering feels like driving a race car.
No. 3 is the dry glass slide, which takes just two minutes instead of the fifteen-minute cable car ride down to mid-mountain. The fully transparent slide is 480 meters long, and at high speed, it feels like flying.
Longshan Island & Meifeng Island: Admiring the Beauty of a Thousand Islands
The water of Qiandao Lake, the hills of Qiandao Lake. Three years later, returning to Qiandao Lake, the familiar scenery is still there—1,078 islets in subtly shifting shades of blue, growing ever more misty and enchanting. Just looking is intoxicating.
Climb Meifeng Island, the best viewpoint in Qiandao Lake, and you can see the islands scattered like stars, with inlets crisscrossing. On a clear day, the Meifeng Island observation deck offers views of over 300 nearby islets. Thousands of islands overlapping create a magnificent sight: green islands, blue water, like an oil painting. You must come here to climb high and gaze upon the islands.
Exploring Qiandao Lake mainly involves taking a cruise to visit the islands. Not only is the lake scenery beautiful, but each island has its own unique charm. The water's color varies—light and dark, shallow and deep—light like emerald silk, deep like azure sea. When I first arrived, my eyes were instantly stained green, and the water was mesmerizing.
At Qiandao Lake's dock, dozens of cruise boats depart daily for the main islands. This time, we mainly visited two islands: Meifeng Island and Longshan Island.
Longshan Island is the place with the richest historical atmosphere among the Qiandao islands. The island is shaped like a crouching dragon poised to fly, hence the name Longshan (Dragon Mountain) Island. On Longshan Island stands the Hai Rui Shrine, with flying eaves, carved beams and painted rafters—an ancient, elegant, solemn, and dignified building erected to commemorate the upright official Hai Rui.
The entire Qiandao Lake area is divided into five major lake regions: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Central. Qiandao Lake's vast blue waves, jade-green mountains, in addition to the stunning natural scenery, boast a wide array of biological resources, cultural relics, and abundant local specialties. Roaming from island to island, you experience what a true paradise away from the world feels like.
Travel Tips
The Spirit of Water ticket: 180 RMB. Show time: 19:30–20:30; arrive 30 minutes early.
Wenyuan Lion City ticket: 30 RMB. Opening hours: 9:00–21:00.
Huma Adventure Park: Combo ticket 270 RMB. Opening hours: 8:30–17:30.
Qiandao Lake island-hopping ticket plus speedboat fee: 280 RMB per person, whether you visit one island or two—same price, just adjust to your schedule. Make sure to board the boat before noon, as no boats depart in the afternoon.
