Self-drive Tour to Liancheng, Longyan
A group of friends I've known for over a decade often asked me to design a route for us to travel together. Due to the risk of the pandemic, we didn't dare to go far, so I designed a five-day itinerary to southwestern Fujian.
There were eight of us in two cars. On the morning of August 3, the two cars set off separately and agreed to meet at noon for lunch in Anliu Town along the way, with the restaurant even selected on the map. Our car arrived first and found that the restaurant marked on the map was not open (probably due to the pandemic's impact on business). We quickly headed into Anliu Town and found an open restaurant at the edge of town. Fortunately, with modern communication, our meeting was not affected. After lunch, we drove directly to the booked Longyan Guanzhai Begu Baixiang Resort Hotel at the foot of Guanzhai Mountain in Liancheng, Longyan City, Fujian Province. The hotel is like a large park with a vast area. After checking in, we went downstairs to stroll and take photos, and even a group of wild pheasants walked leisurely past us.
We had dinner at the hotel's restaurant, ordering a white duck soup. Liancheng white duck, also known as Liancheng white mallard duck, is a specialty of Liancheng. The white mallard duck is hailed as the only medicinal duck in China, with effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, nourishing yin and reducing fire, dispelling phlegm and opening orifices, calming the mind, and appetizing the spleen. Moreover, the duck is not greasy, the soup has a unique flavor, the meat is tender and delicious, and the aroma is enticing. The men also had some drinks, and everyone returned satisfied.
The hotel has a back gate that leads directly to the entrance of Guanzhai Mountain Scenic Area. Guanzhai Mountain is located east of Liancheng County and is a Danxia landform. Its natural beauty lies in the mountain's perilous steepness and serene elegance, and the water's clarity and sweetness. 'The Root of Life' and 'The Gate of Life' coexist in the scenic area. It is often praised as the 'Sacred Mountain of the Hakka,' 'Sacred Mountain of Life,' and 'Number One in Masculinity Worldwide, Unrivaled in Femininity.' Baidu has its own explanation for 'Guanzhai,' but I think it's too far-fetched. In Hakka, the pronunciation of 'zhai' means male genitalia, and 'guan' naturally means first or biggest. I won't say more—you understand!
We took a sightseeing car to the hotel's back gate, bought tickets, and started climbing. The mountain is not high or steep, with excellent air. The ascent mainly features cultural attractions, and after reaching the top, there are beautiful Danxia landforms. 'The Root of Life' can also be seen here, but compared to the Yangyuan Stone at Danxia Mountain in Guangdong, it's 'a small zhai seeing a big zhai.' We descended on the other side of the mountain to Shimen Lake Pier, where we took a boat tour of Shimen Lake. 'The Gate of Life' is in a crevice; we missed taking a photo before it passed, but it's very realistic. The boat docked at another pier, and after walking a short distance, we reached another entrance of the scenic area, where a bus could take us back to the main gate. Not knowing when the bus would depart, the eight of us hired a private car to return to the hotel. We had lunch at the hotel, again ordering a pot of white duck soup. Although it was expensive, nearly 200 yuan, we couldn't miss the local specialty.
After lunch, we drove to Peitian Ancient Residences. Peitian Ancient Residences are one of the best-preserved ancient village clusters in southern China. Located in the western part of Liancheng County, Fujian Province, this small Hakka mountain village boasts over 30 grand houses, 21 ancient ancestral halls, 6 academies, two cross-street archways, and a thousand-meter ancient street. It is famous for its well-preserved Ming and Qing ancient architectural complexes. It was voted as one of the top ten 'Most Beautiful Towns in China' by the public. The ancient buildings in the village are indeed numerous, beyond my initial imagination, and well worth a visit.
In terms of straight-line distance, Guanzhai Mountain is very close to Peitian Ancient Residences, but to get there, you have to take a large detour of 40 kilometers, which takes over 40 minutes. We booked the 'Sixu Hall' guesthouse online, and the innkeeper picked us up at the village entrance, with half-price tickets. Originally we wanted to stay at 'Ziyang Academy,' but it was fully booked. However, the environment and conditions at 'Sixu Hall' were also very good. We rested until 5:30 p.m. before strolling around the village. First, we visited 'Dafu Di' (also known as Jishu Hall), then walked around the lotus pond at the village edge and the main street, and had dinner at a farmhouse restaurant by the lotus pond. After dinner, we took a big loop around the village, though it was too dark for photos.
In the morning, after the breakfast provided by the guesthouse, we all went to the village entrance for a walk and photos, then visited the northern part of the village we hadn't seen yesterday. There were even more old houses and ancestral halls. We wandered until 10 a.m. before returning to the guesthouse to pack and depart. On the highway, as we exited at the Gutian Conference Site, it started raining heavily, so we decided to have lunch first. We found a restaurant online called 'Wushitou Farm Restaurant' with good reviews. When we arrived, we found it specialized in fish—very large reservoir fish prepared in multiple ways. The taste was excellent, affordable, and delicious.
After lunch, the rain stopped, and we entered the Gutian Conference Site scenic area. In October 1929, the Red Army first advanced into western Fujian's Gutian. In December, the Ninth Congress of the Red Fourth Army, presided over by Comrade Mao Zedong, was held here, passing the historic Gutian Conference Resolution. The key point of the resolution was 'establishing party branches at the company level,' which brought the military under the absolute leadership and control of the Party.
The scenic area is large and scattered. We bought sightseeing car tickets to visit stop by stop. The Gutian Conference Site was originally the 'Liao Family Ancestral Hall,' not very large. Including the lotus pond in front, it took just over ten minutes to tour. Next, we visited a wax museum, where taking photos with Red Army figures and famous Chinese and international personalities was quite interesting. Finally, my wife and I briefly visited the Gutian Conference Memorial Hall.
After leaving the scenic area, we drove to Meizhou Ketianxia to check in. Our room was in a villa on the mountaintop, and we had to walk a long way to find a place for dinner. Not knowing the area, our phone navigation showed only 100-200 meters, but it was at a different altitude—the straight-line distance was short, but the winding road down was very long. Fortunately, after dinner, there was a free electric cart to take us back to the room, or we would have been exhausted.
Speaking of 'Ketianxia,' I have to complain. It is actually a large real estate development, with the scenic area, hotel, and 'Hakka Town' shopping and dining built on a steep hill and narrow valley. I don't know who designed it—so many messy things crammed into such a small space, with buildings and artificial landscapes stacked layer upon layer, creating a very oppressive feeling. It's really uncomfortable, definitely a place I'd never visit again.
The hotel's included buffet breakfast was at the same restaurant where we had dinner, and we could call the electric cart for transport. After breakfast, we climbed from the scenic area to our mountaintop room (the so-called scenic area is just artificial pavilions, towers, and statues built on a near-vertical cliff). It took less than half an hour to take photos in the scenic area, and we checked out by a little after 10 a.m.
At noon, we arrived at Yulinmen Hot Spring Resort in Zijin County. The other car arrived first and drove directly into the 'Fuyingmen Hot Spring Hotel' by the roadside. Fortunately, we saw their car as we passed by and quickly called them out. There were two restaurants outside the gate of Yulinmen Hot Spring Resort. It was lunchtime, so we chose one for lunch. After lunch, we went to the hotel lobby to check in and were told we had booked a student discount rate. Looking more carefully at the booking page, we noticed a small line: 'Check-in with student ID.' We negotiated with the hotel, who said we needed to pay an extra 200 yuan per room. We then contacted the booking website, explained the situation, and the website was reasonable enough to give us a refund. After some hassle, we checked in at a price slightly more than 100 yuan above the original booking. At 4 p.m., we went out to soak in the hot springs and had dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Yulinmen Hot Spring Resort is located between Reshui Village and Xingfu Village in Jiuhe Town, Zijin County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province. The hot spring area covers a total of 62,600 square meters, planned according to national AAAA standards, with architectural style combining Balinese charm and Hakka culture. The source water temperature reaches as high as 86°C, with a daily flow of over 10,000 cubic meters. The hot spring water is crystal clear, with a slight sulfur smell, of the heavy carbonate-sodium type, and rich in various minerals. The room price is not cheap, but the facilities and environment inside and outside the room are very good, the air is fresh, and there are many comfortable outdoor hot spring pools. In short, it's worth the price.
The hotel's buffet breakfast was abundant. After breakfast, we continued soaking in the hot springs until 12 p.m. checkout. Based on online reviews, we went to a nearby 'Caiji Farmhouse Restaurant' for lunch. Indeed, the owner was enthusiastic and talkative, and the food tasted great. Our companion spotted a wild flower eel over a catty, immediately ordered it, and also ordered wild eel for eel rice. The eel rice here was steamed, so it wasn't heating, and it was delicious. The owner said wild flower eels are rare, so we were lucky to have encountered one.
After lunch, we parted ways, each car heading home, ending this self-drive trip.
Travel Log Index:
1. D1: Guangzhou → Guanzhai Mountain, Liancheng, Longyan, Fujian
2. D2: Guanzhai Mountain Tour → Peitian Ancient Residences
3. D3: Peitian Ancient Residences Tour → Gutian Conference Site → Meizhou Ketianxia
4. D4: Meizhou Ketianxia → Zijin Yulinmen Hot Spring Resort
5. D5: Zijin Yulinmen Hot Spring → Guangzhou
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