A Three-Day Winter Trip to Heyuan: Discovering the Guangdong Version of Wuliang Mountain...

This was a spontaneous trip, inspired by a photo of red maple leaves in a friend's WeChat feed. The vibrant red leaves swayed in the breeze, as if beckoning us, so we quickly gathered the group, contacted a homestay, and set off immediately.

At 7 AM on December 12, our group of eight set off in two cars, heading east toward Shangkeng Forest Farm in Zengtian Town, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City. The road conditions were excellent all the way. After exiting the highway, it was lunchtime, so we stopped at a restaurant at the junction to enjoy a Hakka-style meal as a warm-up for our Heyuan Hakka trip.

At 12:30 we arrived at the 'Home Apartment' homestay in Zengtian Town, Dongyuan County. After dropping off our luggage, we followed the landlady's directions and drove 15 minutes to the Shangxian Lake Tea Farm in Shangkeng Forest Farm (cars can drive up, parking fee 10 yuan).

That day was a weekend, and many tourists from the surrounding area had come after hearing the news. Many came by bus and had to hike up the mountain, walking about 3 kilometers of uphill mountain path (estimated to take half an hour). It was a bit tiring, but once you reached the tea farm and saw the stunning scenery before you, you'd feel it was worth the effort.

In the mountain forests near Shangkeng Forest Farm, there is a tea farm called Shangxian Lake, covering an area of 300 mu (about 50 acres). This tea farm preserves naturally growing maple trees. Now in winter, the maple forests have dyed large tracts of the mountains red. Looking from afar, red and yellow maple leaves are scattered among the well-arranged, layered, green tea gardens. The three-dimensional effect of layered forests is perfectly interpreted here. We walked through the colorful maple forest. The weather was cooperative, with blue skies and white clouds. Sunlight sprinkled on the leaves, making them oily, red, and golden. Speckled light filtered through the leaves and fell on the fallen leaves on the ground. Vivid colors were everywhere, as if we were in a fairy tale world! This is the Guangdong version of Wuliang Mountain! The scenery was picturesque and intoxicating. The air was fresh, cleansing our lungs and invigorating our bodies. It was a fairyland that made people linger. There was no entrance fee, only a parking fee of 10 yuan per car. Thank you, Shangxian Lake Tea Farm.

Since we were staying in Zengtian Town, we drove back to Shangxian Lake Tea Farm at 7 AM to check in, enjoy the morning red maples, and experience the peaceful tea garden. After breakfast, we headed straight to Huoshan Scenic Area (a 1 hour 10 minute drive).

Huoshan Scenic Area is located in Tianxin Town in the middle of Longchuan County, adjacent to Xingning and Wuhua. It is about 47 kilometers from Longchuan county seat, at an altitude of about 550 meters. It is one of the seven famous mountains in Guangdong, a provincial-level forest park, and a national AAA-level tourist area, long known for its steep red cliffs and奇特 rock formations. According to legend, in ancient times, there was no mountain here. When Nüwa repaired the sky, she sprinkled the remaining mortar onto the earth, and it fell exactly on Huoshan, giving it towering cliffs, precipices, and magnificent rocks of all shapes and forms. The mountain consists of three groups of peaks forming a whole, with no extensions, majestic and imposing. Unique peaks rise abruptly, and steep rocks stand out in various postures. The scenery is beautiful. The only mode of transportation throughout is 'Route 11' (one's own two feet). You either climb steps up and down the mountain or walk along plank paths. Paths wind, pavilions are scattered, and the view changes with every step. The boundaries of seven counties—Longchuan, Wuhua, Zijin, Dongyuan, Lianping, Heping, and Boluo—are clearly in sight, and the beautiful scenery is fully visible. We spent nearly 5 hours here, and in the evening we checked into Longchuan County's Huihao Hotel.

Linzhai Ancient Village is located in Xingjing Village, Linzhai Town, Heping County. It is an ancient village with the 'largest four-cornered building complex in China'. There are still 24 well-preserved ancient residences, which are typical Hakka-style four-cornered buildings. Their scale, quantity, exquisite architectural art, and profound cultural heritage are rare in the province and even the country. Linzhai Ancient Village was established in the Qin Dynasty, expanded in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, and flourished in the late Qing and early Republic of China. With a history of more than 2,000 years, the village preserves unique 'old eight ancients': ancient alleys, ancient walls, ancient roads, ancient wells, ancient temples, ancient pavilions, ancient bridges, and ancient trees. The people of Linzhai respect culture and value education. Many talented people have emerged, including Chen Jichang, the top scholar in the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, and Chen Qiongrun, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi during the Guangxu period. Yancun in Linzhai is the first settlement of the ancestors of Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong. This is a typical cultural town. The entrance fee is 30 yuan, allowing you to visit the structure and layout of three ancient buildings. Without buying a ticket, you can still enter the ancient village freely. The scenic area also has farmhouse restaurants for visitors. Walking through the mottled ancient alleyways, you feel the passage of time and the eternity of culture. In the blink of an eye, we spent more than five hours here, roughly walking through the entire village. Leaving reluctantly as it got dark. After visiting the entire village, I felt that as a scenic spot, the signage was not clear enough, the maintenance of old houses was insufficient, many old houses were in danger of collapsing due to disrepair, some old houses were cluttered with a lot of debris, and the sanitation was very poor, seriously affecting the visiting experience.

Xunnan Building: Built in 1847 (the Bingwu year of the Daoguang reign), it was the pawnshop of Chen Xiangting's grandfather, Chen Yunian, a wealthy gentleman of Linzhai. This was an early rural bank in the Linzhai area, with branches in Longchuan, Heyuan, Lianping, Xingmei, southern Jiangxi, and Guangxi, reflecting the grandeur of the Dongjiang Hakka merchants. It has now been destroyed by fire, leaving only three walls of ruins for people to lament the impermanence of life and the changes of the world.

Yongzhen Building is the tallest building in the ancient village. It was the new building of Chen Xingtang, who was granted the title of 'Chaoyi大夫' (a court official of the fourth rank) and a candidate for prefect in the Jiawu year of the Qianlong reign. Yongzhen Building is one of the earlier four-cornered buildings. It has a unique shape, imposing style, winding paths and hidden lanes, interconnected rooms, watchtowers and passages, wells and stables—all complete. Yongzhen Building was impregnable. It is said that during the Xianfeng reign, Shi Dakai's subordinate generals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom passed through Linzhai and were unable to capture it for a long time. Later, the imperial court ordered the removal of its four corner towers to pacify the bandit threat.

Qianguang Building: This is the most famous Hakka residence in the ancient village. Qianguang Building was built in 1920 (the 9th year of the Republic of China). The owner, Chen Yunting, was forced by his mother's goading into building it. At that time, many of his uncles and nephews had already built four-cornered buildings, while his family still lived in the old house. His mother often grumbled: 'The one who could build a house is dead (referring to her husband), and the one who can build a house has not been born yet (referring to grandchildren).' Helplessly, Yunting had to put aside his business and plan the construction at home. It is now used as a 'Folk Custom Museum'. Qianguang Building covers an area of 5,000 square meters. The front has 4 arcade buildings, unique in shape and magnificent. There are two side buildings on each side. The whole building is interconnected floor by floor. Inside, there are 11 courtyards for lighting, 18 halls, 86 rooms on each floor, a total of 324 rooms on three floors, and the attic has 4 levels. In the early 21st century, due to aging wiring, a fire broke out, and the northeastern corner of the 'four corners' of Qianguang Building was burned down and has not been repaired. (One of the three attractions included in the ticket.)

Ancient Well at the South Gate of Xia Zhen: This well has a history of over a thousand years. According to the Chen family genealogy, in the 3rd year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1370), when the founding ancestor Chen Yuankun dredged the well, a stone tablet from the Jin Dynasty (over 1,700 years ago) was unearthed. In the old days, the area of Xia Zhen was low-lying and frequently suffered from floods, so the terrain gradually rose. Every century, the well platform was raised. In the 1st year of Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty (1488), the well was repaired, and the broken bricks were replaced with stone bricks. In the 2nd year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1680), the well rings were stacked. In the 9th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1749), the well ring was replaced with purple copper ore, and the well body was raised. In the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926), the well pool was repaired. At that time, villagers paid attention to the environment, and a stone tablet was erected to record the completion. The well has abundant spring water, sweet in taste, containing various biological elements, and can supply water for over a thousand villagers. The villagers have long upheld the tradition of keeping the well clean and the water clear, paying attention to environmental protection, taking care of public property, maintaining hygiene, and cherishing life—these ancestral rules are not to be broken. This is the beautiful character of Xia Zhen Village.

The First Wonder of the Ancient Village: Boats Going Up the Stairs

In the old days, Linzhai Ancient Village was low-lying and close to rivers, often suffering from floods multiple times a day. To resist floods and protect life and property, the villagers built several boats, which were normally placed on the village gate towers. When the floodwaters reached a certain height, they would push the boats down and then use them to rescue victims along the streets and alleys. The boats were the villagers' protectors.

The pleasant trip came to an end. This self-driving trip covered more than 900 kilometers round trip.

Travel Notes Directory: 1. Day 1: Guangdong Version of Wuliang Mountain (20211212) 2. Day 2: Huoshan (20211213) 3. Day 3: Linzhai Ancient Village Travel Information Hotel Index Strategy Index Ticket Index Website Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Join Cooperation Distribution Alliance Friendship Links Corporate Gift Card Procurement Insurance Agency Cooperation Agency Hotel Cooperation Destination and Scenic Area Cooperation More Join Cooperation About Trip.com About Trip.com Trip.com Hotspots Contact Us Career Opportunities User Agreement Privacy Policy Business License Security Center Trip.com Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Announcement