Heading to Spring — 2019, March, Self-Drive, Spring Outing (12) Xinghua - Qianduo, Lishui - Tianmu Lake.

For northerners, spring feels more profound. The vast land transforms from bleak desolation and howling north winds to a season when ice and frost recede and spring breezes bring warmth into homes. As the Spring Equinox arrives, the thick sense of spring rushes in. The wind shifts from biting to gentle, trees go from bare to buds covering the branches, and flowers are about to bloom. Suddenly, as if overnight the spring wind came, thousands of pear trees burst into bloom. Traveling at this time surely means 'the best of spring scenery, with orioles singing and green blending with red for a thousand miles.' On March 20, my spouse and I set off on a spring outing, following the traces of spring.

Day1 (2019,3,20): 6:26, depart from Daxing, Beijing, G4 Expressway, 12:06, arrive at Yinxu Ruins (odometer shows 495km). 12:40-15:20, lunch at 'Shengdeli', visit Yinxu Ruins. 15:48, Ma's Manor. 17:20, check in at Lavande Hotel (543km). 19:38, dinner at '76 Old-Style Handmade Stewed Noodles'.

Day2 (2019,3,21): 6:47, depart from Anyang Lavande Hotel, Nanlin Expressway, 8:17-12:10, Hongqiqu Youth Cave Scenic Area (631km). 16:59, arrive at Yuncheng Manxin Hotel (1050km). 18:33, dinner at 'Longxingmei Noodle House'.

Day3 (2019,3,22): 7:46, check out and depart, 8:00-8:50, Colorful Salt Lake (1057km). 9:22-11:00, Xiezhou Guandi Temple (1082km). 11:56-12:43, lunch, Yongji Puji Temple (1150km). 13:10-14:26, Guanque Tower (1157km). 17:25, check in at Xi'an Aegean Sea Hot Spring Hotel (1327km). 18:45, dinner at 'Lintong Impression'.

Day4 (2019,3,23): 8:10-12:08, Huaqing Palace. 12:50-15:10, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (1396km). 15:41, check in at Ibis Hotel (1405km). 18:00-21:08, dinner at 'Liuxiang Noodles', stroll around Muslim Quarter.

Day5 (2019,3,24): 8:50-11:55, Xi'an City Wall. 12:10, lunch (Old Tongguan). 12:43, depart for Hanzhong. 16:30, check in at Hanzhong Binjiang Garden Hotel (1670km). 18:00-21:00, stroll along the Han River, dinner.

Day6 (2019,3,25): 6:22-7:50, walk along the Han River. 8:42, check out. 9:19-13:50, Xiema Township, Hongfu Road, Hanshan Peak, Yangchun Town, Nanzheng Nanhu Lake, enjoy rapeseed flowers (1750km). 14:00, head toward Guangyuan. 15:50, check in at Guangyuan Hampton by Hilton (1915km). 18:05-20:30, dinner, stroll.

Day7 (2019,3,26): 8:28, depart. 9:16-12:08, Zhaohua Ancient City, lunch at 'Zhaohua Taste' (1946km). 17:08, check in at Leshan Golden Begonia Hotel (2389km). 17:30-21:10, confluence of three rivers, Leshan Giant Buddha, dinner at 'Leshan Taste'.

Day8 (2019,3,27): 6:50-8:00, walk along the river. 8:42, check out and depart (2406km). 9:41-14:25, Qianwei Jiayang Small Train (2471km). 16:40, check in at Ya'an Yucheng Impression Hotel (2642km). 17:05, stroll, dinner at 'Fat Master Fish House'.

Day9 (2019,3,28): 8:40, depart. 12:42-15:48, Qionghai National Wetland Park (2943km). 16:04-17:30, Lushan Mountain. 18:08, check in at Xichang Meilishan Hotel (2957km). 19:20, dinner at 'Niu Muke'.

Day10 (2019,3,29): 8:00, depart for Lugu Lake direction (2960km). 13:45, Yanyuan County Lugu Lake entrance (3201km). 14:30-15:18, Caohai, Zouhun Bridge (3205km). 16:03, Daluoshui Village parking lot (3221km), 16:20, check in at Mani Stone Hotel. 16:50-20:00, lakeside walk, dinner.

Day11 (2019,3,30): 6:50, take photos by the lake. 9:20-15:40, around-the-lake tour (3299km). 18:30-20:00, stroll, dinner.

Day12 (2019,3,31): Play around Daluoshui Village, Lugu Lake shore.

Day13 (2019,4,1): 9:30, head for Lijiang, 14:00, check in at Shuhe Mozhu Washa Inn (3496km). 14:30-17:30, lunch at 'Small Pot Rice', visit Shuhe Ancient Town. 18:20-22:00, visit Lijiang Ancient Town, dinner at 'Next Door Lao Wang'.

Day14 (2019,4,2): 6:20-8:40, stroll in Shuhe Ancient Town. 9:26, head for Panzhihua, 15:48, check in at Panzhihua Zhuxia Hotel (3763km). 18:20-22:00, stroll, dinner at 'One Bone'.

Day15 (2019,4,3): 8:50, head for Dongchuan Red Land. 15:02-18:10, visit Dongchuan Red Land, take photos (4165km-4205km). 19:26, check in at Dongchuan Century Lijing Hotel (4249km).

Day16 (2019,4,4): 7:50, head for Bijie, 12:30-17:40, Baili Dujuan Scenic Area (4689km). 21:55, check in at Bijie Southern Excellence Hotel (4770km).

Day17 (2019,4,5): 9:00, depart for Longsheng, Guangxi, 15:49, Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area ticket office (5351km), 17:38, Ping'an Village parking lot (5392km), 18:35, check in at 'Seven Stars Around the Moon Resort Hotel'.

Day18 (2019,4,6): 6:30-8:00, take photos at Longji Rice Terraces. 9:40, depart for Dongjiang Lake, Zixing City, Chenzhou, Hunan, 15:10, check in at Zixing Dongjiang Lake Qishi Hotel (5856km). 16:00-19:00, walk, dinner at 'Upturned Mouth Fish'.

Day19 (2019,4,7): 7:20-11:30, tour Dongjiang Lake, 12:10, head for Yingtan, Jiangxi, 18:45, check in at Yingtan Fontainebleau Hotel (6451km).

Day20 (2019,4,8): 7:00, head for Jiande City, Zhejiang, 11:00, Jiande Qili Yangfan Scenic Area parking lot (6785km). 11:40-13:35, play by the Fuchun River, lunch at Kaiyuan Fangcaodi Village Hotel. 14:30, check in at Tonglu Daman Hotel (6841km). 18:00-21:40, Tonglu county town,:

Day21 (2019,4,9): 6:30-8:00, play by the Fuchun River, 9:50-11:30, Daqi Mountain National Forest Park. 18:20-21:10, stroll in Tonglu county town, dinner.

Day22 (2019,4,10): 9:50-15:00, Fuchun River, Tianmu Stream, Fenghuang Mountain, Tongjun Cable Bridge, Binjiang Park, lunch at 'Mother-in-Law'. 19:00-20:40, stroll in Tonglu county town, dinner.

Day23 (2019,4,11): 9:00, head for Nanjing (6885km), 12:02, lunch at Yixing 'Dushunxing Zhenjiang Pot Lid Noodles'. 14:08, check in at Nanjing Orange Crystal Hotel Yixianqiao Branch (7247km). (Need to have a test in Nanjing, see the doctor two days later.)

Day24 (2019,4,12): 8:45, head for Xinghua, 11:06-13:50, Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area (7466km), 16:50, check in at Suzhou Geya Hotel (7696km), 17:30-21:20, Jinji Lake, dinner.

Day25 (2019,4,13): 9:40-13:45, Jinji Lake. 14:20, check in at Lefu All-Suite Hotel. 17:40-21:30, Pingjiang Road, dinner at 'Dingshengxian'.

Day26 (2019,4,14): 8:50, head for Tianmu Lake, 10:59-13:30, Tianmu Lake Landscape Garden, lunch (7876km). 14:45, check in at Nanshan Bamboo Sea Inn (7921km). 16:20-19:30, Tianmu Lake Yushui Hot Spring.

Day27 (2019,4,15): 9:17, head for Nanjing, 12:30, Nanjing Zhongshan Hotel (8056km). (Nanjing General Hospital to pick up test results, see doctor). 15:15, head for Xuzhou, 18:50, check in at Xuzhou Pengcheng Hotel (8394km).

Day28 (2019,4,16): 5:40, depart for Beijing, 12:46, arrive home in Daxing, Beijing (9076km).

Beijing — Henan - Anyang - Hongqiqu — Shanxi - Yuncheng - Yongji — Shaanxi - Xi'an - Hanzhong — Sichuan - Guangyuan - Leshan - Qianwei - Ya'an - Xichang - Lugu Lake — Yunnan - Lijiang — Sichuan - Panzhihua — Yunnan - Dongchuan — Guizhou - Bijie — Guangxi - Longsheng — Hunan - Zixing — Jiangxi - Yingtan — Zhejiang - Tonglu — Jiangsu - Nanjing - Xinghua - Suzhou - Liyang - Nanjing - Xuzhou — Beijing

Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area is located in Dongwang Village, Ganggui Township, Xinghua, known for the canola flower landscape on thousands of small islands in the water fields.

It is now the early blooming period of rapeseed flowers. In the water fields, clusters and rows of rapeseed flowers look like floating duckweed or rooted water lilies, blooming across the boundless fields.

Water is the soul of the duotian (field islands). Thousands of duotian are born from water, grow from water, and become vivid and beautiful because of water.

Water is the road of the duotian. Taking a small boat to cruise among them is like strolling on a field path, relaxed and carefree.

Going deep into the flower fields, you find yourself in a sea of flowers. The smiling faces of people and flowers bloom together in spring.

Tianmu Lake is located in Tianmu Town, Liyang City, actually a reservoir.

When we went, the sky was somewhat overcast, misty and hazy. The lake was wide, vast and misty.

At the junction of the main dam and auxiliary dam of the lake shore stands Taigong Mountain. The mountain top is the best spot to view the lake, with a bronze statue of Jiang Taigong.

I know Tianmu Lake because of Tianmu Lake fish head, so coming to Tianmu Lake, I must taste Tianmu Lake fish head. Almost every restaurant around Tianmu Lake serves fish head. We found a farmhouse called 'Brothers Farm Cuisine' located at Jiangjiawan, Guilin New Village, Inner Ring Road of Tianmu Lake. The clay pot fish head is their signature. The soup is milky white, but the fish taste is just so-so, perhaps because I'm not used to this cooking method.

The entire Tianmu Lake scenic area is divided into Landscape Garden, Nanshan, and Yushui Hot Spring. Nanshan Bamboo Sea Style Town is a supporting facility built for Nanshan Bamboo Sea and Yushui Hot Spring. At night we stayed in 'Nanshan Bamboo Sea Inn' in the town, quaint and elegant in environment.

Tianmu Lake Yushui Hot Spring is definitely worth soaking for a few hours. Various functional pools are scattered among the mountains, shaded by trees, quiet and secluded, each making you reluctant to leave. Especially the pool on the bamboo tip is amazing, standing high on the mountain top. Immersed in it, you have a panoramic view of the mountain scenery, enjoying both the bath and the view, refreshing both body and mind.