Jingjiang's Beauty, a 2-Day Self-Drive Flower-Seeking Tour: The Great Heat Has Arrived, Please Save This Coolness

Living in Jiangnan, I always miss the many good things about Jiangbei. The Great Heat has arrived, and unable to bear the heat of Jiangnan, I start dreaming of the coolness of Jiangbei again. This weekend's family self-drive tour with kids chose Jingjiang, a result of a family vote. Because the lotus flowers here are in full bloom, and grapes, yellow peaches, and crown pears are also ready for picking. Moreover, there are many kinds of preserved fruit snacks that delight the children. Whether it's satisfying the appetite, seeking coolness and flowers, or discovering the unknown, the trip to Jingjiang is full of anticipation.

The journey was scenic and uncrowded; GPS locked on the destination, and everything went smoothly. We even unexpectedly discovered new interesting sightseeing spots, adding extra value. I couldn't help but marvel at how the smooth roads nowadays have transformed the rural landscape, gradually revealing the rustic charm and making it easy for people to visit a 'Peach Blossom Spring'. The construction, renovation, and widening of roads have not only expanded the pathways but also broadened the horizons and activity ranges of ordinary people. Just from the perspective of an 'expanded living space', one feels a strong sense of happiness.

D1: Nanjing ~ Jingjiang Maqiao Town Agricultural Tourism Center ~ Sun Family Old House Farming Garden (Lunch: Folk Custom Hall) ~ East Line First Sail Memorial Park ~ Jinyue International Hotel (Dinner: Buffet Restaurant)

D2: Jinyue International Hotel (Breakfast: Buffet Restaurant) ~ Shengci Town Chenwangang Road Lotus Pond ~ Li Garden (Lunch: Li Garden Restaurant) ~ Nanjing

Last year, while visiting Shuangshan Island in Zhangjiagang, Suzhou, I looked northward across the Yangtze River at the fertile farmlands along Jingjiang's shore. Recalling that since ancient times, the Yangtze River has been the boundary between north and south, with horse hooves heading south and people looking north, my longing for the lands on both sides of the river planted the seed for a trip to Jingjiang.

Jingjiang borders the vast Yangtze River to the south and leans against the Central Jiangsu Plain to the north, a land cradled by the waves. During the modern Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, this was where the 'East Line First Sail' was first raised. Yue Fei once promised this land a hundred years of peace. In the Chiwu era of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Quan, the King of Wu, ordered horses to be grazed here to stockpile strategic resources, giving it the name 'Ma Island' (Horse Island). Now, self-driving has replaced horseback riding. As a fan of self-drive tours, I am delighted to see the changes in the surrounding roads. The terrain of Jingjiang is completely flat. It is said that in recent years, Jingjiang has built 1,255 kilometers of roads on its 665 square kilometers of land, meaning there is no place in Jingjiang that a car cannot reach. Self-driving through Jingjiang is very thorough.

Travel writer, author of 'Kangrinboqê Pilgrimage Notes' and 'Cycling Through Lijiang'. Sina Weibo Yellow V, Toutiao high-quality tourism content creator, also featured on Yidian, Baijiahao, Sogou, Penguin Express, Sohu, Dayuhao, Beijing Time. Special travel correspondent for People's Daily 'People's Livelihood Weekly', special contributor to 'Tibet Tourism' and 'Car Self-Drive'. Articles have been selected multiple times for Toutiao Qingyun Plan.

Nanjing ~ Jingjiang. Using the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway and Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, crossing the Jiangyin Bridge, the total distance is about 195 kilometers.

After crossing the Jiangyin Bridge, it was already noon when we arrived at Maqiao, Jingjiang. I knew there was a beautiful farming garden in Maqiao, but I wasn't sure if there was a place to eat. So the first stop was the Maqiao Agricultural Tourism Service Center to check in and ask for information.

The main function of the service center is to introduce the characteristic agricultural tourism industry and products of Maqiao, Jingjiang, to visitors. I am very glad that such a place exists in the countryside nowadays. It acts like a menu or a book's table of contents, directly telling tourists what is here, what they can do and buy. If Maqiao is compared to a scenic spot, then the service center is a visitor center that bridges supply and demand.

The Farming Garden is near the service center. At this time, grapes, yellow peaches, and pears were fully ripe. We picked them ourselves, washing, peeling, slicing, and arranging a fruit platter for the elders... Under the blazing sun, sweating profusely, when my tongue touched the fresh peach juice, the satisfaction instantly dissolved the fatigue of driving. Peaches and grapes each have their own sweetness, with a layer of sugar on the surface ensuring freshness. At the same time, convenient rural roads also guarantee freshness: from the tree to the tables of people in Shanghai and Nanjing, transport only takes three hours.

Walking through the Farming Garden, we approached the core area of the Cultural Expo Park—the Sun Family Old House. This is a 3A scenic spot. The main functions include a distillery, fishing, dining, and the Sun Family Ancestral Hall.

'Promoting the patriotic sentiment that both sides of the strait are one family' is the cultural background of the Sun Family Old House. During the Anti-Japanese War, Kuomintang General Song Tiesheng was wounded in battle. To escape the pursuit of Japanese soldiers, he hid in the Sun Family Compound to recover and eventually evaded capture. Mr. Lien Chan, former chairman of the Kuomintang in Taiwan, upon hearing this story, personally wrote the inscription 'Sun Family Old House' in gratitude to the Sun family ancestors.

Mr. Sun Wuyan (President of the Taiwan Academy of Social Sciences, President of the China International Brand Strategy Management Research Institute), the direct descendant of Sun Yat-sen, also attaches great importance to this connection. He hopes to restore and rebuild the century-old Sun Family Compound. In 2016, Sun Wuyan introduced Taiwan's leisure agriculture and sightseeing agriculture projects to Xuzhou Village, using this as a bond to expand cultural exchanges across the strait.

When visiting Jingjiang, I insisted on going to the riverside. Because this section of the Yangtze River is very wide, vast as the sea, holding the past and present of Jingjiang. The rolling Yangtze makes its last turn here before merging into the East China Sea. Along the river, you can see Jiangyin and Shuangshan Island in Zhangjiagang on the opposite bank. About 1,000 years ago, Jingjiang was still a sea. The Yangtze River brought a large amount of sediment from upstream, which deposited here to form an island, giving rise to Jingjiang.

Bathing in the river breeze, we arrived at the East Line First Sail Memorial Park. We saw a sculpture group of hundreds of boats bravely crossing the Yangtze River, recalling that thrilling historical peak moment.

On April 21, 1949, the People's Liberation Army launched the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign. At 7:00 p.m. that day, four corps of the Tenth Army Group of the Third Field Army, totaling 200,000 troops, crossed the Yangtze from Jingjiang, sounding the horn to 'Cross the Yangtze River, Liberate All China'. Jingjiang was an important assembly point and launch point for the eastern route of the campaign, thus it is known as the 'East Line First Sail'.

Behind the great victory of the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign lay a massive project of building bridges and roads. At that time, Jingjiang was full of potholes and ponds. Heavy machinery, armored vehicles, and supply materials could not reach the riverside without roads. So in a short time, from towns to villages, from government offices to schools, tens of thousands of people were mobilized to race against time and work intensively. Many district and village cadres and the masses implemented contract-based work, finally paving a road of victory spanning 760 li (380 kilometers). This road also played a significant role after the campaign.

Now, more than 70 years have passed since that shining moment of the victorious crossing. The smoke of the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign has dissipated, but the spirit of dedication of the Jingjiang people, who gave their all, has been passed down to this day. The 'East Line First Sail' represents the tenacity of Jingjiang people to 'gather sand to form an island, strive and surpass', and is also a vivid expression of that pivotal moment in history.

The place to enjoy lotus flowers is in Shengci. These days, the lotus flowers are in full bloom. The locals have timed it perfectly and organized a vibrant lotus festival. Before even reaching Shengci, we could see elegantly dressed elderly aunties in colorful lotus costumes, holding oil-paper umbrellas, walking with confident and graceful steps towards the densest lotus blooms.

The name 'Shengci' (Living Shrine) comes from Yue Fei's shrine. Because the shrine was established while Yue Fei was still alive, it is called a 'living shrine'. In the fourth year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1130 AD), Yue Fei fought against the Jin army and retreated on his way to Jiangyin. He settled the refugees from the Jianghuai region here and sent troops to protect them. The grateful people built a shrine here to honor him. The town of Shengci got its name from this.

The tranquil green color filled our eyes. Every now and then, mist sprayed from under the bridge, creating a celestial palace atmosphere. The elegant aunties posed and walked among it, ethereal and delicate, their beauty outshining the lotus flowers.

Although the Colorful Lotus Pond is a popular attraction in Jingjiang in recent years, the village where it is located, 'Dongjin Village', actually has a more significant background. Before liberation, Dongjin Village was not only the initial anti-Japanese base area in the Jingjiang region but also the location of the first Yangtze River Crossing Command during the War of Liberation. Dongjin Village was originally named 'Puji Temple'. Due to this history, it was renamed 'Dongjin', meaning 'advance eastward from this base point'. The name carries a strong sense of mission of the era.

Around the Colorful Lotus Pond, there are also other agricultural tourism sights such as Donghua Landscape Garden, Daishang Renjia, Yihai Ecological Park, Colorful Lizhu, and Baoyuan Animal Husbandry. Together, they form a modern agricultural tourism industry belt, and the newly built Chenwangang Road perfectly connects these characteristic attractions.

Since we couldn't visit all the sights in Shengci in one day, we went to Li Garden nearby.

Li Garden, elegant and graceful. Entering this courtyard, time seemed to slow down. Ancient, refined, tranquil and beautiful, even the cicada and frog sounds felt like a soothing rhythm. This is not only a place to rest but also inspires a desire to stay for a few days.

I launched a small drone, like a swallow, flying over the lotus pond, over pavilions with upturned eaves, and hovering above the bamboo grove. A gentle breeze passed, and the sound of bamboo waves rose and fell, creating a scene so vivid that words were unnecessary. This is clearly a garden work that underwent repeated deliberation, with a large number of design drawings. It not only blends Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Anhui architectural styles but also takes 'Water Charm Jiangsu' as its theme line, without any of the cramped feeling of traditional gardens.

Although the lotuses here are also in full bloom, they are fiery red like the sunset. Even the Taihu stone rockeries look more spirited in this garden... During the Great Heat season, Li Garden brings an indescribable coolness from its artistic conception. Sitting on a bench in the Zhixing Hall, chatting and daydreaming, before we knew it, the sun was setting.

[Sun Family Old House Five Workshops Six Stoves] Combines the century-old family traditions of Sun Family old distillery, sauce workshop, traditional tofu workshop, pastry workshop, and braised meat workshop, integrating folk intangible cultural heritage small workshops. Six Stoves: centered on six traditional wood-burning stoves, using ingredients from traditional handmade workshops, with farmhouse cooks preparing one stove, one dish, and large pot meals. The Five Workshops and Six Stoves are located in the Maqiao Farming Garden, offering fresh ingredients and unique dishes. Maqiao's asparagus is very famous, and asparagus wontons are a must-try. The environment is spacious with central air conditioning. This restaurant also provides experiences for tourists, students, study tours, and parent-child interaction, combining education with fun.

[Li Garden Restaurant] Located opposite Li Garden in Shengci. After visiting the Colorful Lotus Pond and Li Garden, it's very convenient to park and eat here. Li Garden Restaurant has a large parking lot and can accommodate large tour groups. The environment is elegant, air conditioning is sufficient, the dishes are unique, and the flavors lean towards Northern Jiangsu cuisine.

[Jinyue Hotel] Located near the center of Jingjiang. It has a large parking lot surrounded by beautiful gardens. Since the attractions mentioned in this travelogue are distributed in the south, north, and center of Jingjiang, staying at Jinyue Hotel is very convenient for travel. The standard rooms have spacious bathrooms with bathtubs. There is a large Chinese and Western restaurant on the first floor, which also offers a buffet.

The trip to Jingjiang satisfied the interests of three generations of the family. During the trip, I also took many photos I liked. Looking through them again, this trip felt more like a return to my hometown. Seeing the changes in the countryside, I began to envy the freedom of living in the Jingjiang countryside. At the same time, I want to give a thumbs-up to the continuously upgraded 'Four Good Rural Roads' in recent years. Because of the roads, we have the opportunity to observe and think up close. Because of the roads, people can easily enter each other's worlds, truly experience the charm of the countryside, and life thus becomes colorful, free, and beautiful.

Nikon D750/D3400/Fuji XF10/Sony RX100/DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Lenses: Sigma 70-200mm, Nikon 50mm, Samyang 14mm

Post-processing: LR, PS for computer retouching, ID for map creation

Copyright Notice: The text and images in this travelogue are the original works of Nima Tsering V, copyrighted; without permission, no website, media, or individual may reproduce, link, repost, copy, or use by other means for downloading.

Travelogue Contents: 1. About the Itinerary 2. First Impressions of Jingjiang 3. About Me 4. Self-Drive Route 5. 01: Maqiao Picking, Fresh Peach Juice Relieves Driving Fatigue 6. 02: East Line First Sail, Recreating a Historical Peak Moment 7. 03: 200 Mu of Colorful Lotus Ponds, Creating a Celestial Atmosphere, Visitors More Beautiful Than Flowers 8. Li Garden, Elegant and Graceful, Cicada and Frog Sounds as a Soothing Rhythm 9. Food Recommendations 10. Accommodation Recommendations 11. Postscript 12. About Photography Equipment

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