March 2024 Zhejiang and Jiangsu Self-Driving Tour Guide (Part 2): Jiangsu Yixing Bamboo Sea and Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area

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Continued from "March 2024 Zhejiang and Jiangsu Self-Driving Tour Guide (Part 1): Zhejiang Jianglang Mountain, Qiandao Lake, Mogan Mountain"

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea - Jinghu Lake

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Scenery along the way

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Yangzhou - Slender West Lake

Jiangsu - Yangzhou - China Grand Canal Museum

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - "Three Mountains" Scenic Area - Jiaoshan Mountain

In March, during the beautiful season of blooming flowers and warm spring, we embarked on a self-driving tour of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Starting from Shantou City, Guangdong on March 22, we returned successfully on April 2, a total of 12 days, covering 3,550 kilometers. Along the way, we visited many scenic spots including Zhejiang's Jianglang Mountain in Quzhou, Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou, Mogan Mountain in Huzhou; Jiangsu's Yixing Bamboo Sea in Wuxi, Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area in Taizhou, Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, and Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang. Although the time was short, we visited quite a number of places and attractions, with diverse forms of sightseeing and rich content. It was truly a rewarding trip.

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Town - Dongwang Village - Sunset

Jiangsu - Yangzhou - Slender West Lake

Jiangsu - Yangzhou - Daming Temple - Overlooking Slender West Lake from Qiling Pagoda

Jiangsu - Yangzhou - Dongguan Street

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - "Three Mountains" Scenic Area - Beigu Mountain

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - Jingkou Square - Jingkou Baoding

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - "Three Mountains" Scenic Area - Jinshan - Jinshan Temple

Days 5-6 (March 26 to March 27): Visited Yixing Bamboo Sea in Wuxi, Jiangsu; Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area and Zheng Banqiao's Former Residence in Taizhou.

Fourth Stop: Yixing Bamboo Sea in Wuxi, Jiangsu (Day 5, March 26)

Yixing Bamboo Sea is located in the southwestern part of Yixing City, Wuxi, straddling the three provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang. This bamboo sea is truly an "ocean of bamboo," with a magnificent scene. In spring, the bamboo sea looks fresh and vibrant green, evoking a unique atmosphere of "fresh rain on an empty mountain" after spring rains; in summer, the vast bamboo groves bring coolness, with temperatures much lower than in the city, making it a famous summer resort.

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea - Jinghu Lake

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea - Jinghu Lake

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

1. To overlook the bamboo sea from above, the cable car is currently under reconstruction and not in operation, so you need to hike up the mountain.

2. There are many hotels and guesthouses around the scenic area, making accommodation and dining very convenient.

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Scenery along the way

Fifth Stop: Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area in Taizhou, Jiangsu (Day 6, March 27)

Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area is located in Qianduo Town, Xinghua City, Taizhou. Legend has it that Qianduo was the Eight Trigrams Formation set up by Yue Fei, the magistrate of Taizhou, during his battle against Jin troops. The average altitude of Xinghua is less than 2 meters, so farmland is prone to waterlogging. To counter this, local residents, during the dry season, dug up mud from low-lying areas and piled it onto higher ground, creating small island-like raised fields (duo fields). These duo fields vary in size and shape, not connected to each other, and can only be accessed by boat. Looking over the duo fields, rivers and harbors crisscross, and each isolated field looks like an island floating on the water, earning the nickname "Kingdom of Ten Thousand Islands." Around the Qingming Festival, when rapeseed flowers bloom, the blue sky, clear water, and "golden islands" create a stunning picture of "a river with countless bends and clear water, every field a golden bloom," offering a new visual experience.

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Colorful Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields - Observation Deck

1. Generally, the full bloom of rapeseed flowers occurs around the Qingming Festival, so it is recommended to visit around that time. However, be prepared for traffic jams, limited parking, and crowds during the peak blooming period.

2. There are many guesthouses in Dongwang Village near the scenic area for accommodation and dining. Spending a night here can make the trip less rushed.

3. Attractions such as Jindongmen Scenic Area, Zheng Banqiao's Former Residence, Zhao Haixian Western-Style Building, and Chengjia Grand Marshal's Mansion are not far from Qianduo Scenic Area, so you can arrange time to visit them.

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Town - Dongwang Village

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Town - Dongwang Village - Sunset

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Zheng Banqiao's Former Residence

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Jindongmen Scenic Area - Zhao Haixian Western-Style Building

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Jindongmen Scenic Area - Zhuangyuan Arch

Additionally, we visited the Xinghua Qianduo Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area on March 27. At that time, the rapeseed flowers on the south side of the observation deck were about 60-70% in bloom, while on the north side, less than 30% had bloomed. Overall, the view was just average. After spending a few days in Yangzhou, we specifically called the guesthouse in Xinghua to ask about the flowers. We learned that due to sunny weather, the rapeseed fields were now over 70-80% in bloom, which delighted us. So we squeezed out half a day and returned to Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area. Although it was still not the peak bloom period, the landscape was much better than a few days earlier. Spending an extra half-day and driving over a hundred more kilometers felt worthwhile. After all, it's not easy to travel such a long distance, and catching the peak bloom is truly difficult.

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Colorful Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Below is the specific itinerary for this self-driving tour, for reference for friends who want to travel.

D1 March 22 Shantou - Jianglang Mountain (Jiangshan) (780 km)

Stay: Vienna Hotel (Quzhou Jianglang Mountain Scenic Area Xiakou Branch)

D2 March 23 Jianglang Mountain (Jiangshan) - Quzhou - Qiandao Lake (Chun'an) (60+130=190 km)

Visit: Jianglang Mountain Scenic Area, Qingyang Mao's Cultural Village, Quzhou City Wall

Stay: Atour Hotel (Qiandao Lake Central Lake Area)

D3 March 24 Qiandao Lake (Chun'an) - Mogan Mountain (Deqing) (200 km)

Visit: Qiandao Lake Scenic Area, Moonlight Island, Meifeng Island, Xiushui Street, Tianyu Scenic Area (Tianyushan Observation Deck)

Stay: Mogan Mountain Yungu Dexin Kaiyuan Mingting Hotel

D4 March 25 Mogan Mountain (Deqing) - Huzhou - Yixing Bamboo Sea Scenic Area (Yixing) (60+60=120 km)

Visit: Mogan Mountain Scenic Area, Huzhou Taihu Lake Tourist Resort, Moon Square

Stay: Huazhu · Huajian Hotel (Yixing Bamboo Sea Scenic Area Branch)

D5 March 26 Yixing Bamboo Sea Scenic Area (Yixing) - Qianduo Scenic Area (Xinghua) (270 km)

Visit: Yixing Bamboo Sea Scenic Area, Dongwang Village

Stay: Xinghua Yinuo Guesthouse

D6 March 27 Qianduo Scenic Area (Xinghua) - Yangzhou (110 km)

Visit: Qianduo Scenic Area, Jindongmen Scenic Area: Zheng Banqiao's Former Residence, Zhao Haixian Western-Style Building, Chengjia Grand Marshal's Mansion

Stay: Orange Hotel (Yangzhou Geyuan Dongguan Street Branch)

D7 March 28 Yangzhou (30 km)

Visit: China Grand Canal Museum, Canal Three Bays Scenic Area, He Garden, Pishi Street, Zhu Ziqing's Former Residence

D8 March 29 Yangzhou

Visit: Slender West Lake, Daming Temple, Jianzhen Library Cherry Blossom Avenue

D9 March 30 Yangzhou - Qianduo Scenic Area (Xinghua) - Zhenjiang (130+160=290 km)

Visit: Geyuan Garden, Guandong Street, East Gate Ruins, Guandong Ancient Ferry (Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal), Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area

Stay: Zhenjiang Shundi Sanheyuan Hotel

D10 March 31 Zhenjiang (40 km)

Visit: Xijin Ferry Historical and Cultural District, Zhenjiang Museum, Jingkou Square, "Three Mountains" (Jinshan, Beigu Mountain, Jiaoshan Mountain) Scenic Area

D11 April 1 Zhenjiang - Nanping (690 km)

Stay: Vienna International Hotel (Nanping Jianyang Jianping Avenue Branch)

D12 April 2 Nanping - Shantou (630 km)

Zhejiang - Quzhou - Jiangshan - Qingyang Mao's Cultural Village

Zhejiang - Hangzhou - Chun'an - Qiandao Lake - Meifeng Island - Overlooking Qiandao Lake

Zhejiang - Hangzhou - Chun'an - Qiandao Lake - Sunset

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Yixing Bamboo Sea

Jiangsu - Wuxi - Yixing - Scenery along the way

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Qianduo Scenic Area - Rapeseed Flower Fields

Jiangsu - Taizhou - Xinghua - Zheng Banqiao's Former Residence

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - "Three Mountains" Scenic Area - Jinshan - The First Spring Under Heaven

Jiangsu - Zhenjiang - Jinshan Scenic Area - Overlooking Jinshan Lake from Jinshan Temple