Street Photography in a Small Anhui City: The Integration of Mountains, Waters, and the City, Creating an Ideal 'Kingdom of Tranquility'

This is a casual street shot of Ningguo, a small city in Anhui. When I saw the street view integrating mountains, waters, and the city, I understood what the ideal 'Kingdom of Tranquility' means!

Everywhere along the southern bank of the Yangtze River in Anhui, there are stunning landscapes of southern Anhui mountain-and-water cities. The small city of Ningguo, due to its geographical coordinates at 30°N latitude and 118°-119°E longitude, enjoys a uniquely favorable climate, which has earned it the nickname 'Kingdom of Tranquility.'

In ancient times, there was a famous prefecture in the lower reaches of the Jiangnan region called Ningguo Prefecture. Besides being the prototype for Cao Xueqin's 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' it was also the ancient name for Xuancheng, the superior administrative unit of today's small industrial and trade city of Ningguo in southern Anhui. A tranquil, peaceful, and prosperous realm—that is Ningguo. Now, Ningguo is gradually realizing the wishes of the ancients.

Although Ningguo is a city driven by industry, its ecological environment is no less impressive than that of nearby Jing County, Jixi County, or Huangshan. It is an eco-friendly industrial trade city. Walking through any park in the city center is so peaceful, serene, comfortable, pleasant, and warm!

The Green Bamboo Garden Walking Trail is an auxiliary facility of Ningguo's Riverside Park. It boasts tens of thousands of acres of pristine green bamboo and yuan bamboo. The environment is very quiet and secluded, making it a rare place in the city to cleanse the lungs. Strolling through such a bamboo sea trail helps you forget all worries.

Emerging from the bamboo sea trail, you can see the city's commercial center building. The blend of mountain-and-water scenery and the tidy urban landscape has already allowed us to appreciate the charm of this 'Kingdom of Tranquility.' Indeed, mountains and waters are within the city, and the city is nestled in mountains and waters! This is a living urban painting!

In Ningguo, which has the most developed autonomous economy in southern Anhui, having an environment that integrates mountains, waters, and the urban industrial landscape is nothing short of a miracle. Because economic development typically damages the environment, and a good environment often requires sacrificing economic growth.

This place, renowned as the Kingdom of Tranquility, is located at the junction of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. It enjoys the climate of the Taihu Lake basin, the grandeur of the main Tianmu Mountain range, and the beauty of the Huangshan Mountain foothills. Surrounded by such a mountain system, the environment here is naturally excellent. Street shots in every corner of Ningguo's urban area are so beautiful, so comfortable, and so charming!

Having natural resources also requires human protection and development. How to find a balance between development and protection is a quest pursued across the country, and Ningguo's development path seems quite good. Every place on the city streets exudes the flavor of the Kingdom of Tranquility.

In Ningguo, there is almost no need to deliberately seek out beautiful scenery, because everywhere offers views worth appreciating. So just pick up a camera and walk through the streets and alleys, and you can capture photos with the charm of the Kingdom of Tranquility at any time.

If I told you this place is a small park within a national development zone, would you believe it? I think most people would not. They generally think it's a scenic area in some eco-friendly small town. Actually, this is a corner of Chengxi Lake Park in the Ningguo Economic Development Zone.

Ningguo Economic Development Zone was the first in Anhui Province's county-level cities to be approved as a national development zone. It's hard to believe that a small county with a population of less than 400,000 has a national development zone, and even more unexpected is that such a national development zone also has a lakeside park with such mountain-and-water scenery. Do you believe it now?

No matter which park in Ningguo's urban area you visit, you can see the stunning integration of mountains, waters, and the city. In every corner of any park, you will encounter middle-aged and elderly people whose faces are filled with happy smiles.

If you don't know about Ningguo or don't understand the meaning of its name, why not come and take a walk in this small southern Anhui city? You will surely understand what the Kingdom of Tranquility is!

The Xijin River urban wetland at sunset is even more beautiful and has a poetic charm. Although the nationally broadcasted attraction is the Ningguo Redwood Forest Scenic Area, known as 'Jiangnan Kanas,' this southern Anhui urban wetland park is equally beautiful and more worth visiting for leisure. Especially at dusk, the scenery is so beautiful that words cannot describe it!