A Hidden Gem in Southern Anhui: A Stunning “Sichuan-Tibet Highway” with Scenic Views at Every Step, Capturing Hearts at First Sight!
Driving the Sichuan-Tibet Highway is a dream for many, including me. I long to drive freely through the mountains, captivated by the magnificent scenery along the way. But honestly, it's not easy to go to the Sichuan-Tibet Highway; it requires a lot of time, energy, and money.
However, now I'm telling you that there is also a stunning “Sichuan-Tibet Highway” hidden in Southern Anhui! Isn't that tempting? Has it rekindled your old dream? The Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway, also known as the “Jiangnan Sky Road,” is located on Anhui’s Southern route 318. The general route starts at Qinglong Township in Ningguo City in the east and ends at Caicun Town in Jing County in the west, with the highlight section stretching 120 kilometers.
This Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway is filled with endless scenery of Southern Anhui, mixed with a touch of thrill. This time, I mainly visited the Shili Gallery Chujia Beach, the scenic retreat Qinglong Bay, the Moon Bay Scenic Area, which has been chosen as an outdoor filming location by several film studios, and the most popular spot this season, the Feathery Redwood Forest.
Morning: Hangzhou - Ningguo City, Xuancheng
Afternoon: Chujia Beach, Qinglong Bay
Evening: Luoyu Qiju Homestay (accommodation)
Morning: Feathery Redwood Wetland Park
Afternoon: Moon Bay Scenic Area - Return trip
About transportation: There are winding mountain roads along the way; it’s recommended to fill up your car's gas tank in advance.
About accommodation: Many tourists visit the Feathery Redwood Forest, so it’s recommended to book a room a week in advance; for other attractions, rooms are plentiful.
About cuisine: Ningguo cakes, pecans, potstickers, wormwood buns, Jing County fermented rice cake, Shuiyang duck feet wraps, stinky tofu, mung bean starch sheets, stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, and various other snacks and Huizhou dishes.
TIPS: If you go on a weekend, be aware of traffic jams; there are many, many tourists.
In the crisp autumn weather, the whole country has entered autumn viewing mode. I bet your social media feeds are also flooded with red maples and ginkgo trees, right? Around this time every year, local residents, tourists from other places, and photography enthusiasts all gather at the Feathery Redwood Wetland Park. Everyone comes to see the fiery red Feathery Redwood Forest.
This place is known as the “Kanas Lake” on the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The fiery red 2,000-acre redwood forest grows neatly arranged in the water. Under the blue sky and white clouds, it contrasts beautifully with its reflections in the water and the green mountains in the distance—truly stunning! No wonder some say it’s God's overturned palette, an oil painting by Monet, rarely seen in China.
Feathery cypress, also known as bald cypress, is a large deciduous tree that can reach heights of 25 to 50 meters. Its leaves are feather-like. With the changing seasons, the colors shift from green to golden yellow to deep red. Around November and December each year, the leaves are at their reddest. The fiery red leaves on the trees and those fallen into the water dye the entire lake surface, creating a magnificent sight.
The most atmospheric experience is riding a bamboo raft through the forest—truly indescribably wonderful! Around 7 a.m., many people were already queuing to board bamboo rafts. I highly recommend taking a bamboo raft, first to enjoy the beauty of the Feathery Redwood Forest up close, and second to take beautiful photos.
It is said that the feathery cypresses originally grew on dry land. Later, after the area was flooded, they miraculously adapted to the aquatic environment. This time, I was also lucky enough to see the fruits of the feathery cypress, which were also quite interesting.
Personally, I think the Feathery Redwood Forest is most beautiful around sunrise and sunset. In fact, many photographers head there as early as 4 a.m. to capture the morning mist and sunrise. Hotels and homestays near the Feathery Redwood Forest are also booked solid early on. The roads leading to the scenic area often experience traffic jams. But for such beauty, it’s all worth it!
[Feathery Redwood Forest Mini Guide]
Detailed address: Feathery Redwood Wetland Park, Ningguo City, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province.
Transportation: Self-driving recommended.
Best viewing time: November to December each year.
Highlights: Red leaves like fire; it’s recommended to take a bamboo raft for a more beautiful view.
Photography tips: The highway on the hillside offers a wide view for panoramic shots; riverside and on the bamboo raft for close-ups; aerial drone photography is even better.
Tips: Crowds and traffic on weekends; recommend visiting on weekdays; if you have energy, don’t miss the sunrise.
Anhui has many ink-wash painting-like scenic spots, such as Xidi and Hongcun, the Xin'an River Gallery, all renowned far and wide. The Chujia Beach Scenic Area, known as the Shili Gallery, is also the same—a rare tranquil ink-wash painting on the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway.
Chujia Beach is located downstream of the beautiful Qinglong Bay. Surrounded by mountains, it’s only a little over 10 kilometers from Ningguo city center. It is known as “Little Guilin of Anhui” and “Jiuzhaigou of Southern Anhui.” It is a Chinese photography creation base and a filming location for many film and TV production teams.
At the foot of the hills along the shore, white-walled, black-tiled Hui-style buildings are scattered in an orderly manner; on the lake, birds occasionally fly by, and bamboo rafts drift past; if you come on a rainy day or in the early morning, you can often enjoy the misty clouds over the lake—a true ink-wash painting paradise.
This is also a great place for tourism and leisure, with a light commercial atmosphere, more tranquility and leisure. On the banks of the Xijin River, you can fish, camp, barbecue, and sing to your heart's content. You can also take pictures next to the statue of an old fisherman in a conical hat and straw raincoat, or take a souvenir photo on the viewing platform that resembles an ink-wash painting. In short, don’t waste the beauty of the unified water and sky surrounded by mountains.
[Chujia Beach Scenic Area Mini Guide]
Detailed address: By Qinglong Bay Lake, Ningguo City, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province.
Transportation: Self-driving recommended.
Best viewing time: All year round.
Highlights: The lake and mountain scenery is extremely beautiful; on rainy days or early mornings, the misty lake surface adds even more charm.
Photography tips: You can wear ancient-style Hanfu for portrait photography; if you can, get up early, the morning scene at Chujia Beach is beautiful no matter how you shoot.
Tips: There is a large lawn here, suitable for camping, barbecues, and team building.
Good mountains, good water, good place! Qinglong Bay Scenic Area is beautiful and serene, yet also equipped with modern tourism projects like cruise boats, making it a full vacation destination. It has various attractions such as double swings, Qingliao Wangfeng Pavilion, fishing platforms, bamboo corridor, and Longchi.
The scenic area is built around the Gangkouwan Reservoir, with 38 independent or connected islands, earning it the nickname “Mini Thousand-Island Lake.” The large national water conservancy project, Gangkouwan Reservoir, covers a lake surface of 34 square kilometers. Shooting from a drone’s perspective reveals new sights—the islands appear ingeniously crafted.
The ecological resources of Qinglong Bay are incredibly rich. The forest coverage is extremely high, with “first-class air and first-class water,” known as “the kingdom of animals, a paradise of biodiversity, and a precious pure land in the gene bank.” Visitors can stroll along the shore or take a boat to experience the dazzling lake and mountain scenery.
[Qinglong Bay Eco-Tourism Area Mini Guide]
Detailed address: Qinglong Bay Scenic Area, Ningguo City, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province.
Transportation: Self-driving recommended.
Best viewing time: All year round.
Highlights: Numerous islands, known as “Small Thousand-Island Lake,” excellent air and water quality, and rich recreational activities.
Photography tips: Carrying a drone is recommended for a more beautiful aerial perspective.
Tips: There is a large parking lot here, so no worries about finding a spot.
Have you ever seen movies or TV dramas like “The Storm of Moon Bay,” “Reconnaissance Across the Yangtze,” or “The Laughter of Moon Bay”? These works were filmed at Moon Bay Scenic Area. Moon Bay Scenic Area is located in Caicun Town, Jing County. Caicun Town is known as “China’s First Town for Mao Bamboo.”
Moon Bay is formed by many small streams converging, with the riverbed covered in cobblestones. The river winds around the mountain, and when viewed from above, it looks like a crescent moon, hence the name “Moon Bay.”
Moon Bay Scenic Area is most famous for rafting. In summer, it’s packed with people and bustling with activity, definitely a “refreshing stream” on the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Moreover, Moon Bay rafting has a particularly fun part: water fights! Rafting that allows water fights—have you rarely seen that? Tourists who have tried it find it very interesting! Rafting and having water fights in such beautiful natural scenery is truly exhilarating.
[Moon Bay Scenic Area Mini Guide]
Detailed address: Moon Bay Village, Caicun Town, Jing County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province.
Transportation: Self-driving recommended.
Best time to visit: All year round, especially recommended in summer.
Highlights: Rafting with water fights.
Photography tips: Carrying a drone is recommended for a more beautiful aerial perspective.
Tips: This place is suitable for self-driving; public transportation is limited.
No need to worry about food at all. As one of China’s traditional eight great cuisines, Huizhou cuisine has countless delicious dishes. Most of the snacks and dishes in Xuancheng are also Huizhou-style, with a slight saltiness and spiciness. As a foodie, I enjoyed various snacks and Huizhou dishes along the way, including Ningguo cakes, pecans, potstickers, wormwood buns, Jing County fermented rice cake, Shuiyang duck feet wraps, stinky tofu, mung bean starch sheets, stinky mandarin fish, hairy tofu, and more—full of happiness.
The Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway mostly passes through towns and cities; even the winding mountain roads are not very far from villages. So there are plenty of accommodation options, quite spacious. Only near the Feathery Redwood Forest is accommodation tighter. From November to December each year, the number of tourists coming to see the Feathery Redwood Forest is extremely large. You generally need to book a room a week in advance. Finding accommodation on the spot may be difficult.
I stayed at Luoyu Qiju Homestay, a house of the local villager, about 3 kilometers from the Feathery Redwood Forest Scenic Area. The homestay was clean and tidy, fully equipped with air conditioning, water heater, WiFi, and TV. There was also a restaurant for ordering meals. Behind the house, there was a small vegetable garden where the owner grew some fruits and vegetables, quite interesting.
This self-driving trip on the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway left me wanting more and lingering in memory! I marvel that Southern Anhui hides such a stunning “Sichuan-Tibet Highway,” truly scenic at every step, captivating at first sight! Due to limited time on this weekend, I couldn’t visit all the attractions, such as Taoling Highway and Shuimo Tingxi, which was a pity. However, I believe I will drive along this Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway many more times in the future!
Travelogue Directory 1. [Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway] 2. [Self-driving Route] 3. [Practical Tips] 4. [Southern Anhui “Kanas Lake”: Feathery Redwood Forest] 5. [Shili Gallery: Chujia Beach] 6. [Qinglong Bay Eco-Tourism Area] 7. [Moon Bay Scenic Area] 8. [About Cuisine] 9. [About Accommodation] 10. [Postscript] Travel Information Hotel Index Guide Index Ticket Index Website Navigation Travel Index Cruise Index Corporate Travel Index Franchise Cooperation Distribution Alliance Friendly Links Corporate Gift Card Purchasing Insurance Agency Agency Cooperation Hotel Franchising Destination and Scenic Area Cooperation More Franchise Cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip Highlights Contact Us Careers User Agreement Privacy Policy Security Center Ctrip Content Center Intellectual Property Trip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure
