Southern Anhui 'Little Sichuan-Tibet Highway', Route 218 Five-Day Tour
Day 1: Departed from Changzhou at 8:00, arrived at the Former Site of the New Fourth Army Headquarters at 13:00. The navigation directed us to the New Fourth Army History Exhibition Hall, we almost went the wrong way. The headquarters is surrounded by mountains, with a statue of General Ye Ting standing heroically at the gate, embodying the image of the 'Iron Army'. Ye Ting's residence also served as the headquarters meeting room and had a small garden. The neighboring house was the residence of Xiang Ying and Zhou Zikun, both quite simple. On the wall was written 'Fight to the End of the War of Resistance', demonstrating the Communist Party's resolute determination to resist Japan. One kilometer away was the New Fourth Army Conference Hall, with the slogan 'United Resistance' hanging high. The exhibition hall displayed the New Fourth Army's weapons and paid tribute to the martyrs who died in the Southern Anhui Incident. Departed at 14:00 for Zhaji.
Zhaji Ancient Village: Arrived at the ticket office at 15:30, bought tickets. You can drive into the village or take a shuttle. The village was quite large, with many students sketching. Horse-head walls, wood carvings, an imperial plaque reading 'Imperial Bestowed Hanlin', Xuan paper, rice wine, bamboo carvings, and crowds of tourists. On a rooftop with an observation deck, I took a panoramic photo. It took an hour to tour the entire village. At 16:30, headed to the accommodation Taohua Mountain Villa. The front desk was very welcoming and introduced me to the attractions of Taohuatan and the best viewing times.
Taohuatan: Arrived at Taohua Mountain Villa at 17:30. The villa is on the west bank, right by the Taohuatan River, a very good location to catch morning mist. The ticket office at the old street had already closed, so I went in for a look; it was quite short. Not worth buying a ticket to enter.
Day 2: Taohuatan is right by the door of Taohua Mountain Villa. At 6:00, the eastern sky gradually turned red, but five minutes later large clouds blocked the sun and the sky turned overcast. The promised morning mist was a no-go. After breakfast, headed along Provincial Road 217 toward the West Gate of Huangshan. It was called a provincial road but was a narrow concrete road, more like a village road. First followed the riverbank, part of Jing County's ecological road, with pleasant scenery. Then came a mountain climbing road until arriving at Gantang Town at the entrance of Provincial Road 218, which was an urban road. The road was oddly just one and a half lanes, with the half lane shared with non-motor vehicles. Filled up the tank for 170 yuan, got on Route 218, heading to the West Gate of Huangshan. It rained all morning, the road was wet, there were heavy engineering trucks and mining companies, making the road very dirty. Route 218 had many beautiful views, but unfortunately no place to stop. The entrance to the West Gate is lined with redwood trees, among the top in Asia. The West Gate could not be entered; I'm not sure if it was because of the time or if tickets were not being sold. Right after the rain, mist swirled among the mountains, refreshing the mind, but trees and power lines made it hard to frame a shot with the camera. Just as I was about to leave, the rain stopped. I quickly took aerial footage with the drone at 180–230 meters altitude and 1900 meters distance, passing through the clouds. I was so excited that I shot some video to commemorate it. Used up all the batteries, then returned happily. The sun also came out. If the rain had stopped half an hour earlier, I would have been below the clouds and could have ascended through them for a better effect. Left around 15:00 for Tachuan. Provincial Road 218 was endless winding curves, driving at 40 km/h. Passed through Guo Village, a small village at the gateway of two mountains; the wind was too strong to fly. Arrived at Tachuan at 16:30. The roads were swarming with pedestrians. Perhaps due to poor light, the scenery was not as imagined. Checked into Autumn Love, a light luxury vacation homestay located above Tachuan, a bit far from the morning shooting spot.
Day 3: Roosters started crowing at 4:00 in Tachuan. Got up at 4:30, turned on the flashlight, and went to the observation deck halfway up the mountain to see if I could catch the morning mist. Waited until 6:00; the sky showed a faint red glow but no mist. Packed up and walked 1500 meters downhill to the sunrise viewing platform. Located 200 meters below the scenic area ticket office, the platform was already surrounded by two circles of long lenses and tripods. Found an empty spot and set up the tripod. The sky was already slightly red. I asked a veteran photographer for advice: aperture f/9, exposure initially 0.5 seconds, changing with time. As the sun rose, focusing on the sun made it too dark for the camera, focusing on the houses caused overexposure, so I just used my phone. Took some wide shots with the drone; there were faint patches of mist behind the hills, but the camera couldn't capture the feeling. Went back to the room for breakfast, charged the batteries, and waited until 9:00 to depart.
Continued along Provincial Road 218, passing by the former residence of Sai Jinhua. On Hongcun Avenue and Taohuayuan Road, I saw many people parking to take photos. It turned out the rice had not yet been fully harvested, presenting a golden yellow expanse. Stopped to capture some harvest scenes. Drove along the Hangzhou-Ruili Expressway for 3 hours, speed limit 100 km/h, but reduced to 80 km/h in tunnels. The expressway wound along the mountain slopes with frequent sharp turns; it wasn't as comfortable as the Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway but it kept me from dozing off. The rest areas along the expressway were simple; some only had gas stations and no hot water. However, as the expressway crossed the mountains, golden sunlight shone through gaps in the clouds, making me want to keep pressing the shutter. The sky was so blue, the clouds like cotton candy—something I hadn't seen in Changzhou for a long time. At 2:00 PM, arrived at Chujiatai, a Chinese photography base. A stretch of clear blue water rippled in the gentle breeze. The water was deep yet very clear, suitable for family weekend gatherings and relaxation. Continued on winding mountain roads, constantly going in switchbacks. After an hour, arrived at the Hongshanlin (Redwood Forest) Scenic Area. Indeed, it would have been better to stay here. Cars from all over the country filled the streets, with men and women everywhere, and inns and hotels scattered about. Checked in, and at a little past 3:00, the sunlight was just right. Climbed to the observation deck in 2 minutes; there were already four or five DJI Mavic 2 drones in the air.
Day 4: Got up at 5:00 in the morning, hoping to capture the morning mist. I was staying at Shui Se Boutique Inn, with windows opening directly to the Redwood Forest. It started raining moderately. Reluctant to miss the opportunity, I went out with an umbrella. At 6:30, the rain stopped for about ten minutes, and I hurriedly shot some footage. Then it started drizzling again until 7:30 when it truly stopped, but the whole day remained overcast. Went down the slope and shot a few videos standing by the Redwood Forest. Some people were playing in the wild drift; 40 yuan per person. I sat at the bow of a boat and took a few photos, but the gloomy sky made it feel lackluster. At 10:00, took a wooden raft inside the Redwood Forest scenic area, 60 yuan per person. Drifted through the redwood forest for about 25 minutes. The leaves on the lower two-thirds of the trees had already fallen, so the shots came out gray and dull, and without sun, it was clear I had come too late. Should have come a week earlier. At 2:00, wound up the Little Sichuan-Tibet Highway toward Banqiao Village. Made a brief stop, then arrived at the Liudao Bay observation deck. The roadside was lined with cars, and the air was filled with drones. One after another, hairpin turns unfolded before my eyes, a breathtaking sight. Experiencing those turns firsthand was thrilling and dangerous; the road was narrower than Route 218, requiring mutual yielding to pass, and the slopes were steep. Although Liudao Bay has lights at night, driving on mountain roads at night is quite dangerous, so I had to give it up. At 6:00, arrived at Fangfang Inn near Shuimo Tingxi.
Day 5: Headed to Moon Bay, only to find it is a summer scenic area that was closed in winter. Then went to Jingshan Mountain. The mountain is not tall, and the sights were rather meager, but it became famous because of a poem by Li Bai. After Li Bai was pardoned from exile in Yelang, he spent the last two years in Xuancheng, where he passed away, leaving behind many poems. At 2:00 PM, started the return journey, rested at three service areas along the way, and arrived home safely at 5:30.
