Deep in the Bamboo Grove | Accidentally Discovered a Little Secret Spanning Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui

Our backpacks are filled with sunshine, setting off to bask in the moonlight on the mountaintop. The spring train is about to pass the station—can we catch it just in time?

Returning from the mountains and waters to the city, I sat on the crowded subway, listening to music, and began recalling impressions that were still quite vivid.

That feeling wasn't real. I had lived in the bamboo grove for three days,

never experienced a traffic jam, never seen rows of towering buildings, nor heard the noise of night markets.

This time, my steps took me to a city that had transformed from a county to a city two years ago: Guangde City, Anhui Province.

Guangde's geographical location is very unique. On the way to Guangde, I received welcome text messages from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

When I opened the map, I could clearly see that to the north of Guangde is Yixing, Jiangsu, and to the west is Changxing, Zhejiang.

【About the Itinerary】

DAY 1: Depart from Hefei City in the evening?

DAY 2: Lu Lake ? Jishan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area ? Maotian Mountain Scenic Area?

DAY 3: Guangde Folding Fan ? Jinjilong Tea Field ? Taiji Cave ? Return to Hefei City

During this trip, I also had some unexpected special experiences!

Bamboo shoots were everywhere—visible to the naked eye, with many ways to eat them. Such an ingredient is a treasure in the city!

At the village entrance, I encountered a chain of "scares" from a pack of dogs—seven dogs in total! The noise they made could probably be heard from a mile away.

Or when going down the mountain, I slipped and accidentally did a "supine push-up" I hadn't done in years. So you must be extra careful when hiking.

And those cute cats and dogs that accompanied me for only three or four minutes of my journey—honestly, I really wanted to take them home and keep pampering them.

My friend and I drove ourselves all the way, just to feel the special flavor of this city.

In the evening, we set off from Hefei...

Original text and photos by @Jiang Ranling. Now, my journey begins:

Lu Lake is actually a local drinking water reservoir, located at the edge of the Tianmu Mountain range.

It takes about 15 minutes to drive from the city center.

Coming to Lu Lake for the first time, it's hard not to compare it with other lakes.

What flashes through my mind are Lugu Lake and the nearby Thousand Island Lake.

At first glance, Lu Lake really has a bit of the Thousand Island Lake look!

Now here's the question: Do you recognize the last two characters on this stone?

My companions and I studied it for a long time and finally decided to call the unrecognized characters "Lu Lake Live Fish."

I walked westward along the dam and saw many people exercising here in the morning.

I thought to myself, this is life—what they hear are bird calls, not honking horns.

How big is Lu Lake? I don't know, but standing on the dam and looking into the distance,

I kept wondering: How much of nature's DNA has Lu Lake absorbed?

Due to limited open areas, ordinary visitors can't enter the lake interior.

On the dam by the lake, I asked a friend to take a classic tourist photo of me.

I hope next time I come, I can go inside, or maybe see the "Lu Lake Live Fish"?

? Ticket: Free

? Address: Near Xian County Road 032, Guangde City, Xuancheng City

Jishan Bamboo Sea. The first character was not taught in compulsory education textbooks. Now let me teach you the pronunciation of "笄":

Jī, first tone.

Jishan Bamboo Sea, like the bamboo seas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, is located where the roosters crow three times.

These places are all rich in bamboo, but compared to Nanshan Bamboo Sea in Liyang, Jiangsu,

Jishan Bamboo Sea seems like a low-key top student—not showing off is one of its traits.

Jishan Bamboo Sea is both free and beautiful. This time, I give it a shoutout!

From Lu Lake to Jishan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area is on the way, but I never expected this road to be so beautiful!

Besides bamboo groves, green maples are planted on both sides of the road.

Cars, blue sky, road signs, bamboo sea, highway—everything in place, it's a beautiful scene.

While parking, we asked locals how to drive directly to the top viewpoint.

Interestingly, the road to the top was quite rough, a bit challenging for driving skills and mindset.

The iconic building at the top is the transmitter tower of Guangde City TV Station.

Standing on the viewing platform, if you have sharp eyes, you can even see the Lu Lake we just visited.

Although the altitude is not high, it's enough to see the bamboo sea covering the mountains.

Moso bamboo, tortoiseshell bamboo, and black bamboo are everywhere.

It was my first time seeing it in a three-dimensional way.

I need to remind everyone that Jishan Bamboo Sea also allows hiking to the viewing platform.

Watching a sunrise or sunset from the viewing platform must be a beautiful thing.

? Ticket: Free

? Address: Lucun Township, Guangde City, Xuancheng City

Before coming to Maotian Mountain, honestly, I didn't have high expectations.

Many people say it's a wild mountain, but it also has the reputation of "Little Huangshan in the South of the Yangtze River," considered a unique wonder in Jiangnan.

Here's a little-known fact: You probably just found out like me—the world's smallest hydroelectric power station is in this mountain.

Doesn't that make you a little eager to visit Maotian Mountain?

The Maotian Mountain Scenic Area is very large. As it was getting hot in the afternoon, I only climbed for about 2 hours before heading back.

The scenic area doesn't have a main gate, only a small entrance. If you don't look carefully, you won't know where to enter.

After walking about 3 minutes, you can see this small power station, which generates only 12 kilowatt-hours per hour and is still in use today.

Because the door was locked tightly, I couldn't take a picture of the real power station.

Part of the reason why Maotian Mountain is called a wild mountain is because there are scattered wild azaleas.

I asked the local villagers, and they said nobody deliberately planted these azaleas.

Along the climbing path, almost every few steps you could see an azalea tree—not in clusters, but scattered.

I noticed that pink and purple azaleas were quite abundant,

and occasionally there were also some red and white varieties.

In mid-to-late April, the azaleas were already in their final bloom period.

Seeing azaleas in the mountains, which represent hope, was already a kind of happiness.

Maotian Mountain's altitude isn't particularly high, and climbing it isn't very strenuous.

Rocks, soil particles, green pines, bamboo groves, and the cuckoos circling overhead—

If you want to go, check the address below and get ready!

? Ticket: Free

? Address: Maotian Village, Baidian Town, Guangde City, Anhui Province

Before coming to Guangde, I had heard a long time ago that Guangde's folding fan craftsmanship is very strong.

After all, it's a bamboo township, a bamboo production area, so the brilliance of bamboo fans must shine far and wide.

This time in Guangde, my friends and I visited a company that makes very impressive folding fans.

This company's folding fans not only represented Anhui in various exhibitions at home and abroad,

but also provided special souvenirs for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Fan-making starts from selecting bamboo,

going through nearly 40 processes including cutting blanks, layering, steaming, edge bone trimming, drying, polishing, dyeing,

and finally up to thirty steps such as composition, sketching, color separation, color fixing, drying, shaping.

Watching the skilled workers with their "nimble fingers"—just sheer admiration!

Because this is a factory that makes folding fans, it's generally not open for visits.

However, an experience center integrating exhibition and study tours is currently being built in the Guangde city area, so we'll be able to feast our eyes then.

Among the friends traveling with me, one was an extreme tea enthusiast, almost needing a pot of tea with every meal.

Given Jiangnan's climate and geography, it's no surprise that Guangde produces good tea, so we came to this ten-thousand-mu tea field called Jinjilong.

Driving along the rural roads, these tea fields didn't look uniform, even somewhat scattered.

Fortunately, a tea-picking villager pointed us to a path leading to the top of the tea field.

The road was a bit perilous, and even now looking back, I still feel a bit scared.

But the view from the top of the tea field made up for the fear on the way.

Most of the tea varieties planted here are two types: golden buds and white tea.

Perhaps due to the season, I only saw a few tea pickers working in the fields.

Looking into the distance, Jinjilong Tea Field had a nice layered feel—like waves at the seaside, layer upon layer, rather than white clouds.

The emerald green tea fields were also dotted with many cameras and speakers.

The tea pickers said they were set up partly to prevent tea theft and partly so they could listen to nice music while working.

? Ticket: Free

? Address: Jinjilong Village, Guangde City, Xuancheng City

One cave spans three provinces—it's unique.

My last stop was the Taiji Cave at the junction where the roosters crow across three provinces.

When approaching the scenic area, the navigation voice would switch to "You have entered Yixing, Jiangsu boundary"

one moment, and then back to Guangde boundary the next. So I inadvertently crossed three provinces—the experience felt quite magical.

Taiji Cave Scenic Area is divided into a dry cave and a water cave. Usually, the dry cave is visited first.

The dry cave not only has upside-down Ganoderma lucidum stalactites but also Fan Zhongyan's ink inscription "跫然岩" (Qiongyan Rock), and the thousand-year-old locust tree that looks very lifelike!

? Thousand-Year-Old Locust Tree

? Upside-Down Ganoderma lucidum

? Fan Zhongyan's ink inscription "跫然岩"

After the dry cave, it's time for the water cave.

The water cave must be accessed by boat. A small boat can hold over a dozen people.

It was quite thrilling riding the boat in the water, always feeling like it might capsize.

What attracted me most in the water cave were the stalactites shaped like sunrise over Huangshan. Watching a "sunrise" over Huangshan inside a cave—what a unique experience!

Visiting the water cave still requires some physical strength, as you need to climb 106 steps to reach the cable car exit.

This was my first time on such a cable car.

My friend alongside told me that Yuelu Mountain also has this kind of cable car, probably to allow tourists to be "closer to nature."

The cave is warm in winter and cool in summer, and the entire tour takes about 2 hours.

? Ticket: 56 RMB

? Address: Taoyuan Village, Xinhang Town, Guangde City, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province

In Guangde, the food I ate most often was bamboo shoots—almost every meal had bamboo shoots.

Those little bamboo shoots breaking through the soil by the roadside could be picked and thrown straight into the pot.

When it comes to delicacies, the locals seem to enjoy a "jump" on their taste buds with every meal.

Bamboo shoots are prepared in many ways: stir-fried, braised in a pot, simmered in soup...

Even the small appetizer dish with morning congee includes pickled bamboo shoot segments!

For bamboo shoot lovers, this is truly a blessing, especially with fresh spring bamboo shoots in season!

Another dish perfect for spring consumption:

Its shape looks more like the sweet green rice balls from the Jiangnan region, but locals call it "wormwood buns."

Wormwood buns are filled with fresh local pork, pickled vegetables, and other ingredients.

Steamed wormwood buns are soft, sticky, and have a unique flavor.

Besides the local specialties, there are some unforgettable dishes I must share with you.

For example, this dish is called "Double Steamed Stinky," made from stinky beans and stinky tofu.

The biggest feature of this dish is its stinkiness. Before serving, a layer of chopped chilies is added, making it both spicy and stinky.

Another dish is called "Mint Scrambled Eggs." I never expected that the flavor of mint scrambled eggs could be so unique—

it's like using mint to make a cake. Only those who have eaten it can understand.

I stayed in Guangde for two nights: one night at a hotel in the city, and the other at a guesthouse.

The hotel in the city is called Meidu Smart Hotel, the only smart hotel in Guangde City. I think the most interesting thing is robot meal delivery.

This little robot can take the elevator from the front desk to the guest rooms, and you just tap to open the box to collect your purchased items—it's so cute.

The other night I stayed at Manzhigu Inn, located near Taiji Cave Scenic Area.

With its Huizhou architectural style, it naturally makes you "slow down."

Here you can not only stay overnight but also enjoy authentic farmhouse cuisine.

Final Words

Thank you for reading to the end. I hope you like it and will support me.

My bamboo township journey ends here. Soon, we will meet again.

Finally, one second to introduce the author:

I am @Jiang Ranling, a native Hefei guy. I like to photograph wherever I go, and I love seeking out delicious food. Welcome to follow me.

Travel Directory 1. My 1-minute opening 2. 【Interesting little Easter eggs】 3. Bamboo township journey first stop ? Lu Lake 4. Bamboo township journey second stop ? Jishan Bamboo Sea 5. Bamboo township journey third stop ? Maotian Mountain 6. Bamboo township journey fourth stop ? Traditional folding fan 7. Bamboo township journey fifth stop ? Jinjilong Tea Field 8. Bamboo township journey sixth stop ? Taiji Cave 9. 【Foodie's meal dishes】Travel information Hotel index Strategy index Air ticket index Website navigation Travel index Cruise index Corporate travel index Franchise cooperation Distribution alliance Friendly links Enterprise gift card procurement Insurance agency Agency cooperation Hotel joining Destination and scenic area cooperation More cooperation About Ctrip About Ctrip Ctrip hotspots Contact us Recruitment User agreement Privacy policy Business license Security center Ctrip content center Intellectual property Trip.com Group algorithm disclosure