Encountering Huizhou, Encountering You! — A May Day Trip to Southern Anhui with Elderly and Child

For the first May Day holiday after three years of the pandemic, despite the constant warnings of crowded places, our family's enthusiasm for a trip together remained undiminished. Considering our past experience of being stuck in traffic on long-distance highways and budget constraints, we didn't set a specific destination in advance. We thought: as long as we go out, it's the same wherever we are. Isn't there a saying: 'What matters is not the destination, but the scenery along the way and the mood to enjoy it!' I even joked with my husband: after the holiday starts, we'll sleep in, check the navigation when we get up, and go wherever the highway isn't congested.

The day before the holiday, after finishing my work, I briefly browsed Ctrip. Having worked in tourism for over twenty years, I had a deep cooperation with Ctrip in the past. Even after leaving the industry, I still trust Ctrip and habitually check Ctrip guides and book rooms and tickets through it. I skimmed through quickly, using the elimination method: no popular scenic spots during holidays, no big cities. I picked some less popular county towns and their surroundings, finally settling on two areas: southern Jiangsu and southern Anhui. The criteria were: within 200 kilometers of self-driving, and while the scenery and customs share similarities, they also have slight differences. Most importantly, these two places have simple folk customs and are relatively safe. Bringing along the nine-year-old Tudo and the 78-year-old grandfather, it shouldn't be too tiring! When I got home and reported the basic itinerary and pros and cons of the two routes to my husband, he simply said: 'Let's go see the mountains and waters!' That settled it: the 'Four-Day Tour of Southern Anhui'.

I must say, choosing this route was wise. It is the most worthwhile place I have ever visited. Not only does it have beautiful scenery and profound culture, but we also successfully avoided the crowds, finding tranquility amidst the bustle. The journey was mostly by car, so the elderly and child hardly felt tired. Enough talk, here's the itinerary!

Day 1: Depart from Jiashan at 10 a.m., drive to Jing County, Anhui. On the way, visit Chitan Ancient Town. Stay overnight in Jing County.

Day 2: Drive along the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Halfway, due to navigation showing traffic jams, turn around towards Jixi. Stop at Jiangcun Village on the way. Stay overnight in Longchuan Ancient Village.

Day 3: After visiting Longchuan, take the Zhejiang-Anhui Sky Road. Head to Jixi in the afternoon, visit the Jixi Museum. Stay overnight in Jixi.

Day 4: In the morning, visit Renli Ancient Village, then start the return journey to Jiashan. Pass through Changxing, visit the Changxing Gold Nail Museum. Have lunch, then return along the Taihu Lake Boulevard.

Total expenses: 3,300 yuan

Accommodation: 1,500 yuan (4 people, 2 rooms)

Scenic spot tickets: about 300 yuan (one elderly free, one child half-price, two full-price adults)

Meals: about 1,300 yuan (7 main meals, including two at highway service areas, others local specialties)

Other snacks/specialties: 200 yuan

A spontaneous trip with a go-with-the-flow attitude!

Along the way, I gained some insights—some gains, some regrets, and some sighs. Now let me go into detail.

Since I hadn't planned to write a travelogue, I didn't take many photos. But every photo I took was triggered by a momentary feeling that I couldn't help capturing.

This is Chitan Ancient Town, which we passed on the first day on our way to Jing County. The road is paved with cobblestones, each stone smooth and polished, imbued with a profound history, telling the story of its former prosperity.

The ancient town still retains an old bathhouse, which opened Tudo's eyes! He kept asking, 'How did people bathe in the old days?'

Chitan is a truly ancient town, so ancient that there is no trace of artificial development. The old street has few shops, only some small general stores and local-oriented shops. There isn't even a restaurant. Few tourists. The entrance fee is 40 yuan per person, free for those over 70. As a fan of ancient towns, I find it not very cost-effective. Many other ancient towns and villages that are more scenic are free. However, if you like primitive villages, you can take a look and feel the desolation and loneliness after the town's bustling days.

We stayed one night in Jing County. I randomly booked a place on Ctrip. Experience told me that in such small county towns, there are always similar hostels or small hotels. As long as you don't have high requirements, you don't need to worry about finding a place to stay.

The reason I chose Jing County as the first stop was for the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway. According to Ctrip, the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway starts from Ningguo in the east and ends at Jing County in the west, with a total length of 120 kilometers. Due to its steep terrain, winding mountain roads, and beautiful scenery along the way, it has become a popular self-driving route in eastern China in recent years. It is generally most beautiful in autumn, with redwood forests. During the May Day holiday, the scenery cannot compare with autumn, but for us, having mountains and water was already satisfying. Worried that Ningguo might be crowded, we thought driving in reverse from Jing County might be less crowded. But we were wrong. This mountain road, where two cars can barely pass each other and some sections allow only one car, is the same whether you go forward or backward. We inevitably encountered the May Day traffic jam.

We set off from Jing County straight to Moon Bay Scenic Area. The scenery along the way was beautiful—distant mountains and nearby waters complementing each other. We kept seeing tents set up by tourists, dotting the green mountains and clear waters, looking extraordinarily lovely.

Since there were many villages along the way, to avoid navigation errors and missing beautiful scenery, we navigated in segments. After passing Moon Bay, we set our destination to Taoling, the highest point on the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway. It's all winding mountain roads with six big bends, each bend barely allowing two cars to pass. Although we had mentally prepared and even set out early at 7 a.m. to avoid the peak, we got stuck at the first bend. A Porsche towing a caravan had made the already narrow road even narrower. Fortunately, everyone worked together and got out of their cars to direct traffic, guiding each car carefully through the bend. The blockage was cleared in less than ten minutes.

More and more cars appeared, and the speed slowed down. But we kept a good attitude—years of self-driving have taught us that as long as the traffic is still moving, it's fine. We could just enjoy the scenery! After driving less than ten kilometers, the navigation showed another traffic jam ahead. We inched forward. Wondering why there was a jam here without a bend, sharp-eyed Tudo exclaimed in surprise. We had unexpectedly encountered a group of wild monkeys!

There were about five or six monkeys of various sizes, looking like a family. Unfortunately, I only captured one in the photo. Tudo, who had only seen monkeys in zoos, was both excited and scared. He threw some biscuits out of the window, causing a scramble among the monkeys. We quickly rolled up the windows and continued on, amidst Tudo's exclamations and the honking of cars behind.

It was already noon. The red line on the navigation was getting darker. Considering the elderly and child in the car and the limited supply of dry food—although there were some wild cherries along the way to pick, they weren't filling—traveling is for leisure, and we couldn't let them go hungry. After reaching the second bend, I took the opportunity during the traffic jam to ask a policeman directing traffic. He told us that due to heavy traffic from the opposite direction, the highest point at the sixth bend was already full of cars. We would have to wait until the mountain cleared some cars before we could go up. The mountain scenery was probably similar everywhere, and continuing to be stuck didn't make much sense. We decisively turned back and headed to Jixi, in the heart of southern Anhui. This proved to be another right decision.

On the way out of the valley, we found a nearby farmhouse restaurant for lunch. Seeing that it was still early, I checked the navigation and found that we would pass Jingde on the way. I recalled there seemed to be a Jiangcun Village there. I had been there years ago on a tour agency trip, and the scenery was nice. I discussed it with the family in the car, and everyone immediately agreed. Especially the 78-year-old grandfather, who was very happy. So we decided to go to Jiangcun!

The village was clearly renovated—clean and tidy, with white walls and black tiles, typical Huizhou-style architecture.

A well-preserved stone archway: 'One family, two Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examination)'! It seemed to tell the glory of the past.

The Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall perfectly displayed the three major carvings of Huizhou—stone carving, wood carving, and brick carving—with immense visual impact.

With Tudo's amazed eyes and grandfather's admiring sighs, we ended our visit to Jiangcun and headed to Longchuan, our lodging for the night.

We booked a guesthouse while driving—thanks to the convenience of Ctrip! Staying in the village, we started strolling at dawn the next day. The early morning in the mountain village was absolutely wonderful!

We encountered an outdoor movie by chance.

In the morning, farmers were selling local specialties, still fresh with dewdrops.

After settling into the guesthouse, we unexpectedly learned that there is a Zhejiang-Anhui Sky Road nearby—another great self-driving route combining natural scenery and ancient villages. Without hesitation, after leaving Longchuan, we headed for the Zhejiang-Anhui Sky Road, making up for the regret of not completing the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Driving onto the Sky Road, it was indeed worth it. The mountain roads were winding but the scenery was beautiful. We kept passing one mountain after another, and each time the view opened up, we encountered small mountain villages. It was like the scene described in Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring'!

The altitude here is nearly a thousand meters, part of the Huangshan mountain range. The higher we climbed, the more enchanting the scenery.

Clusters of azaleas bloomed on the cliffs.

The Zhejiang-Anhui Sky Road starts from Jiapeng Township and ends at Jingzhou Township. It is said that during spring when the rapeseed flowers bloom, this place is at its most beautiful. So during the May Day holiday, it's relatively off-peak. Although the roads are steep, there are basically no traffic jams—a great place for self-driving.

Leaving the Sky Road, we needed to think about where to go next. I had long heard of the fame of Jixi, so let's go to the county town to have a look!

The Jixi Museum is quite nice. It's a modern building built on the site of the old county government office. It has many local imprints and gives a comprehensive understanding of the area. Unfortunately, the ancient town is not well-preserved; most of it has been demolished.

China Huicai Museum

Jixi is the hometown of Huizhou cuisine. This is the authentic place for stinky mandarin fish and Hu's family one-pot dish. After asking the locals, we found the China Huicai Museum. There were many people, with about 30 groups waiting for tables. Even though we had to wait, we were willing. As one of the six elements of tourism—eating, lodging, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment—eating is an important part and key to enhancing the travel experience.

After dinner, we deliberately walked back to the hotel. The 2.4-kilometer walk allowed us to deeply experience the local customs of this small county town. The county is not big; the streetscape along the way was similar to our Jiashan ten years ago. The old town doesn't even have traffic lights. Strolling through it gave a sense of déjà vu.

After staying one night in Jixi, we visited Renli nearby, which was another pleasant surprise!

On the old street, a resident was processing royal jelly.

Pushing open a door, you could see residential houses with carved windows everywhere. These bamboo shoots must be the fruits of the hardworking owner's morning labor!

Since we had a wedding banquet to attend on the fifth day, our Huizhou trip had to end here. Blowing a leisurely breeze and looking at the endless green, we set foot on the road home.

There were even motorcycles on the highway—another gain from this trip!

Our trip to southern Anhui was truly worthwhile! Roaming among green mountains and clear waters, daydreaming amidst white walls and black tiles... An encounter across time—meeting Huizhou, meeting history, meeting you!

Next time, I will still choose this place!