Ningguo's Specialty: Many 'Generals' and Scenic Beauty

Self-driving travel is all about ease, joy, freedom, and comfort. The principle is to avoid famous and major scenic spots, focusing on unique features: few people, ancient places, vastness, culture, and no entrance fees; and hoping to find mountain walnuts, Ningguo famous tea, Ningguo peonies, Ningguo dried bamboo shoots, Xuan stone, Ningguo chestnuts, Qianhu (peucedanum root), and Ningguo yuan bamboo; hoping to enjoy Ningguo Qinglong Lake fish head pot, braised black meat, Ningguo fried noodles, Ningguo baba (a type of pancake), mountain walnut cake, fragrant cake, mountain walnut crisp, chestnuts, Polygonatum, green plums, hairy tofu, and oil tea, among others.

Starting from Nanjing, driving straight on the expressway to reach Ningguo Service Area, beginning a 3-day self-driving trip in Ningguo.

First Stop: At the Ningguo Service Area, seeing promotional images, feeling the beauty and friendliness of Ningguo.

Second Stop: Ningguo Hule Town

Hule Town is a千年 ancient town. It is a transportation hub and a bustling commercial center.

Ancient bridges, ancient buildings, and old streets. The area is not large, located on the north bank of the Xijin River, connected by a bridge between north and south. Later, a dam was built downstream of the bridge, which is also one of its distinctive features.

On that day, there were very few tourists and locals; I saw a shuttle bus labeled "Hule" departing to "Ningguo" with only one passenger.

1. Hule Town: Hule Old Street, Landscape Dam, Lion Mountain, Zhou Yun Memorial Hall, and the ancient poplar grove east of the river, etc.

2. Hule Bridge, 83.1 meters long and 6.6 meters wide; first built in the 54th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign of the Qing Dynasty; later reconstructed or repaired multiple times. Hule Bridge connects the north and south banks of the Xijin River.

The heroes who built the bridge are remembered and commemorated. Bravo!

Looking at the front of the bridge (it looks better without houses), it is weathered, beautiful, and grand.

3. The ancient houses on Hule Old Street record its past and present. There are many such ancient residences. Many plaques, ancient appearances, and few people.

4. Zhou Yun Memorial Hall: A notable figure from this area, who made history and educated future generations. The hall has detailed introductions.

5. Life of Hule Old Street residents: joyful and happy.

6. Hule Old Street food

There are not many restaurants on the old street.

Third Stop: Advancing to Qianqiu She Ethnic Village (southeast of Ningguo), passing by Huaxi Valley on the way.

Online promotion said "flower viewing, opera listening, and intangible cultural heritage watching." I only saw flowers (maybe the timing was off), and while the planting area was quite large, the variety of flowers was not particularly diverse. The tree roses seemed to have many repeated types.

Compared to other places, I didn't find it particularly distinctive.

The ticket price is listed at 50 yuan, actually sold for 40 yuan. Earlier online promotion was 19.9 yuan (possibly with special conditions). The ticket was a bit expensive.

2. Qianqiu She Ethnic Village

Located at the northern foot of Tianmu Mountain, within Qianqiu She Ethnic Village of Yunti She Ethnic Township. It is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, 49 km from the city center. Yunti Township is the only She ethnic township in Anhui Province. There are famous attractions such as Qianqiu Pass, the vast Tanggong Mountain azaleas, She Ethnic Cultural Exchange Center, She Ethnic Cultural Square, Qianqiu Jilang Rafting, and Taizikeng Reservoir.

The She ethnic culture is profound and unique. I didn't really see where the profound She culture was; no ancient buildings were visible, and new houses were scattered all over the mountains.

The content in the picture below is also considered local specialty (no audio commentary).

Suggestion: Establish a Qianqiu She Ethnic Culture Memorial Hall, open daily at set hours. "Cultural confidence."

Fourth Stop: Xicun (northwest of Ningguo)

(Borrowed) China Photography Art Village—Xicun is the first stop, a village as rich as a painting and as beautiful as poetry! The saying "see the mountains, view the water, remember nostalgia" truly takes shape in Xicun. Murals full of memories, a photo studio with a vintage feel, Huagu opera masks visible everywhere in the village... perfectly integrated with the surrounding residences, full of a strong sense of life.

Happy Xicun, beautiful Xicun, cultural Xicun.

Fifth Stop: Shuidong Ancient Town (Xuanzhou District, Xuancheng City)

The old street has not been renovated, preserving a large number of Ming and Qing dynasty ancient buildings, with blue bricks and gray tiles, overlapping eaves, all ingeniously crafted.

Ancient washing pool for vegetables and clothes

of the content in the images above, only the exterior was seen; performances like ventriloquism and shadow puppetry were not observed. Will come again.

The old street has a low commercial atmosphere, and there are still residents living there.

The old street requires careful strolling and slow appreciation, and interaction with residents (no audio commentary was found) to enhance cultural depth, achieving the effect of traveling thousands of miles and reading thousands of books.

Sixth Stop: Return journey

Back at Ningguo Service Area, looking at the promotional images again.

Ningguo's beauty needs promotion and explanation. Good wine in a deep alley goes unnoticed.

Driving on the expressway, returning home to Nanjing.

Will visit Ningguo again next time.