Pingyuan Secret Realm 2-Day Tour
Special Note: Pingyuan Secret Realm is a scenic area in Huang Village, Jing County, Anhui. Shanbo Yinshi is the only hotel within the scenic area, and the entire scenic area serves as the hotel's backyard.
Foreword: This is not a travelogue; it is a recollection of my "romance" with Pingyuan Secret Realm, kept for myself, and also to thank the curator of Pingyuan Secret Realm for creating Shanbo Yinshi Hotel without regard to cost or time, bringing me such a wonderful experience.
01|First Encounter with the Secret Realm
02|Unique Hotel Design
03|Secret Realm Exploration Journey
-Campsite Orchard Rowing Boat Beach
04|Surroundings of the Hotel
05|Conversation with the Curator of Pingyuan Secret Realm
01|First Encounter with the Secret Realm
On April 23, I booked the Shanbo Yinshi Hotel located within Pingyuan Secret Realm on Ctrip. The hotel butler immediately contacted me, informing me that the hotel driver had already been waiting for me at the high-speed rail station half an hour early. I got on the hotel's shuttle bus and went to the dock, where I needed to switch to a bamboo raft to reach the secret realm hotel. It was dusk when I arrived at the dock. The setting sun was reflected on Meixi Creek, and a row of bamboo rafts was moored along the creek. I boarded the bamboo raft the butler had arranged for me. Slowly entering Pingyuan Secret Realm along the Huishui River, at that moment I suddenly understood the phrase "suddenly enlightened" from "The Peach Blossom Spring"—it wasn't about seeing the scenery, but the scenery pouring into your eyes, ears, and pores without warning. I smiled and said, it turns out the password to the Peach Blossom Spring is a room card for Shanbo Yinshi Hotel.
02|Unique Design of Shanbo Yinshi
With a scenic area of 10 square kilometers, I thought I would be staying in a cluster of hotels, after all, revenue ceiling depends on the number of rooms. Unexpectedly, Shanbo Yinshi has only 17 rooms (plus the single villa Songming Mountain Residence on the hill, totaling 19 rooms). At that moment, I guessed that such a low-density design meant the curator must be a rich second-generation airhead with no shortage of money. The hotel consists of four buildings: a reception center, an art center, a restaurant and kitchen, and guest rooms. The guest rooms are a three-story building, while the other three are single-story buildings, all under 12 meters high, as if hidden in the jungle. There are many tall shrubs in the hotel, lush and irregularly shaped, clearly ancient native trees, creating a visual sense of courtyard landscape with the hotel's gray walls. Chatting with the butler, I learned that one of the design principles of the hotel at the time was "rather sacrifice building space than damage ancient native trees." I like this kind of commercial entity that respects nature's creatures and understands the rule of first come, first served. All 12 rooms face south, overlooking the Huishui River and directly facing Zuofo Mountain. When I pulled open the curtains, the mountains and the creek rushed in. The moment I opened the balcony door in the early morning, every alveolus wildly signed for negative oxygen ions.
I am particularly picky about sleeping environments. Usually, I suffer from insomnia on the first night in a hotel, but at Shanbo Yinshi, I slept soundly from the very first night. The bed linens in the room were perfectly soft, the furniture was all wood, the welcome fruit was sweet and fresh, the toiletries were full-set MUJI, and even the napkins were eco-friendly raw wood pulp. I relaxed and enjoyed all of this with peace of mind. After a full night's sleep, I had breakfast and coffee at the Qinghuan Restaurant in the morning, then began my immersive exploration of the secret realm.
03|Secret Realm Exploration Journey - Maple Poplar Market
Directly across the hotel is the Maple Poplar Market. Crossing the wooden bridge over Meixi Creek, there are...
The most handsome barista and delicious pour-over coffee
Cocktails based on Maotai
A swing that can swing you into the creek
A very authentic Maple Forest Noodle Shop
Xiaolu's Sugar Water Shop, which opens at her whim
Most importantly, it is pet-friendly
The entire market belongs to a husky named "GUOGUO." The curator even printed GUOGUO's face on the napkins, very endearing. GUOGUO works 365 days a year without rest and is very gentle, making even me, a non-pet owner, can't resist teasing it. Sunlight filtered through the maple leaves, falling on me, on the rim of my coffee cup, on the ground. The tree shadows swayed, carrying the scent of early summer.
03|Secret Realm Exploration Journey - Pet Paradise
I continued forward, with primeval jungle and tea gardens on my left and the clear Huishui River on my right. Walking on a path paved with small pebbles, I arrived at Pet Paradise in about ten minutes. Rather than a paradise, it was more like a group of small animals freely roaming in the jungle. Alpacas, mini pigs, cows, horses, and goats were grazing freely. The goats even climbed into the tea garden to nibble on fresh tea leaves. For the first time, I saw piglets running faster than dogs; their agile figures showed they were certainly not penned up. Don't feel like walking? You can take a mini train for a tour. The forest train at Pingyuan Secret Realm made me feel like I was back in Interlaken, Switzerland. The harmonious coexistence of humans and animals became tangible at that moment.
03|Secret Realm Exploration Journey - Xiaolan Mountain
Further ahead are the Helu Bridge, Xiaolan Mountain, a Japanese restaurant, the Red Bridge of Kyoto Sanzen-in Temple, and a waterfall, all quite Kyoto-esque.
Words are pale, just look at the pictures.
03|Secret Realm Exploration Journey - Campsite, Orchard, Rowing Boat, Beach
After walking for half a day, I returned to Maple Poplar Market. The auntie at the noodle shop cooked me a steaming bowl of braised egg noodles and added two spoonfuls of stir-fried green pepper with dried tofu as a topping. Seeing I was thirsty, she poured me a glass of freshly squeezed milk. It was really rich and fragrant, completely different from the fresh milk I usually buy at the supermarket. In the afternoon, the butler arranged for a coach to teach me rowing. This place is truly a rowing utopia. Before the hotel even opened, it had hosted several domestic professional rowing competitions. The unique waterway and natural landscape make Pingyuan Secret Realm's rowing club stand out domestically, with a well-known reputation. Inside the secret realm, there are also farming and studying orchards, beach sports venues, and multiple campsites. The tents here are ready for you to check in with just your bags, very convenient.
04|Surroundings of the Hotel
Since I was in Huizhou, I naturally wanted to see Huizhou-style architecture and the intangible cultural heritage of Xuan paper. Within 20 minutes from the hotel, I could reach the Huangtian Village ancient building complex and the Xuan Paper Museum, very convenient. The Xuan Paper Museum has a very design-oriented feel and is photogenic, but to be honest, the content was lacking; I walked around and didn't see much related to Xuan paper. On the other hand, I really liked Huangtian Village. It was listed as a protected Huizhou ancient architecture village in 2006, so it is well-preserved, barely commercialized, pure, and quiet. When visiting Huangtian Village, I suggest spending 50 yuan at the visitor center at the village entrance to hire a guide to avoid just skimming the surface.
05|Conversation with the Curator of Pingyuan Secret Realm
Before leaving the secret realm, I happened to meet the curator, also the founder, Mr. Hu, by the Huishui River. He was not some rich second-generation airhead, but a big brother dressed in Zegna casual wear, ready at any time to roll up his pants legs and catch fish in the river. He said he was just an ordinary mountain man with no grand ambitions, only wanting to make Pingyuan Secret Realm an interesting and quiet place. He pointed to an ordinary-looking wooden bridge and said that to ensure safety, the bridge's pillars were driven several meters deep into the riverbed, and all the wood was imported from Japan to resist mountain floods and corrosion. Nowadays, there is a trend of wild luxury in China, but how many curators are truly willing to settle down and spend time and energy nurturing a secluded retreat? Not too much, not too little, not destructive, not deliberate, not pleasing. I like it and will definitely come again.
