Backpacking Solo Through Anhui, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi.

In recent years I've traveled to many places, but some overlooked, remote, or hard-to-reach spots remained on my list—I finally made up my mind to link them all in one solo backpacking journey this spring. I planned a detailed itinerary and set off accordingly.

April 10: I took an early high-speed train to Shou County in Anhui and checked into the Wanjing International Hotel near Bagong Mountain. After leaving my bags, I headed to Bagong Mountain, famous for the idiom "every bush and tree looks like an enemy." For lunch I had the local specialty—tofu. Then I rented a small electric scooter and zoomed straight to the north gate of the ancient city to admire the Song-dynasty city walls and barbican. I wove through the old street, visiting in turn the thousand-year-old Bao'en Temple, the Confucius Temple on West Street, the Shou County Museum, Bingyang Gate, Tongfei Gate, and more.

The Wanshou Palace is at the front, and the Empress Palace is at the back.

The Feishui River gently meanders, with a reservoir visible in the distance. Over a thousand years ago, swords and spears clashed right here in the famous Battle of Feishui.

Two ginkgo trees, planted in the 9th year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (one on the left, one on the right).

The Confucius Temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and has undergone 42 major and minor renovations to reach its current scale.

The largest bronze tripod vessel from the Chu state ever excavated (weighing 400 kg).

Shou County, the last capital of the Chu state, is steeped in history and culture.

An East-meets-West Catholic church

Shou County is the birthplace of tofu.

The tomb of Liu An, the King of Huainan, was a short walk the next morning. Nearby is the tomb of Lian Po (I didn't have time to visit).

April 11: In the morning I took a high-speed train to Bozhou and stayed at a guesthouse in the old street. My first stop was the Flower Opera House, then the Nanjing Lane Money House, Hua Tuo's Former Residence, Zhongde Palace, Cao Teng's tomb, Cao Cao's underground military tunnel, Bozhou Museum, Cao Cao Park, and the Cao Cao Memorial Hall. I managed this packed schedule thanks to shared e-bikes.

The guesthouse was clean and affordable.

Originally a Guandi Temple, later a guild hall, it's now part of a larger scenic complex.

The gatehouse sculptures are the main attraction.

The wood carvings on the opera stage are exquisite.

Business thrives on trust, so worshipping Lord Guan is essential.

The Nanjing Lane Money House is old and sprawling; the Chinese Currency Museum inside is worth a visit.

Hua Tuo was also a Bozhou native, which explains why Bozhou's Chinese herbal medicine market is renowned nationwide.

Zhongde Palace is dedicated to Laozi, the founder of Taoism—Laozi was also from Bozhou.

Chen Tuan, a Taoist patriarch who lived to 117, left his calligraphy in the Longmen Grottoes.

Cao Teng was Cao Cao's grandfather; Bozhou is also Cao Cao's hometown.

The entrance to the underground military tunnel

Beneath Bozhou's city streets lies a tunnel said to be built by Cao Cao for troop movements. It stretches 7 km in total, with 800 meters open to the public. Inside, there's a detailed introduction to the Seven Masters of the Jian'an period.

The Bozhou Museum doesn't have many exhibits but mainly introduces porcelain and weaponry.

Not far from the museum is Cao Cao Park, which houses the Cao Cao Memorial Hall.

April 12: In the morning I took a train to Shangqiu in Henan and checked into the Riyuehu Shanshui Hotel opposite the station. I came to Shangqiu mainly to see the ancient city, so I took a taxi to the Shangqiu Ancient City Scenic Area, about ten kilometers from the city center.

Shangqiu City was formerly known as Guide. Its ancient city boasts a superb location, surrounded entirely by lakes; looking down from above, it resembles a boat on the sea—easy to defend and hard to attack. The ancient city is currently undergoing a "vacating the cage for new birds" style renovation, and in two or three years it's expected to be a large leisure and entertainment destination for tourists.

The renovated City God Temple

The Zhang Xun Shrine is imposing; at set times, costumed performances are held.

The Confucius Temple inside the ancient city has also been refurbished.

Legend has it that this tree was gnawed by a horse when Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, tethered his horse here.

A distant view of the Shangqiu Ancient City

Huoshen Mountain is another scenic spot near the ancient city.

This is the birthplace of the character "商" (commerce). Commerce is all about money (the ground is paved with coin motifs).

A gentleman makes his fortune in a proper way; what is enshrined here is the art of doing business.

The architecture also has Han cultural style.

Peonies were in full bloom.

The Quebo Platform in the park is the site of China's earliest observatory.

Finally, I went to see Riyue Lake.

April 13: I took a train to Heze in Shandong to see peonies. I chose the Caozhou Peony Garden, and the timing was perfect—all sorts of peonies were competing in bloom. In between, I took in some city sights and visited the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region Revolutionary History Museum. That day I caught a train to Xuchang, Henan.

Such a big station yet there was no luggage storage.

Heze has many peony gardens; I picked the most popular one, Caozhou Peony Garden.

During the flower festival, there are various activities.

Only peonies embody wealth and honor.

Buildings on Heze Square

The Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region Revolutionary Memorial Hall

April 14: "Hearing about Three Kingdoms stories always makes me want to go to Xuchang." I arrived in Xuchang last night and stayed at the Hanting Hotel (with free laundry service). After breakfast, I walked to the nearby old city, called the Cao Wei Ancient City. The scenic area is free, and the streets haven't been heavily altered, but you can still sense the spirit of the Han and Wei eras. I walked through the old street to the Chancellor's Mansion, then to the Spring and Autumn Tower, and then took a bus to the Baling Bridge scenic area outside the city. Seeing that I still had time, I changed my plan and at 2 pm I took a direct coach to Suiping, preparing for the next day's trip to Chayashan.

The Guan Residence was where Guan Yu stayed temporarily in Xuchang; because he read the Spring and Autumn Annals at night, it was renamed the Spring and Autumn Tower and is now merged with the Confucius Temple—well worth seeing.

The Baling Bridge scenic area is outside the city. There's the Green Plum Pavilion where "heated wine over green plums to discuss heroes" took place, a point about Cao Chong weighing the elephant, and the main story: Guan Yu used his sword to take the battle robe bestowed by Cao Cao when bidding farewell here.

There's also a nationally protected Guandi Temple here.

April 15: Last night I stayed at the Jindu International Hotel in Suiping County. I checked out early in the morning, left my luggage at the front desk, cycled to the passenger transport hub, and took the first shuttle bus to the Chayashan scenic area. After exploring, I took a bus back to Suiping in the afternoon, retrieved my luggage from the hotel, and then went back to the hub for a bus to Zhumadian. An hour later, I was in Xinyang, on the border of Hubei (by high-speed train).

I arrived even earlier than the staff.

Chayashan was the filming location for the 1990s TV series Journey to the West.

The granite mountain formations are very distinctive.

It's now a 5A scenic area, with many plank paths built on the mountain.

An unfinished suspension bridge

Great scenery and few crowds (mainly due to inconvenient transport).

Arriving in Xinyang at dusk was perfect timing.

April 16: From Xinyang, getting to Jigongshan was much easier—there are direct shuttle buses from Xinyang Station to the scenic spot, running frequently. Jigongshan is one of China's four great summer resorts. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, foreign missionaries, foreign diplomats, and domestic political celebrities and financial tycoons bought land and built houses here. At the time, land was extremely expensive, and owning a villa was a status symbol. So visiting Jigongshan is essentially about viewing architecture in multiple international styles.

The buildings on Jigongshan are clustered near the summit, so you must take a bus to Baojian Mountain Pass.

A military service shop run by the army

In 1938, to command the Battle of Wuhan, Chiang Kai-shek set up a provisional headquarters here—the tunnels and air-raid shelters were built then.

Jigongshan sits at the border of Henan and Hubei, with dense forests and a unique climate.

Baoxiaofeng (Cockcrow Peak) is 768 meters above sea level.

April 17: Early in the morning, I took a regular train from Xinyang to Nanyang. The train was supposed to arrive at a bit past 1 pm, but it got in a full hour early—fantastic, it bought me precious time. However, the hotel I'd booked was hard to reach because the road in front of the station was being widened, so I had to take a roundabout route, which ate into some of that time. I then took a taxi to Wolonggang, and another to the Nanyang Prefectural Government Office (taxis in Nanyang—Didi is cheap). In front of the government office, there's a snack street where I enjoyed beef soup and baked flatbread (Nanyang's beef soup is fresh and generous). Then I went back to the hotel for an early night.

Nanyang has Wolonggang, while Xiangyang has the ancient Longzhong—both are associated with Zhuge Liang. From what I saw, Nanyang feels more rustic and authentic.

The Nanyang Prefectural Government Office, first built in the Yuan Dynasty, underwent a large-scale renovation in 2001 and has largely kept its Ming-Qing style. It covers over 80,000 square meters and is a completely preserved prefectural-level government complex.

The six departments of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works are all represented.

A few years ago, excavations revealed that beneath the government office was a coin mint from the Wang Mang period of the Han Dynasty.

April 18: I joined a local one-day tour to Laojieling. Laojieling is located in Xixia County southwest of Nanyang, in the Funiu Mountain range, 180 km from the city. Its main peak, Jijiaojian, stands at 2,212 meters. The area is layered with lush mountains and dense forests; the average summer temperature is 21°C. "Lao" refers to the blessed land of the Taoist Laozi, and "Jie" refers to the watershed between north and south China's water systems.

First a sightseeing bus to the cable car station, then the cable car to the mountaintop, followed by a 5-km hike along the mountain path—very doable!

The peak forest near the summit and Laojunshan share the same Funiu Mountain granite landscape group.

The main peak Jijiaojian, at 2,212 meters, belongs to Luanchuan County in Luoyang (just one mountain apart from Laojunshan).

Sawtooth Ridge and Arrow-Tip Peaks

A glass-bottomed walkway (30 yuan)

The path is gentle and easy.

At a watershed platform, there's a dividing line: stand on one side and the wind is strong, on the other side—no wind at all. Strange!

Rhododendrons blooming in the valley

April 20: After the one-day tour ended, I returned to Nanyang. Early in the morning I took a train to Neixiang. The one place I couldn't forget was the so-called number one county government office in China—the Neixiang County Yamen (4A grade). After visiting, I had a bowl of mutton soup with noodles on the street in front of the office, then walked to the Tuanhe River to see the mother river of Neixiang. Leisurely, I got on a train to Shangnan to prepare for the next day at Jinsixia.

The Neixiang County Yamen was first built in the 8th year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty. By the early Qing, the county magistrate Zhang Bingtao had toiled for eight years to bring it to regulation standard, creating this scale: 15 courtyards, 280 rooms—the largest in the country. Now it houses multiple exhibition areas; if you want to know the inner workings of a yamen, this is the place.

Even the back garden and other features are laid out according to the Qing Dynasty's administrative code, hence the saying: "For the dragon's head, see Beijing's Forbidden City; for the dragon's tail, view Neixiang's county yamen."

April 20: Jinsixia is located in the heart of the Qinling Mountains, over 30 km from Shangnan, at the source of the Danjiang River. It's named after the golden snub-nosed monkey. With unique canyon landscapes as the main feature, lively water scenes as a highlight, and pristine ecology as a backdrop, it's a national 5A scenic area.

In the morning, the 7:40 am shuttle bus from the county bus station goes directly to the scenic area, and the same bus returns at 3 pm. I had a 5:45 pm train to Shangluo. Unfortunately, the bus didn't stop at the train station, so I had to get off midway and quickly hail a taxi. With three other young people, I sprinted 100 meters to the station—a bit risky but I made it.

The trail in the canyon

To visit Jinsixia, normally you take a scenic area bus from the base up to the mountaintop, enter the park, and then walk downhill along the stream for 10 km. Going downhill, it wasn't tiring.

The cable car goes to the main peak.

I walked for over three hours in the rain, covering 10 km. My shoes and socks were soaked.

April 21: I spent a night in Shangluo. The next day, for 28.50 yuan, I took a midday train to Xi'an. I booked accommodation near Xi'an North, so I could catch an early high-speed train the next morning. I've been to Xi'an many times; this time my goal was to climb the city wall and visit the recently popular Tang Paradise. The metro and shared bikes helped me zip around underground, and I quickly completed my plan. A lamb paomo rewarded me.

Tang Paradise is a large entertainment complex built in imperial garden style on the site of the original Tang Dynasty Furong Garden, covering 1,000 mu, including 300 mu of water. The main attraction is the grand nighttime water and light show—it's stunning.

The Xi'an Ming City Wall was built in the 3rd year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. It's the most complete and oldest ancient city wall in China, stretching 13.7 km. In past visits I only viewed it from a distance; this time I finally climbed it and fulfilled a wish.

April 22: Early in the morning, I took a high-speed train to Luoyang Longmen Station. I left my luggage and took a taxi directly to the Longmen Grottoes. I skipped the scenic shuttle and walked to the site while snapping photos. Forty years ago I visited here; in the blink of an eye I'm in my seventies. The landscape remains the same, though the Yi River seems a bit fuller. This visit to Longmen was just a quick walk-through. Back at the station, I collected my luggage and checked into my hotel. Then, relaxed, I cycled to the National Peony Garden, Luoyi Ancient Town, and Lijing Gate, checking them all off my list.

The lines are full and detailed, the figures lifelike.

The Longmen Grottoes began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and took 400 years to create. There are over 2,300 caves and 110,000 statues. Together with Dunhuang and Yungang, they form China's three great grottoes.

The Lushena Buddha, 17.14 meters tall, with full cheeks and gentle eyes, is a masterpiece of Tang Dynasty Buddhist sculpture. It was started in the early years of Emperor Gaozong and completed in four years (Empress Wu Zetian donated 20,000 strings of her cosmetic money).

Luoyang peonies are world-famous, generating an economic benefit of up to 20 billion yuan. But seasons change; by Grain Rain, most peonies had faded. At the most famous China National Peony Garden, there were no more crowds or blossoms in their prime.

Some specially cultivated ones remained.

Luoyi Ancient Town is a leisure spot built on the site of Jin and Yuan dynasty ruins. The pond here is said to have been a water-land transport hub, while the towering Wenbi Pagoda is an old original. The most striking impression was everyone dressing up in Hanfu and thoroughly enjoying it.

Lijing Gate was first built in the 1st year of the Xingding era of the Jin Dynasty, serving as the west gate of Luoyang through the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The current gate was rebuilt on the original site in 2002. Entering the gate leads to the old street, which is bustling.

There are many local specialty snacks along the old street.

Here there's a detailed introduction to figures related to Luoyang.

The ancient weaponry exhibition on the gate tower was also impressive and taught me a lot.

April 23: I joined a local one-day tour to Laojunshan. Laojunshan was the highlight of this trip; I'd booked it early on Ctrip. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't ideal—halfway up it started raining, but the misty Laojunshan was still gorgeous.

The cable car takes you to Zhongtian Gate, then you hike to the main peak of Funiu Mountain, then to Nantian Gate, all the way to Jinding (the Golden Summit).

Laojunshan is in Luanchuan County, Luoyang. Legend has it that Laozi once cultivated himself here. In the Northern Wei, a Taoist temple was built to honor this patriarch, and during Emperor Taizong of Tang's reign, an imperial decree expanded it, venerating Laozi as the Supreme Elder Lord. Since then, Laojunshan has been called the foremost immortal mountain, with the confidence to swallow three mountains and surpass the five sacred peaks.

The rain got heavier, leaving water spots on my lens.

Because of the rain, the following shots had to be taken with a phone.

The main peak, Jijiaojian, is 2,219 meters above sea level.

In recent years, massive investment has built glittering Taoist structures on the summit, adding much color to Laojunshan and turning it into an online sensation—the investment finally paid off.

The Taoist complex near Nantian Gate.

With that, my fifteen-day spring backpacking journey came to an end. Tomorrow I'll fly back to Shanghai. (The end)