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I always hear people say that there is no autumn color in Guangdong. For people who don’t understand, it is easy to cause such misunderstanding. After all, it is almost November, and Baiyun Mountain is still green.
While evergreen is a nice touch, seeing everyone on social media sharing beautiful autumn travel photos, the vibrant golden and crimson autumn landscapes are truly enviable. Actually, even in Guangdong, there are a few brief days of autumn each year. For example, right now, the peak season for ginkgo viewing in Guangdong is approaching. While the iron is hot, I'm sharing three excellent spots for viewing ginkgo trees around Guangzhou.
Nanxiong (as a famous ginkgo viewing spot in Guangdong, it has always been famous. Every autumn when the best time to view ginkgo comes, a large number of tourists come here.
Pingtian Town and Maozifeng Forest Farm are the most famous ginkgo viewing spots in Nanxiong. Each village in Pingtian Town boasts unique ginkgo trees. Aobei Village is home to ancient ginkgo trees, dating back over 1,000 years. The juxtaposition of the ancient village and the ginkgo trees creates a picturesque atmosphere. Fengwu, on the other hand, boasts Pingtian's largest apricot grove, with an ancient ancestral hall nestled within it. Wandering through the grove, discovering these thousand-year-old trees, offers a tranquil, rural atmosphere.
In autumn, Maozi Peak presents visitors with a vibrant world. Within the park, over 700 mu (approximately 1,000 hectares) of mature ginkgo and metasequoia forests, along with naturally distributed clusters and dots of sweetgum trees, and other colorful foliage species, their leaves shifting from green to yellow and then red, complementing the turquoise waters of the stream, creating a vibrant and vibrant "painting of yellow apricots and red maples." Maozi Peak, awash in vibrant colors in late autumn, earns the nickname "Jiuzhaigou of Lingnan."
The best time to view Nanxiong's ginkgo trees is from mid-November to early December, especially in late November and early December, when the trees blanket the mountain in a dazzling golden hue. However, since ginkgo trees are highly susceptible to weather conditions, such as temperature and rainfall, which can affect when they turn yellow, it's best to consult with local inns or farms in advance.
I recommend driving yourself or joining a tour group when visiting Nanxiong to see the ginkgo trees, because Pingtian Village and Maozifeng Forest Farm are relatively remote, with many mountain roads that are difficult to travel.
If you're traveling by public transportation, take the high-speed rail from Guangzhou to Shaoguan City. From Shaoguan East Bus Station, transfer to a long-distance bus to Nanxiong City. Buses depart every half hour from 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Nanxiong Bus Station also offers buses to Pingtian Town, departing every hour. Nanxiong Bus Station also offers buses to Maozifeng Forest Farm, but these only depart three times daily at 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 3:00 PM.
Most visitors to Nanxiong who want to see the ginkgo trees choose to stay in the city. While there are some B&Bs in Pingtian Village and Maozifeng Forest Farm, the accommodation and prices are less than ideal. There are many hotel options in Nanxiong City, and I highly recommend the Vienna Hotel (Nanxiong Times Square), which offers excellent value. It's worth noting that during peak ginkgo season, hotel availability in Nanxiong is extremely limited, and prices can be 2-3 times higher than usual. Therefore, it's best to plan and book in advance to avoid the embarrassment of being unable to book a room.
Yangshan County is located in Qingyuan City, 200 kilometers away from Guangzhou City. It is the closest ginkgo viewing spot to Guangzhou. If you want to take a round-trip ginkgo tour from Guangzhou in one day, this is the best choice.
The essence of Yangshan's ginkgo trees is concentrated in Xiaojiang Town, with Luohan Village being the most distinctive. The 18 hilltops surrounding the village are known as the Eighteen Arhats, named after the fact that each one is bent over Guanyin Mountain. The Luohan area is a world of ginkgo trees. The Chashan Village group in nearby Tangchong Village boasts a ginkgo orchard covering over 100 mu (approximately 16 acres) and boasts over 4,500 trees of varying ages.
The best time to view the ginkgo trees in Yangshan is from mid-November to early December every year. Since Yangshan is close to Guangzhou, the weather is relatively predictable. If there is a lot of rain, the trees will turn yellow later, and if there is little rain, they will turn yellow earlier.
Transportation in Yangshan is quite convenient, with paved roads connecting villages, making it easy to drive there. For public transportation, there are buses to Yangshan from both the Guangdong Provincial Bus Station and the Haizhu Bus Station. From Yangshan Bus Station, you can transfer to a bus bound for Xiaojiang Town. However, to reach Luohan Village, you'll need to charter a bus from Xiaojiang Town.
While Yangshan is easily accessible in a day, if a single day is too short, you can opt for a night's stay. You can choose to stay in either Yangshan County or Liannan County, where a wide selection of hotels are available. I personally recommend Liannan County, where you can not only sample Yao ethnic cuisine but also visit nearby attractions like Jinzi Mountain and Liannan Yao Village.
Although Haiyang Township is outside Guangdong Province, it's still very convenient to travel from Guangzhou to Guilin by high-speed rail in just three hours. Haiyang Township, known as China's Ginkgo Town, is a small village home to one million ginkgo trees, typically 30-50 years old, with an average canopy height of 13 meters and a trunk diameter of 0.5 meters. Over 500,000 of these trees are very old, the oldest of which is over 500 years old, and over 17,000 are over a century old.
Haiyang Township offers numerous locations for viewing ginkgo trees, with the most popular being the Tongmu Bay and Xiaotong Bay, just 2 kilometers from the township. Every year, when the ginkgo trees turn yellow, the area is bustling with visitors. For a less crowded and beautiful scenery, explore Xiaopingle Village. Nestled deep in the mountains, it attracts far fewer visitors than Tongmu Bay and Xiaotong Bay. From Xiaopingle, you can explore Beidaidi and Si'antou Village. Because these villages are rarely visited by outsiders, their ginkgo trees are well-preserved, with many trees over 500 years old.
However, in addition to being remote, these small villages also have difficult roads to access, making it difficult for even a small car to drive. Here's a simple map to help you get a better idea of the locations of these small villages.
The best time to view ginkgo trees in Haiyang Township is from mid-November to early December.
There are shuttle buses from Guilin Bus Station to Haiyang Township and Xiaopingle. If you want to go to the surrounding villages, you need to ask the villagers to charter a car or walk there.
The most convenient option is of course to stay in Haiyang Township, but because there are limited homestays in Haiyang Township, it is often difficult to book a room during the ginkgo season. Therefore, staying in Dayu Ancient Town is also a good choice, as there are many more accommodation options here.
Ginkgo trees are the epitome of autumn color, their vibrant golden leaves captivating the senses. The tradition of viewing ginkgo trees in autumn is long-standing in China. Numerous scholars and literati have left behind poems celebrating their beauty, including Wang Wei, who wrote: "Apricots planted for beams, lemongrass for roofs. I wonder if the clouds within the roofs are meant to be rain."
How can we miss this golden autumn season? While there's still time, start planning your anti-pornography campaign.
