Live Your Best Lives
Ancient villages offer homestays, and the countryside offers mountain retreats. For city dwellers, trapped in the urban world, a new way of life lies hidden in the countryside. Here, you'll find mountains and rivers, heritage and nostalgia, beautiful scenery, and the slow-paced lifestyle you've come to expect. So, what are some incredibly beautiful and cozy ancient village homestays around Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai? Let Lao Bao share them with you!
Xia Nanshan Village was founded during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. The village boasts over 40 rammed-earth houses, each with its own unique style, a staggered layout, and a quaint, natural aesthetic, representing a quintessential example of ancient Ouyue architecture. The oldest existing house is over 400 years old. Since 2004, the entire village of Xia Nanshan has been relocated due to transportation difficulties. The old houses, left on the mountainside, have been neglected, their walls cracked, and the village has gradually become a decaying "hollow village."
(Pictures from the Internet)
The restoration of the ancient village took nearly three years. To preserve the original appearance of the village roads, all building materials were transported by shoulder, hand, and mule. All 42 ancient buildings were constructed using locally sourced materials, renovating the old with the old, fully preserving the village's original ecological appearance.
(Pictures from the Internet)
The old trees in the ancient village have always been there, blessing and providing shade for Xia Nanshan Village.
(Pictures from the Internet)
The entire village is filled with rich rural customs and local characteristics. The unique ancient village features such as beauty chairs, stilt houses, yellow mud houses, and magnolia windows are still preserved, while the interior has been transformed into a comfortable and elegant residence.
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
The Lishui City Library branch has also opened in Xia Nanshan Village, named Nanshan Book Bar. It has more than 5,000 books and a comfortable tatami library on the second floor.
(Pictures from the Internet)
At night, under the starry sky and moonlight, the whole village becomes quiet, accompanied by the sound of rushing water and the crisp croaking of frogs and chirping of insects, and have a good night's dream.
(Pictures from the Internet)
The layout and theme of each house were designed based on its unique condition, fully preserving the unique farming culture and Ouyue stilt architecture of Xia Nanshan Village. The village's small stone mill, jars and pots left behind by villagers' farming lives, and flowers and plants have all become part of the new Xia Nanshan Village's landscape.
(Pictures from the Internet)
Xia Nanshan Village, this "hollow village" where "you can see mountains, see water, and remember homesickness", has been injected with a new soul, and its ancient charm has captured the hearts of countless travelers and tourists.
(Pictures from the Internet)
Tips:
Transportation
By car: Take the S26 Zhuyong Expressway, exit at Lishui West Interchange, and continue straight along Green Valley Avenue and Provincial Highway 328 to reach Xia Nanshan Village.
Bus: Take bus 202 or 203 from Lishui High-speed Railway Station to Xiananshan Village.
A tranquil retreat amidst the bustle of life, nestled between mountains and water, a serene paradise, Suye embodies all your aspirations for lush greenery and clear waters. A century-old building has been renovated into a modern B&B, preserving the essence of the original architecture while incorporating the modern elegance of a boutique hotel. Enjoy an outdoor pool, floor-to-ceiling windows, a fireplace in winter, and mountain springs in summer, combining the leisurely pace of a tranquil mountain retreat with the dynamic energy of a scenic excursion.
(Pictures from the Internet)
People tend to set themselves lofty goals and ascribe metaphysical meaning to certain things. Most of the time, what matters most is being able to put our minds to something and do whatever we want. At Suye, the owner says, "We don't have too many sentimental ambitions; we just want to do something quietly here." Therefore, we define Suye as a "countryside hostel."
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
Carefully tidy up a study room, read in it, write something casually, and have a drink, "closing the book and letting the lingering taste linger in my heart." Living in this world, fear nothing, do what you think is right, and slowly let go of winning and losing.
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Suye named the rooms after the twelve months and accompanied them with twelve kinds of flowers and plants.
(Pictures from the Internet)
The owner named the best room "March" because the owner Su Ye's daughter was named March, and this was the best gift for her.
(Pictures from the Internet)
Tips: Transportation Guide
By car: Get off at Jingning Exit of Yunjing Expressway and drive 12 kilometers to the destination.
Bus: Take a bus to Jingning Bus Station and contact the butler in advance to pick you up at the station.
Located in Hengkantou Village, Liangnong Town, Siming Mountain, the inn is nestled alongside a stream and adjacent to fields. It's 500 meters from the former sites of the East Zhejiang Anti-Japanese Base Area, 5 kilometers from Siming Lake, and 17.8 kilometers from Siming Mountain Forest Park. It's 68 kilometers from Ningbo, 115 kilometers from Hangzhou, and 198 kilometers from Shanghai. It's 18 kilometers from the Yuyao Expressway Exit. This themed, courtyard-style resort inn occupies 7 mu (approximately 1,600 square meters) of land.
(Pictures from the Internet)
The owner is very fond of life and even made the signboards in the B&B himself, including carpentry, painting, writing, and translation...
(Pictures from the Internet)
People often ask, "What is fun in Liangnong and where can I go?" In fact, the most beautiful scenery is in the rice fields, mountains, fields, and streams. Appreciate them quietly, feel your own breathing and heartbeat, and feel every breath in nature with a heart that discovers beauty.
(Pictures from the Internet)
(Pictures from the Internet)
We have our own homemade wine. I want to share my stories and wine with you. Do you have a story? Come to the rice fields and share your emotions.
(Pictures from the Internet)
Tips:
Transportation Guide: Self-driving: Search "Banma Homestay Rice Field" on Baidu Maps.
Bus: Take Yuyao Bus No. 102 (or Yuyao Bus No. 106) and get off at the South Bus Station . Transfer to Yuyao Bus No. 513 and get off at Chegangtou Station . Walk 1.2 km to arrive.
Choose a homestay, listen to an old song, watch an old movie, taste a pot of Longjing tea, recall the glorious past, and meet interesting sentimental people, which is also a kind of enjoyment.
