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When it comes to Xin'an River, many people immediately think of the Xin'an River, a summer resort in Jiande, Hangzhou. The Xin'an River originates from the Qiandao Lake reservoir, becomes the Fuchun River in Tonglu, and then the Qiantang River in Hangzhou before flowing into the sea in Haining.
What is not well known is that the section from its source in Xiuning County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province to Shendu Town, She County where it enters the Qiandao Lake Reservoir is also called Xin'an River. The Xin'an River Landscape Gallery is part of this section. It is a typical Jiangnan style landscape gallery with elegant and comfortable style. This article will take you closer here and take a look at its beauty.
The Xin'an River Landscape Gallery is defined as the section from Nanyuankou Village to Pukou Village, where the two rivers meet. You can walk along the main stem of the Xin'an River to the century-old village of Xiongcun. Alternatively, you can hike along Lianjiang, a tributary of the Xin'an River, to Yuliangba, both distances being approximately ten miles.
The riverbank is dotted with fields of rapeseed flowers, and small villages dot the riverbank, all decorated in the Huizhou style. Numerous ancient camphor trees can be found, including the 800-year-old King Camphor Tree near Pukou Village, a truly impressive sight. The river is clear, dotted with fishing boats, and framed by winding green hills on both sides.
During the Spring Equinox every year, from mid-March to early April, rape flowers gradually bloom as the weather warms up, attracting bees to buzz and collect nectar. Interspersed with them are a few fragrant peach blossoms, creating a natural beauty.
The picture comes from the Internet
Photography: Lao Mai
The Shanshuili Gallery is like a slowly opening Chinese landscape painting scroll, on which there are two ancient villages, one is Xiong Village and the other is Yuliang Village.
Xiong Village has a history of more than 800 years and is known as the No. 1 Island in Xin'an. It is nestled against the Xin'an River, surrounded by green mountains and shaded by tall bamboos. Many literati have emerged here throughout the ages. The earliest origin can be traced back to the migration of a family surnamed Cao in the Yuan Dynasty, so now almost everyone in the village has the surname Cao.
There is also an ancient peach blossom dam here, with peach blossoms planted all over the bank. In spring, the peach blossom bushes stretching for dozens of meters are matched with the ancient buildings in Hui style, which further highlights the beauty of Jiangnan.
Everyone knows the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a model of ancient Chinese hydraulic engineering. However, few people know of the Yuliang Dam, an ancient hydraulic project located in She County, dating back over 1,400 years to the Tang Dynasty. Yuliang Dam, also known as the Jiangnan Dujiangyan, is home to Yuliang Village, a village steeped in history. With commercial ports flanking an ancient bluestone road, it was once a major trading center.
Note: There is a fee for both attractions.
The picture comes from the Internet
The picture comes from the Internet
The most suitable time to visit the Xin'an River Landscape Gallery is from mid-March to early April. At this time, the rape flowers along the river are generally in full bloom, which is a good time for outings and flower viewing.
Landscape Gallery A Hiking Route: Nanyuankou Village - Xiaomeikou - Pukou Village - Lundu - Yicheng Village - Xiongcun Village Committee
Landscape Gallery B Hiking Route: Nanyuankou Village - Xiaomeikou - Pukou Village - Jinjiatan - Yuliangba Village
Generally, people start hiking from Nanyuankou Village. The road along the river is easy to walk on. Apart from some small villages, there are basically farmlands along the way. There are ferry boats every day and it only takes a few minutes to cross the river.
It is about 10 kilometers to walk from Nanyuankou Village to Yuliangba. If you take a ferry to Xiongcun Village Committee, it takes about 12 kilometers. The road is basically flat all the way, which is not tiring and very relaxing. The scenery and spring breeze are very pleasant along the way.
Since it is a crossing route, this route is not suitable for self-driving. You can take a car to She County or take the high-speed rail to Jixi and then take a bus to She County. There are minibuses from She County to Nanyuankou, and there are many buses.
Xin'an River Landscape Gallery mostly offers close-up viewing of rapeseed flowers, which can be viewed with any camera or even a mobile phone.
The food here is of Huizhou style, which is salty and spicy. If you don’t like spicy food, it is recommended to tell the waiter before eating.
The beauty of Jiangnan lies in the tranquility between mountains and rivers. The beauty of Chinese landscape painting lies in its artistic conception, and here, it is the beauty of artistic conception of ink and color.
In fact, it's not just rapeseed blossom season; year-round, as long as the weather is right, this place is perfect for leisurely hiking. Birds fly, fish leap, trees sway, a few villages, a few fishing boats, distant mountains are like dark green, and farmland stretches across the landscape—this is the freehand realm that everyone yearns for.
