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This is a thousand-year-old ancient city hidden in the mountainous area of western Zhejiang. It has a splendid cave culture and a series of unsolved mysteries, as well as tempting and delicious spicy delicacies that will satisfy your taste buds.
This trip to Longyou was rather sudden. It all started with a friend asking, "Do you want to watch the car rally near home?" So, we just left and booked a high-speed train to Longyou.
"Traveling east and west is not as good as Longyou" is a popular saying among the people of Longyou. The small town of Longyou is full of mysterious attraction, which makes you want to visit it.
Quzhoucheck the details
Quzhou is located in western Zhejiang Province, on my country's third terrace. The region is dominated by mountains and hills, with extensive mountainous terrain largely covered by forests. The area boasts breathtaking natural scenery, exemplified by the World Heritage site of Jianglang Mountain, and boasts scenic views of mountains, rivers, and waterways. Other attractions include Taizhen Cave, the Western Zhejiang Prairie, the Jiangshan Golden Nail, the Changshan Huangnitang Golden Nail, the Xiaohunan Jointed Stone Pillars, and the Fugaishan Caves. Key cultural attractions include the Nianbadu Ancient Town, the Hemu Painted Pottery Cultural Village, the Qingyang Mao Family Cultural Village, the Xiashan Ancient Dwellings, the Longyou Grottoes, and the Jiuhua Spring Temple.
Recommended months: Spring and autumn are the best
5279 recommendations, 4767 visits
Everyone knows the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, the Yungang Grottoes, and the Longmen Grottoes, which have shocked the world with their grand architecture and gorgeous murals. People are always full of curiosity and desire to explore the mysterious underground caves.
In 1992, the legendary "bottomless pond" was finally revealed to the sound of water pumps by four local farmers, revealing the grottoes that became the Longyou Grottoes. The origins and uses of these grottoes, a subject of much debate, have long been a mystery, earning them the nickname "the Ninth Wonder of the World."
While not as well-known as the four famous grottoes, the Longyou Grottoes are number one in Zhejiang Province. They boast over twenty caves of varying sizes, and the local government has opened five well-preserved grottoes for visitors to explore. The cave walls are steep and the depths are impenetrable, revealing a whole new underground world beckoning exploration.
This car rally coincided with the Longyou Grottoes International Music Festival. A team of top domestic and foreign music masters from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Austria and other countries, as well as the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, presented a four-day music feast for music lovers around the world at the Longyou Grottoes.
The event is divided into three parts: a cave concert, a summit forum, and a public concert. The main part is the cave concert, featuring theme music, achieving the goal of "music in every cave, music everywhere." Cave No. 2, the main performance venue, is themed "Listening to Sounds in a Sacred Land," leveraging the perfect combination of cave structure and acoustics to create a dreamlike, sacred feast. Cave No. 4, themed "Building Totems with Sound," utilizes holographic imaging technology to provide audiences with an immersive performance experience in a unique sound field environment.
Today, the grottoes are integrated with contemporary music, and the annual Grottoes Music Festival is a unique experience. The fusion of music and grotto art allows you to experience the lingering sound of the thousand-year-old stone walls, cleansing your soul.
This year's Grotto Music Festival welcomed different music lovers from home and abroad to gather together to listen to different music and let their ears become pregnant on this journey.
The music festival performances brought together traditional vocal music from different countries and ethnic groups at home and abroad. The fusion of different musical sounds is also a kind of cultural integration. Through Longyou as a bond, the world is connected.
Coming out of the Longyou Grottoes, I saw a magnificent temple, though it was sparsely populated. I vaguely spotted the words "Tongtan Hall" on the side door, and then the main entrance, Zhulin Zen Temple. Later, I learned that Tongtan Hall was the common name for Zhulin Zen Temple.
Looking down, the grottoes and temples are all along the river, and the ecological environment is very good. Surrounded by emerald green, accompanied by the faint yellow light of the setting sun, and blowing in the comfortable autumn breeze, it is also a great place to relax.
Longyou Grottoes business hours: 8:00-16:30
Tickets: 55
Practical tips: The music festival is held at different times each year, and the rest of the time is for normal sightseeing in the scenic area.
The highlight of this time is the Speed and Furious car rally. After two years, this important intercontinental sports brand event, which has become an important intercontinental sports brand event in the province and even the country, has returned to Longyou again. It is held in Longyou Longshan Sports Town, gathering hundreds of drivers from different countries in the Asia-Pacific region. They gather together to race and drift on this devilish track, which is also a visual enjoyment for the audience.
Longyou has a long and thriving relationship with rallying. It's the only city in China to have hosted 12 Asia-Pacific Rally events and 15 China Rally events. The speed and excitement of rallying have become a driving force, a spirit, and a pursuit for Longyou residents. Experience the roar of engines, the splash of gravel, and the rush of wind.
The total route of this Asia-Pacific Rally Championship is approximately 711.33 kilometers, of which the competition section is 220.82 kilometers. There are a total of 13 stages, which are composed of 6 routes including the Super Stage and Sanmenyuan Stage.
The race section is a mixture of sand, gravel and cement, crisscrossing the road with lush vegetation along the way and a quiet environment. The terrain is complex, with steep slopes and many bends, making it full of fun and challenges.
The track in Longshan Sports Town is also known as the Devil's Track. It has many twists and turns, uphills and downhills, and the terrain is complex and changeable, which is a test of driving skills.
In the quiet little town of Longyou, the simple people have created an extremely rich food culture, which is more like the business card of the little town.
Steamed cakes, meatballs, wontons, rice paste, and qinghuang...they taste a bit like what my mother made when I was a child. Even if you have never eaten them, you can imagine and feel their taste.
Walking in the streets and alleys of Longcheng, you can see shops and stalls cooking Longyou's special snacks everywhere. These inconspicuous shops and unknown chefs can let people taste the authentic delicacies, which makes countless foreign tourists and even Longyou people unable to stop.
Because it is located in the hilly area of western Zhejiang and borders Anhui and Jiangxi, the mountainous geographical environment has created a hot and humid climate in this land. Eating spicy food can eliminate moisture. Quzhou cuisine is characterized by spiciness and pays attention to the freshness, tenderness and smoothness of the food.
Longyou County's most renowned traditional specialty. Its production dates back over 600 years, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Its unique craftsmanship and carefully selected ingredients create a product as white as jade, with pores as fine as needles. Its aroma is fragrant, and its taste is sweet but not greasy, glutinous but not sticky, making it a truly unique Jiangnan specialty.
To be honest, only Longyou's steamed cakes are authentically made. Surrounding areas like Jinhua definitely can't make such delicious food. If you go to Longyou now, you'll find them in many markets, on plates this size, for between 10 and 20 yuan.
Housewives harvest fresh green taro early in the morning, cook it, and mix it with lime to remove its bitterness. Then, they mix it with rice flour and knead it into a dough.
Qingming buns are divided into green buns and white buns. The fillings of green buns are mostly sesame and brown sugar, which are glutinous and fragrant when bitten. The fillings of white buns are mostly pickled vegetables and tofu. When you get tired of sweet ones, eating salty ones will naturally increase your appetite.
Longyou steamed buns are plump, elegant, and beautiful, and can be either savory or sweet, depending on personal taste. Their remarkable elasticity often leaves first-time visitors stunned and amazed. If you hold a bun in your palm and open your hand, it will immediately return to its original shape like a sponge.
Method: Poke a hole and stuff the stuffing in little by little until the bun is bulging, but be careful not to break it. The stuffing is usually pork, bamboo shoots and chopped green onions, or fresh bamboo shoots or dried white sugar can be used, depending on personal preference.
In addition to Longyou’s top ten specialty snacks, freshly made steamed buns are also extremely popular. Everyone is looking forward to them from the production to the steaming to the delivery.
A large steamer holds about 40 buns. After the buns are steamed, the boss opens the lid and brings the steaming buns to the table. "The buns are the best when they are fresh out of the steamer. Come and have a try."
Not to mention the well-known Quzhou cuisine, the three heads and one palm refer to rabbit head, duck head, fish head, and duck feet. Although it is a specialty snack in Quzhou, its deliciousness is brought to the extreme in Longyou.
In the hearts of Longyou locals, Wang Agai and Yang Aizhen are both well-known long-established restaurants in Longyou. When you come to Longyou, remember to have a meal here and give yourself a journey of taste buds.
During this trip to Longyou, we chose to stay at Guanghe Radisson Vega Hotel.
🌟Recommendation reason:
The hotel has the highest local rating in the county, with excellent service. Newly renovated in 2018, it boasts brand new hardware facilities, complete dining and accommodation facilities, and is built to the county's four-star standard. The hotel's interior is business-like and clean, offering a truly unique experience in this small town in western Zhejiang.
Upon entering the hotel lobby, the decor is bright and spacious, making travelers feel very comfortable. Each room has a light-emitting number outside, making it easy to identify the room number. The corridors are all carpeted and bright, not as dim as some hotels.
European elegant style, the lighting is warm, very comfortable to look at. Night light, wall painting, sofa.
The glass chandelier with flowing light and the mahjong table underneath give people a comfortable and clean feeling. If you meet a few good friends, playing mahjong or cards together is also a very good choice.
The tea bar and lounge on the first floor also serve buffet breakfast. You can also order a cup of coffee and enjoy the quietness late at night.
The overall cost-effectiveness of the hotel is very high, and the room rates are not expensive. The specific room prices can be checked on the Internet.
Of course, you can also choose to dine in the hotel. The hotel's dining environment is good and the dishes are exquisitely presented, making it suitable for banquets.
Quzhou has been running a "Global Free Tour of Quzhou" campaign! This year, the number of participating scenic spots has increased from 13 in 2018 to 14. Furthermore, for the entire two months of November and December this year, all 14 participating core scenic spots will offer free admission to Quzhou residents (including weekends), a truly great benefit for Quzhou residents.
Free time and objects:
First, in 2019, except for national holidays and weekends, all participating scenic spots will provide free admission to global tourists from Monday to Friday, a total of 244 days.
Second, from November to December 2019, a total of 61 days (including weekends), all participating scenic spots will waive admission fees for Quzhou citizens.
Third, to cooperate with the promotion of the city brand of "Nan Kong Holy Land·Quzhou is polite", all participating scenic spots will carry out phased ticket-free activities for specific emerging source markets.
Fourth, all participating scenic spots will waive admission fees throughout the year for special groups including active-duty military personnel, firefighters, model workers at the provincial level or above, immediate family members of organ donors, bone marrow donors, people over 70 years old, and people with disabilities from Quzhou.
Excluding the free tickets, Longyou scenic spots charge:
Longyou Grottoes: 55 yuan
Longyou Folk House Garden: 45 yuan
Self-driving: Just navigate to the scenic spot name;
Bus: There are buses to Longyou from all major stations in Hangzhou, with an average of one bus every 30 minutes;
High-speed rail: Longyou has a high-speed rail station, which is about 2 hours away from Shanghai, about 1 hour and 10 minutes away from Hangzhou, and about 2 hours and 30 minutes away from Nanjing. The transportation is convenient.
Airplane: The nearest airport to Longyou County is Quzhou Airport, and you can take a bus from Quzhou South Bus Station.
