Live Your Best Lives
Help! The recent weather in Hangzhou has been so hot I'm practically crying. I want to get out into the great outdoors and cool down, play in the clear blue water, and admire the lush greenery. Not only is it free, but the natural coolness is something you can't get from sitting in an air-conditioned room for too long.
The place I want to recommend to you today is a "back garden" sandwiched between Hubei, Chongqing and Hunan. Although it is located in the Jingchu land which is mainly composed of plains, it is a "paradise on earth" with "eighteen bends in the mountain roads and nine links in the waterways".
The average summer temperature never exceeds 27°C, and you can even stroll along the riverbed and even row a boat in the air! In the sweltering heat of summer, there's no better place to escape the heat than Enshi, Hubei.
This has to start with a magical latitude. "30 degrees north latitude" runs through the four ancient civilizations. Many wonderful natural landscapes and amazing and inexplicable mysterious phenomena come from here, such as the famous pyramids, Sphinx, Dead Sea, Hanging Gardens, Bermuda Triangle, etc.
The energy within the Earth and its changes have created the wonders of the "30 degrees north latitude." Enshi is also located near this magical latitude, and many natural wonders have emerged in this vast land.
Design@Bai Ze
The land in the southwestern Hubei region was folded into mountains during the Yanshan Movement. The Wushan Mountains, a branch of the southern edge of the Daba Mountains, rose from the north, the Wuling Mountains, a branch of the Miaoling Mountains, rose from the southeast and central part, and the Qiyue Mountains, the northern extension of the Dalou Mountains, also rose from the west, forming a "three-mountain tripod" situation in Enshi.
These mountains have continued to rise since then, and have been weathered and eroded by wind, frost, rain, snow and running water for a long time, gradually becoming the "skeleton" of Enshi, creating Enshi and making it a representative of karst landforms.
Enshi boasts cliffs, canyons, caves, fissures, cenotes, and karst caves. Due to its complex topography, Enshi only had access to railways in 2010. Its unique topography also contributes to its warm winters and cool summers.
In Enshi and some of its surrounding cities, hotels don't even need air conditioning to stay cool even in the scorching summer heat. Are you already craving such a refreshing summer getaway?
You Xiaoxia specifically asked the product manager of Enshi, and now the epidemic prevention measures in Enshi are as follows:
Guests from cities in provinces with medium- or high-risk areas, or from municipalities with medium- or high-risk areas, are not allowed to join the tour. Guests from low-risk areas can join the tour as long as they present a negative nucleic acid test report issued within 48 hours and a green health code.
Let’s take a look at some fun and delicious places in Enshi!
Real-life version of "Peach Blossom Spring"
Have you ever seen a small village without a car? The only inconvenience of living here may be that you need to walk to this hidden village.
This area still preserves its pristine scenery and simple folk customs, and is one of the few remaining villages without access to roads. This lack of access has preserved its natural beauty. Only by ascending the cliff plank path and the Thousand-Step Staircase can one truly enter Luyuanping, where the village scenery gradually comes into view.
In addition to being surrounded by mountains, going deep into the Xuanlu Fissure, the cool and refreshing feeling is self-evident. Every cliff and rock tells a thousand-year-old story.
The water of Luyintan is rippling and the waterfall is cascading. Legend has it that the black deer, which is thousands of years old, often hid here to rest and drink water during wars, so the pond was named "Luyintan".
The Canglu Waterfalls are even more stunning, with over a dozen waterfalls of varying sizes that require a leisurely exploration along the trail. The varying riverbeds create a variety of waterfall formations, creating a unique landscape from every angle.
In addition to these mysterious legends, this place also preserves original delicacies and simple folk customs.
Liunian B&B is built here. Late at night, people here will sing and dance around the bonfire. When night falls and the bustle fades away, you can also sit here quietly, appreciate the starry sky without light pollution, and feel the inner peace.
One of the most beautiful outdoor hiking routes is the riverbed walk
It is sparsely populated and has beautiful scenery, including cliffs, waterfalls, caves, primeval forests, and ancient villages...
Here, there are caves within caves, caves connected to each other, mountains within caves, caves within mountains, dense underground streams, and numerous cracks in the rocks.
This is a must-visit holy place for outdoor enthusiasts. Sometimes when you stand at the entrance of the cave, gusts of cool breeze blow, like a natural air conditioner.
Sometimes you will experience a dark cave, and sometimes the exit will lead you to a new world.
As you walk out of the cave, the green lawn comes into view, and you suddenly feel enlightened. It is so pleasant to play, have fun, and take a rest here.
Rowing in the sky on the clear water of "Semporna"
Pingshan Canyon is famous for its turquoise water, but also for its dangers which makes people afraid to visit it easily.
Since being built into a standard scenic spot, Pingshan Canyon has retained the most essential and relatively safe part for tourists to visit and play.
To enter, you have to walk down countless steps. With the cool breeze from the valley, this road extending deep into the valley is not so boring.
The green water is hidden deep in the canyon, and you have to take a boat ride for a while to let everyone feel the clear water here. Here you can take photos freely, play with transparent kayaks, and get closer to the water.
It is worth mentioning that the waterway going out will pass through many narrow mountain crevices, with towering mountains standing next to them. If you look up at a certain section of the road, the mountains and the sky will form a crescent shape, which is very lively.
China's version of the Grand Canyon
The Enshi Grand Canyon can be said to be a landmark landscape of Enshi. The canyon is divided into two parts: Qixingzhai and Yunlong Ground Fissure. The ground fissure is spectacular and has a breathtaking energy. The temperature is suitable and the scenery is pleasant when walking in it.
The most famous is the "One Incense Stick," a stone pillar that reaches into the clouds, standing tall in both sunny and foggy weather, and is truly the "treasure of the mountain." A shout in Echo Valley is truly soul-stirring and lingering.
When you reach the top and look into the distance, you can see the villages of all sizes in Enshi, arranged neatly and in an orderly manner.
Ordovician Historical Park
"Suobu" means "three" in the Tujia language, and Sobuya means "three passes," while "ya" in the Tujia language refers to a "valley between two mountains." The area is filled with strange rocks and a mysterious atmosphere, perhaps a romantic love story passed down from ancient times.
Picture @Photo.net
Everything that happened billions of years ago can be traced here. This is also the "world's first Ordovician stone forest". It is a unique landscape formed by erosion of the underwater world many years ago, with all kinds of stones everywhere.
Picture @Photo.net
When you get close to it, it is hard not to marvel at the wonders of nature. The bizarrely shaped stones that are carefully named are a combination of nature and culture.
Picture @Photo.net
It is like a natural museum, sitting here waiting for people to visit. Touching its traces is like feeling the natural codes from thousands of years ago. Uncovering its mystery requires step-by-step exploration.
Picture @Photo.net
The Tujia people's turbulent years
In addition to its rich natural scenery, Enshi, a Tujia Autonomous Prefecture, also vividly reflects the Ba Dynasty and Tujia culture. Tusi City is like a microcosm, recording the mysterious culture that belongs only to Enshi.
There are about 30 ethnic attractions in Enshi Tusi City. Walking into the Tusi City Gate Tower, it stands majestically. In front of the gate tower, there are two statues standing opposite each other on the left and right, called "Heavenly King Delivering a Child".
There are three murals on the right wall, which showcase the history and culture of the Tujia people. Entering the murals, you can discover Tujia dwellings, unique stilt houses, nestled against mountains and water, surrounded by green forests, and in a quiet and leisurely atmosphere.
This place condenses Tujia culture and records the almost forgotten ethnic history. In addition to these, Enshi has many more and wonderful scenery waiting for you to check in and explore!
Hubei cuisine is represented by Wuhan, where there are many new and emerging varieties. Enshi relies on its unique geographical conditions to create the "unique" Enshi flavor.
Enshi cuisine builds on the foundation of Hubei cuisine, balancing the numbness of Chongqing and the spiciness of Hunan. In Enshi, breakfast is also known as "guo zao," and the saying has long been passed down among the people: "Enshi guo zao has two treasures: bean curd and fried youxiang."
Enshi’s bean curd skin is a specialty, and everyone who has eaten it says it is delicious, while its bacon and hezha are even more famous in the food world.
In Enshi, there's a way to eat bacon: grind corn into flour, add chili powder, and ferment it in a jar. This is called "pi Guang Jiao." Stir-frying it with bacon creates a sour and spicy dish with a hint of bacon, making it a perfect match for rice.
Hezha can be found everywhere. People in Enshi eat various kinds of Hezha all year round, just like people in Northeast China eat sauerkraut and people in Hunan eat chili peppers. It is the soul of Hezha.
Enshi small potatoes are also one of the representatives of Enshi cuisine. After frying, they can be stir-fried or steamed, and each one has a unique flavor.
Enshi's selenium-rich tea is also well-known far and wide. The tea contains phenolic derivatives, aromatic substances, amino acids, vitamins, etc., which can promote fat decomposition and oxidation, help digestion, reduce fat and lose weight. Just one sip is a wonderful experience.
Enshi not only has unique natural scenery, simple folk customs and profound culture, but also adds a layer of connotation to it. More of the beauty of Enshi is waiting for you to savor slowly on the road.
