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No season is as enchanting as autumn.
Every year in September and October, the golden scroll unfolds from north to south, a truly dazzling spectacle that draws headlines from major media outlets and draws crowds of tourists. However, these small, tranquil spots offering stunning autumn scenery have become increasingly rare in recent years.
With the National Day holiday just around the corner, I've compiled a list of 14 off-the-beaten-path autumn viewing spots across China. Enjoy the vibrant colors without the crowds, so grab one and head out!
đź“ŤBenxi City, Liaoning Province
Laobiangou is a key autumn viewing area on the Liaodong Corridor. It is a beautiful, rich, magical and colorful paradise on earth.
She is beautiful because of the rolling mountains, graceful because of the gurgling water, and famous for her maple leaves that are "dyed in layers and colorful like mountains of flowers".
In autumn, the maple leaves here are like clouds, creating a world of crimson leaves. With thin clouds flying in the sky, mist drifting at the bottom of the ravine, and crimson leaves covering the mountains, this place has become a holy place for photography enthusiasts and a paradise for artists.
Coming here is definitely worth the trip; leaving here will still be haunting in my dreams.
đź“ŤLinjiang City, Jilin Province
Laotudingzi is a continuation of the Changbai Mountain Range, with an altitude of more than 1,400 meters. It is part of the Huashan National Forest Park and is the watershed between the Yalu River and the Hunjiang River.
The name is "so rustic" and the fame is "so small as to be ignored", but it has conquered the hearts of many people with its scenery and is one of the filming locations of the TV series "The World".
The mountains here are high and the forests are dense, yet they hide a breathtaking treasure. It is rarely visited by people, with strange rocks standing in rows, deep mountain streams, and mountains covered with red and forests dyed in all colors.
In autumn, when the maple leaves turn red, a visual feast begins. The vibrant crimson maple leaves, golden birch trees, and purple elm trees create a scene that feels like entering a neon-lit fairy tale world.
The sunrise over the sea of ​​clouds is the first wonder of Lao Tudingzi. Beneath the layers of misty sea of ​​clouds, beautiful peaks, strange pines, bizarre rocks and waterfalls appear and disappear, like a dream of a fairy mountain, which is dizzying.
đź“ŤLu'an City, Anhui Province
Late autumn is the most beautiful season of the year in Mazongling. There are few signs of human development here, and the most pristine appearance of nature has been preserved. The autumn colors here bloom wildly and wantonly.
The graceful peaks, shrouded in flowing veils like a young girl, create a mysterious feeling, like a woman holding a pipa, her face half covered. The indigo-colored hills and the beautiful scenery shrouded in mist are so beautiful that you can't help but take a second look.
With frosty wind blowing and red leaves fluttering, walking into Mazongling in late autumn is like walking into a colorful and stunning fairy tale world.
The mountains here are high and the forests are dense. The mountains are steep and steep, and trees, shrubs, locust trees, and ginkgo trees of various shapes grow freely, each showing its own unique heroic posture.
After the autumn frost, they lead the way with one tree and all the trees respond, and the mountains and valleys suddenly turn into a colorful and dazzling fairyland.
đź“ŤWeifang City, Shandong Province
Shimenfang is known as one of the five best places to view red leaves in China. It is located ten kilometers west of Linqu County in central Shandong Province. Compared with the red leaves in Xiangshan, Beijing, it has a state of "suspected to be a fairyland, not a human world, and drunkenly talking without wanting to return".
Picture @Photo.net
The autumn wind blows the fallen leaves, the leaves of the sumac turn red like fire, in the beautiful Shimen Valley, tens of thousands of sumac trees are in the most beautiful posture, showing the colorful and brilliant colors of the forest, writing the most beautiful chapter of nature.
No words can describe its beauty. Only by being there and experiencing it yourself can you truly appreciate the beauty of the red leaves in Shimenfang. The mountains are covered with red sumac, like fire, and the whole autumn is intoxicatingly beautiful.
đź“ŤShaanxi Province, Sichuan Province
The Qin-Shu Ancient Road is a road for economic, political and cultural exchanges between Shaanxi and Sichuan. This road has countless stories and legends, as well as endless beautiful scenery.
Hiking on the primitive ancient trail, you will feel as if you have returned to the era when carriages and horses were long and pedestrians were hurried...
Admire the autumn colors of Sichuan and Shaanxi, be mesmerized by the endless golden ground, the dazzling and romantic red leaves covering the mountains, and the winding colorful forest road. Everything here in autumn seems unreal.
Staying in the primitive village, the clouds are floating around the mountains, the water is charming beside the mountains, the scattered houses and the curling smoke are quiet and beautiful.
Along the ancient trail, you will pass by cliff carvings, murals, ancient buildings, and inscriptions... Walking along the ancient trail is like walking through art and legends.
đź“ŤNanjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province
In autumn, a must-see is Guangwu Mountain, known as "China's No. 1 Mountain for Red Leaves." From mid-October to early November, gently kissed by frosty winds and penetrating sunlight, each mountaintop is ablaze with fiery red leaves, a single tree leading the way, echoed by the rest of the mountains.
If you were to ask, where in Guangwu Mountain is so vast, is the most beautiful place for the autumn scenery of flowing water? The Eighteen Moon Lake Scenic Area is undoubtedly the best choice!
Lying on its back in the depths of Guangwu Mountain, 18 crescent-shaped waterfalls are densely packed like a pearl chain. Streams flow through the mountains covered with red leaves, converging into waterfalls that leap and cascade, with silver beads splashing.
Picture @Photo.net
You can walk along the wooden plank road and admire the red leaves all over the sky, or you can touch the gurgling water on the rocks on the shore of the pond and waterfall at close range.
Look at the red leaves swirling on the water, forming a beautiful autumn landscape with the colorful forests on the mountain. Tourists who like to take slow-motion photos of flowing water should remember to bring a neutral density filter to ensure you have a great time!
Picture @Photo.net
đź“ŤUlanqab City, Inner Mongolia
Lost in the golden autumn fairy tale world - Huitengxile Grassland in Inner Mongolia. Huitengxile means "cold ridge" in Mongolian.
In addition to the well-known Hulunbuir, the Huitengxile Grassland, 135km west of Hohhot, has one of the best-preserved typical alpine meadow grasslands in the world.
Picture @Photo.net
During the National Day holiday, the golden autumn colors of Phaeton are like an oil painting. As a niche and unpopular scenic spot, you can directly take in the entire golden and vast scenery as soon as you enter.
In Huanghuagou, there are cable cars, trains, and shuttle buses for one-stop tours, which will take you to your fairy tale world.
The dismounting wine ceremony, staying in a grassland yurt, and the tribal bonfire party will definitely give you a different holiday experience.
đź“ŤZhalantun, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia
It is a dreamy county-level highway, running from Mushroom Town, Zhalantun City to Arxan City. The 271km forest road hides the most beautiful autumn colors of the Greater Khingan Range.
Picture @Photo.net
The scenery here is absolutely beautiful. Along the way, you can see the otherworldly beauty of grazing cattle and sheep, the dazzling beauty of colorful scenes, and the lively beauty of the singing of orioles in the woods. It is a colorful gallery of hundreds of miles.
The autumn scenery along the "Mou'a Highway" is truly captivating. Passing through forests, pastures, lakes, wetlands, and canyons, and past herds of cattle and sheep, the scenery is so beautiful that it makes you forget the journey's destination.
Picture @Photo.net
Visit the eye of the volcano in Arxan, and the autumn of Daxinganling has arrived as promised. Let’s set off together.
đź“ŤLitang County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Genyen, from a little-known secret to a top outdoor sanctuary in western Sichuan, is incredibly stunning every time it appears!
It is known as the "third highest peak in Sichuan" and the "last secret place" of Sichuan's snow-capped mountains. It is a colorful plateau secret place with the "Eye of Genyen" which is very popular in the photography circle, attracting countless photographers from afar to take pictures and check in.
Autumn is the most beautiful season of Mount Genyen. The Wuliang River shimmers and meanders across the vast Maoya grassland, reflecting the shadows of forests and snow-capped mountains.
đź“ŤLi County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Colorful forests, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, lakes, hot springs, ice and fire are interwoven into a colorful world here. This is not Switzerland, but Bipenggou in western Sichuan.
Bipenggou is one of the scenic spots with the best natural landscape diversity in Sichuan (82 natural attractions) and is closest to Chengdu. It is known as the "Little Switzerland of Western Sichuan".
Picture @Photo.net
The red leaves of Bipenggou are spread among the mountains, rivers and springs, surrounding the towering snow-capped mountains, green fir trees, golden birch trees, blue lakes and pure white snow-capped mountains. It is as if you have walked into the fantasy world of "Game of Thrones" or a series of colorful paintings with thick ink and heavy colors.
From October to December, one route connects the autumn essence of Aba in western Sichuan, including the autumn colors of the snow-capped mountains in Bipenggou, the colorful forests in the river valley in Naizigou, the "Lonely Coffee House" in Dagu Glacier, and the "Little Jiuzhaigou" in Songpinggou.
Picture @Photo.net
đź“ŤShizhu Autonomous County, Chongqing
There are many peaks on both sides of Youcao River and beautiful scenery. Along the river, there are cultural and natural landscapes such as "Floating Fragrance and Remaining Clouds", "Heavenly Painting", "Yangdong Lion" and "Youcao Dragon Ridge".
Drive along National Highway 318 from Huangshui to Suoyi Creek, and look out over Manao City from a high vantage point. You'll see a long and narrow mountain range resembling a galloping horse with its head held high and its hooves prancing, galloping through the sea of ​​Huangshui forests.
Along the winding path in the mountains, you can climb up to Shanzi Rock in Yangdong Township and overlook the mountains. The "Lion Rock" looks like a lion lying quietly, and the "Monk Rock" beside Dicui Gorge looks like a monk meditating.
Going forward to Qinghuatang Canyon, you will find pines and firs blocking out the sun, a cool breeze blowing, green mountains and green waters complementing each other. In autumn, the mountains are covered with red leaves and the cicadas are chirping sweetly.
đź“ŤYanqing District, Beijing
Yudu Mountain is located in the upper reaches of Longqing Gorge and at the foot of Haituo Mountain. It is deep in the mountains and rarely visited by people. It has beautiful scenery and a quiet environment.
It is a little-known virgin land in the northern part of Beijing. It is a place where nature preserves its original green memory. It is a good choice for modern people to return to and get close to nature. It is a nature reserve in Yanqing District and one of the beautiful back gardens in the suburbs of Beijing.
The summer is gradually fading away, and autumn is quietly approaching. Although the high temperature has not gone away, the coolness of autumn can still be felt, and the green trees cannot cover up the autumn red.
Follow the footsteps of tourists, stay in Beijing, travel light and hike to find traces of autumn.
đź“ŤQingyuan City, Guangdong Province
The Golden Oujia Rice Terraces are located at the foot of Dawu Mountain, the highest peak of Lianshan Mountain, which is known as the "Roof of Lingnan, Guangdong".
The terraced fields themselves are a solid mountain, backed by dense forests on higher peaks. Looking out from behind the terraced fields, you can see valleys stretching for dozens of miles.
The thousand stone mountains all face southwest and back to the northeast. According to legend, the ancestor of the Yao people was King Pangu, whose creation of the world aligns with the Yao people's migration culture. The Yao people pay homage to King Pangu with piety, hence the name "Ten Thousand Mountains Paying Homage to the King."
đź“ŤYouxi County, Sanming City, Fujian Province
Hidden in the mountains of Youxi, Fujian, lies the largest ancient ginkgo forest in the southeast.
In the second year of Kaixi in the Southern Song Dynasty (1206), mining and silver refining had already begun in Longmen Field. In ancient times, silver refining required the addition of a formula with ginkgo as the main raw material. The silver refined in this way was both pure and good, so ginkgo trees were planted here and formed forests.
There are historical records that Zhu Xi wrote a book here. This ancient ginkgo forest has 353 trees, over 300 of which are over 700 years old. They are densely distributed in the small natural village of Longmenchang and are also the creative base of the Fujian Provincial Photographers Association.
Autumn is the most beautiful season here. Walking into this colorful ancient ginkgo forest is like walking into a golden and charming fairy tale world.
Of all the seasons, no other is as captivating as autumn. With the National Day holiday just around the corner, if you'd rather avoid the crowds and see the autumn scenery, why not head to one of these lesser-known spots?
