Live Your Best Lives
I'm sure everyone has watched the recent hit drama "Where the Wind Winds" starring Liu Yifei. I've already been captivated by Liu Yifei's beauty and the stunning scenery of Dali, Yunnan.
Picture @Stills from "Where the Wind Is"
But as a veteran excavator of niche travel destinations, Xiaoxia is naturally not satisfied with places like "Kundali".
The entire Yunnan-Guizhou region is home to a variety of landforms, including snow-capped mountains, lakes, terraced fields, grasslands, as well as delicious food, ancient and original cultural heritage. Such a primitive, natural and beautiful place has never only had the kind of beauty shown in film and television dramas.
Today, I'd like to introduce you to a hidden yet breathtakingly beautiful region in Yunnan. It's a favorite destination for photography enthusiasts, offering a tranquil, pristine environment and sparsely populated areas, home to 11 ethnic groups. A meter-gauge train leads to what's considered "China's Most Beautiful Village," and it's also the first place in China to feel the first signs of spring: southeastern Yunnan.
Every year in early February, the 800,000 mu of rapeseed flowers in Luoping begin to bloom, which are hundreds of times more beautiful than the rapeseed flowers in Wuyuan.
Tourists, please save this year's Luoping rapeseed flower bloom forecast map. I believe everyone's anticipation for spring is as anxious and passionate as waiting for their first love after a long time.
The terraced fields on the other side have also entered their watering season. Known as one of the "Seven Greatest Cultural Landscapes of the World," they reach peak beauty from winter to spring, drawing crowds of enthusiasts to witness the dazzling light and stunning sea of clouds.
While the north remains shrouded in snow and shivers, spring has quietly arrived in Yunnan, urging all things to grow. Let's journey into this hidden gem and discover the hidden "Spring in Southeast Yunnan."
Spring is coming in from the south, and after a brief stop at 24°31′ north latitude, it dyes the small town of Luoping golden, making it the first place in the country where one can smell the scent of spring.
800,000 mu of rapeseed flowers bloomed in whispers with the wind, creating the "world's largest natural flower sea" certified by the Guinness World Records.
The changing topography also creates a different visual experience. The nearly full-height flowers here are a hundred times more beautiful than the rapeseed flowers in Wuyuan! Amidst such beauty, even a brief moment of getting lost is a good thing.
A trip to Luoping without visiting the Jinji Peaks is a wasted one. The conical karst hills pierce the endless golden expanse, mingling with the morning mist.
Smoke curls from the whitewashed, green-tiled villages, ox-drawn cart drivers weave through the flower fields, and the play of light and shadow between sunrise and sunset creates an idyllic scene that beckons you to ascend to a height and gaze into the distance. Alternatively, you can change into spring clothes early and venture into the flower fields for a close encounter with spring.
As the name suggests, the Screw Field is a field of flowers that spirals down into the ground like a screw thread. The circles are rhythmic and varied, outlining a 3D picture.
Slight variations in flowering time create vibrant colors, and the afternoon sun casts a slanting shadow across the flower fields, adding a warm and three-dimensional touch. In 2015, Luoping was selected by The Huffington Post as one of the world's eight most colorful places, captivating photographers.
Mountains of rapeseed flowers are in full bloom in the northern part of Luoping. Unfortunately but fortunately, few people know about it. The flowers here bloom in a way that is somewhat "self-admiring".
Different from the flat sea of flowers on Jinji Peak, the golden terraces look like a golden paint palette overturned by the working people on the top of the mountain. They bypass the village and the road, and flow along the mountain layer by layer to the foot of the mountain, echoing with the windmills in the sky. When you first see it, you will be stunned by the magnificence in front of you.
The long migration from the northern plateau to the Ailao Mountains required more than a dozen generations of Hani people to work tirelessly year after year, turning the mountains into fields and diverting water for farming. It took 1,300 years of meticulous efforts to carve the majestic mountains into layers of terraces.
The terraces are irrigated and maintained from November to April of the following year. Thousands of acres of terraces dyed the sky blue stretch out beneath your feet. It is hard to find the right words to describe the shock in your heart. It is worthy of being one of the "Seven Greatest Cultural Landscapes in the World" and has been rated as one of the "50 Places You Must Visit in Your Lifetime".
The terraced fields in February are still waiting to be awakened by spring, but this is the most beautiful time of the year. A slight change in light will bring different splendor to the mirror surface of the terraced fields.
The landscape is a mix of traditional Chinese ink painting and the wild splashes of Impressionist color. Waiting for sunset in Bada, the afterglow casts a golden glow over the terraced fields. The graceful lines of the ridges cut through the majestic landscape, breaking the boundaries without losing the harmony of the painting.
At sunrise in Doi Suthep, you can see the competition of warm and cool colors on the terraced fields, the instantaneous changes of clouds above the village, the bright and dark light and the rolling clouds. You will most likely be speechless before this sculpture created by man and nature.
This piece of earth art has been guarded by the Hani people for 1,300 years. Even China National Geographic commented that it is "unmatched by any terraced fields in China and abroad."
This is the filming location for the movie "Never Gone," and it's also the best-preserved ancient Hani village in the county. Stone-built mushroom-roofed houses with pointed roofs, traditional village gates, the mountain water that still provides daily life for villagers, and children hanging from trees greeting strangers—everything appears peaceful and tranquil.
Walking into a mushroom house, taking a light hike in the terraced fields, making a Hani handicraft for yourself, or using the camera to record people's lives should give you another level of understanding of contentment.
If you're looking to escape the world, Jianshui is a good choice. The hurried pace of traffic lights is a rarity here, and the warm spring sun makes you want to savor the present moment.
If you want to "enter the world" by discarding other desires, Jianshui is the best choice. It is still full of the flavor of life, with warm conversations between neighbors and the traces of the passage of time.
Although Jianshui has been mentioned many times by "A Bite of China", it remains low-key. Jianshui's braised tofu, steamed chicken, grass sprout banquet, cross-bridge rice noodles... it is a food treasure trove loved by everyone.
In addition, it is also a treasured ancient city with a history of more than 1,200 years, and there are many beautiful sights with elements of the Republic of China hidden in the city.
"Gold Lin'an, Silver Dali"
The ancient city of Lin'an in Jianshui, long compared to Dali, has lost its former glory, but its original appearance has been well preserved. The bluestone pavements appear increasingly shiny with age, and despite the passage of time, this ancient city remains vibrant.
The Chaoyang Tower, known as the "Dome of the Southeast," has remained unchanged for over 600 years, except for its illumination at night. The Jianshui Confucian Temple, second only to the Confucius Temple in size, embodies the people's reverence for traditional culture.
The Shuanglong Bridge outside the city only makes people's lives smoother between sunrise and sunset.
Derived from the century-old Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, Jianshui has reopened a 13-kilometer section of meter-gauge railway, connecting surrounding historical sites. A century later, stepping into a vintage wooden carriage and chugging along the meter-gauge railway, leisurely journeying through the countryside and passing through French-style stations, feels like stepping back in time.
The retro wall lamps in the carriage, the swaying old electric fans, and the slow speed of the train pull us away from modern society and return to the era of the Republic of China when people wore long gowns and cheongsams.
The crisp sound of corn kernels falling into the plate is a unique way of counting the roasted tofu. Sitting around the fire pit supported by a large pot, you can watch the owner leisurely flipping the roasted tofu over the gentle and slow fire.
When the tofu's skin is golden brown and puffed up, pick up a piece, blow on it to remove the heat, dip it in water, and put it in your mouth. The moment the tofu bursts in your mouth is simply blissful. On a day with fireworks, they grill it all day long. A calm demeanor is the life philosophy of the people of Jianshui.
Photo @ A Bite of China
The past of Shaofu (shao tofu) was also filled with a genuine "marketplace atmosphere." The water from the Ximen Osaka Well was an essential ingredient for Shaofu, and for generations, the people of Jianshui lived their leisurely lives around these wells, which were worn down by the wind.
Attracted by the warmth of Fuxian Lake, migratory birds from Siberia come here to spend the winter, waiting for the cold weather in their northern homeland to subside.
The reduced water supply during winter and spring, combined with the pristine blue sky, deepens the azure of Fuxian Lake. The unpolluted waters are crystal clear, and carefree red-billed gulls pierce the azure, creating an atmosphere of unparalleled peace.
In Luchong, you can watch the white waves on the crystal clear lake, take a photo with the reed gulls on the Time Plank Road, pick some herbs in the manor halfway up the mountain, and have afternoon tea with the lake view. This is how a winter afternoon should be.
Mile is a city with internet celebrity attributes. Yunnan native artist Luo Xu settled here and built a Turkish castle-style manor.
Inspired by the red wine culture (wine bottles) and the fire culture (flames) of the Axi people of the Yi ethnic group, this art castle, built with staggered red bricks, replaces traditional square windows with triangular wall holes. As time goes by, sunlight shines in from all directions, creating a shifting light and shadow, exuding a strong artistic atmosphere everywhere.
Put on a bright long skirt and match it with the unique Yunnan blue. Whether you are standing against the wall or sitting on the ground, you can create great photos from every angle.
Picture @Waifenglai Photography Studio
You can also go into the nearby daylily flowers and take a set of fresh photos. In the evening, you can check into a hotel with hot springs to relax your tired body and mind.
Picture @Waifenglai Photography Studio
The rich iron elements oxidized and deposited in the soil, creating such a deep red color for the Dongchuan soil.
The spring breeze in February blows across the red soil of Dongchuan. The flourishing new green is matched with the deep red, and the dramatic conflict is unified together, making it worthy of the reputation of "God's Palette".
At sunrise and sunset, the light shines on the undulating red earth. The changes in light brought by the clouds create contrasts between light and dark, bringing different color perceptions and adding to the charm. One cannot help but admire the ingenuity of the Creator.
The spring of 2023 is ready to go. Let's spend time with China-TravelNote in a small town in early spring, wandering in the sea of flowers, watching the sky and clouds, bathing in the warmth, and finding the poetry of spring in Yunnan.
