Day 1 Hangzhou/Jinyun West High-Speed Railway Station → Xiandu → Lishui
·morning
Departing from Hangzhou: Meet at Huanglong Seafood Stall between 7:00-7:30 AM (nearby: Huanglong Sports Center Station, subway station, Exit F) (Departure time will be half an hour earlier on holidays, between 6:30-7:00 AM)
High-speed rail gathering (Jinyun West Station): 11:00-11:30 noon, gather at the high-speed rail station and depart.
·afternoon
Arrive at the Xiandu Scenic Area Visitor Center at noon, transfer to the scenic shuttle bus, and visit the following areas in order:
1. Core Scenic Area: Xiandu Dinghu Peak, a paradise on earth. Artists call it an inexhaustible source of artistic inspiration, and the film and television industry calls it a natural studio. It has been used as a backdrop for numerous blockbuster films, including "Ashima," "Peerless Twins," "The Heroines of the Yang Family," "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," "Southern Shaolin Temple," "Chinese Paladin," "Ancient Swordsman," "The Journey of Flower," and "The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain." On clear days, the myriad of unique peaks and rocks are highlighted by the sunlight; on rainy days, the sky is filled with mist and the landscape is shrouded in a hazy haze, resembling a fairyland.
2. Enter the magnificent Yellow Emperor Shrine (formerly known as Jinyun Hall), once one of the three imperial palaces of Emperor Huangdi. Built during the Xianhe period (326-334) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was a center of Taoist activity in ancient China. Facing southeast and northwest, the Yellow Emperor Shrine echoes the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum in Shaanxi Province, forming a "northern mausoleum, southern shrine" pattern. It is the primary site for worship and veneration of Emperor Huangdi, the founding ancestor of Chinese civilization, in southern my country. You can also enjoy a unique live performance of the "Xuanyuan Zan" offering sacrifices and blessings.
3. Climb to the summit of Dinghu Peak (hiking or cable car). The aerial view is spectacular and the air is fresh. There's a pavilion at the top, with chains hanging from the sides, covered in love locks. (Note: Hiking option A: Take the side hiking trail, looping up and down, and reach the summit in about 15-20 minutes. Cable car option B: Walk past the Yellow Emperor Temple and take the cable car to the summit of Dinghu Peak.)
4. Zhutan Mountain: Walk across an ancient bridge. This is Xiandu's recommended photo spot and a representative landscape. Here, we captured a classic image of an old farmer leading a cow.
5. Check out Xiandu’s new internet-famous spot, Yandang Study. An abandoned mine left behind by the ancients has been transformed into a study by contemporary people. Climb up the stairs and sit down quietly to read a book or listen to your favorite music. It feels magical and leisurely.
6. Arrive at Little Chibi Dadu Rock, walk along the natural stone corridor by the river, gaze at the Danxia cliffs, and experience the evening by the mountains and waters of southern Zhejiang.
Return to the tourist center and pick up the car to go to Lishui city.
·night
Around 18:00, we arrived at Chuzhou City on the bank of Oujiang River. Yingxing Tower and the ancient city were particularly beautiful under the night sky. In the evening, we had a delicious meal in the city and tasted Chuzhou cuisine.
After dinner, proceed to the hotel to rest.
Limited itinerary during Qingming Festival holiday: (Please ignore it at other times)
19:00-20:30, night falls, chasing fireflies
Under the cover of night, fireflies fly back and forth among the trees, just like the stars falling from the sky, dreamlike and unlike the human world.
You must be curious, are there really fireflies in spring?
CCTV News Platform once broadcast the fireflies in Lishui live. That night, 10.31 million people watched online!
This year, you don't need to watch the live broadcast. Follow China-TravelNote for a quiet date and enjoy the night-time dance of millions of fireflies. (Product Manager, please add a word of caution: the fireflies in the Kowloon Wetland are wild, not farmed, so please explore with a normal mind. When there are many, it's truly astonishing! If there are consecutive sunny and warm nights, it's more likely to be a sight!)
Day 2 Lishui → Guyan Painting Village → Yunhe → Songyang
·morning
After breakfast, we'll gather at Guyan Painting Village (a minimum 2-hour visit).
From 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, we'll explore the scenic stretch of the 800-li Oujiang River (Wenzhou's mother river), from Yantou to Dagangtou. This section offers breathtaking scenery. It's a popular sketching destination for students from the Academy of Fine Arts. You can stroll and photograph the ancient town or take a ferry to Yantou, across the Oujiang River. Yantou is famous for its clusters of ancient camphor trees and a historic overwater bridge. Here, you can experience the beauty of nature and the wisdom of the ancients.
--What to do in Painting Village--
Dazhangshu Market: Enjoy the New Year atmosphere and customs, eat and play, and buy cultural and creative products if you like.
Oujiang River Sailing Shadows: A must-see activity when visiting the Painting Village.
Art Exhibition: Enter the village of paintings with a strong artistic atmosphere, enjoy the scenery and visit the art exhibition.
Quyi Performance (Huaxiang Cultural Hall): Enjoy sunflower seeds, snacks, listen to intangible cultural heritage drum lyrics, and enjoy modern crosstalk. Have fun in the crosstalk teahouse.
·afternoon
From 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM, the highlight of the day begins: the breathtaking curves of nature at the Yunhe Rice Terraces (a minimum of three hours). Layers of terraced rice paddies stretch from the foot of the mountain to the summit, winding and undulating like the very fabric of nature. Throughout the afternoon, we'll journey through the mountains, reaching an observation deck to gaze down upon the cascading curves. We'll descend the terraces, following the ridges, exploring the changing scenery as we explore the unique curves of the rice terraces.
We then arrived at Kenggen Stone Village, a pristine ancient village in the valley. This village, once featured on the cover of China National Geographic, retains its pristine simplicity and tranquility: the stone village, farmhouses, springs, waterwheels, and the covered bridge beneath our feet, with the distant mountains, form a beautiful landscape painting.
Exit the scenic area at the appropriate time and proceed to Songyang County to check in.
Day 3 Songyang → Hangzhou/Longyou High-speed Railway Station
·morning
After breakfast, we'll head to Chenjiapu Village in Sidu. This cliffside village is a still-undeveloped gem of Songyang's ancient villages. Nestled against a rocky cliff over 800 meters above sea level, the village is surrounded by terraced fields, bamboo forests, ancient trees, and mountains. "The road west is blocked, the roads south are sparse. Only this Peach Blossom Spring, surrounded by no dangers," Shen Hui, the top scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, praised Songyang. Climbing a hilltop, we'll be greeted by a sea of red-roofed, yellow-walled villages. From afar, they resemble medieval castles. Amidst the pressures of economic development, the dense concentration of these boat-shaped, mountain-hugging villages, shaped like Feng Shui, allows a glimpse of primitive civilization to survive, a rare sight across China.
Deep inside the village, we stopped by the Pioneer Bookstore (Pingmin Bookstore), voted "China's Most Beautiful Bookstore" by CNN. Its floor-to-ceiling windows offer stunning views of the cliffside village, a must-see for many visitors. The scenery beyond the bookstore is equally captivating: surrounded by mountains, shrouded in mist, yellow walls and gray roofs line the landscape, and terraced fields and streams reflect in the distance.
·afternoon
At noon, visit Songyang Old Street, a place forgotten by time. The streets are still lined with shops selling blacksmithing, barbering, tailoring, painting, herbal medicine, and cotton fluffers. For lunch, try Baixian Noodle House, featured on CCTV, and other local specialties like braised salt chicken.
Return after lunch.
High-speed rail disbands (Longyou Station): Arrive at Longyou High-speed Railway Station around 16:00 (it is recommended to book a train after 16:30)
Disbandment in Hangzhou: Arrive in Hangzhou at approximately 19:30 (the return arrival time during holidays is difficult to estimate, so please be aware of the actual time)
