The Nine Bends of the Salt Gang and the Eighteen Crossings | Playing on the Clear Water on the Ancient Road, Crossing the Cloudy Mountains on the Tingti Steps

Day 1 Shanghai → Shibadu → Shanghai

07:00

07:00-07:15 Meet at the designated location of China-TravelNote and sign in. 07:15 Depart on time, enjoy interactive activities and itinerary introductions on board, and have fun all the way!

11:30

Arrived at the starting point of the hike. Everyone got off the bus and stretched out before following the guide! (The ride was quite long, so everyone should stretch out before getting off the bus.)

The ancient road is paved with stones, which is flat and easy to walk on. There are many shaded trees, and the stream under the mountain stream is gurgling. In the distance, the mountains are tall and steep, and occasionally you will encounter a sea of ​​clouds rushing towards you!

Then we set off to start our journey of crossing the ferry and stepping into the stream. The mountains are green, the stream is gurgling, and there are nine bends and eighteen crossings. Each ferry has a unique name. The children played in the water, laughed constantly, and recorded these happy moments with photos.

When the stream is full, getting your shoes wet is inevitable, so remember to bring spare shoes!

Note: Due to the terrain, Shibadu is crystal clear when there's no rain, but can become muddy and murky during heavy rainfall. Please be advised that if the water level is high, you will need to return according to your tour guide's instructions.

Starting from September 15, 2025, due to the cooler temperature, the main activity will be hiking and sightseeing. Water guns, scoops and other supplies will no longer be provided. You can play in the water along the way, but there will be no water fights or other activities.

4:00 PM

We arrived at the end of the hike (the road may be blocked due to the large number of people at Shibadu, so the specific meeting time will be subject to the notification of the tour leader on the day)

Get in the car and start the return journey~

8:30 PM

When we arrived at the departure point, everyone was reluctant to leave and kissed goodbye with tears in their eyes!

Driving time: Shanghai to Xinchang, about 4 hours

Hiking: about 13km, climbing about 320m

The most important section of the Yanbang Shibadu Ancient Road is in the canyon between Lijiaxi Village, Xiaojiang Town, Xinchang County and Chiyan Village, Wozhou Town.

The steep cliffs and flat lands on both sides of the stream interweave with each other, so when crossing the stream, you need to pass through stone stepping stones to go back and forth between the two banks. Each time you cross the stream is called a crossing, and a total of eighteen times you cross the stone to cross the stream, hence the name Eighteen Crossings.

In the old days, this was the route that private salt dealers took to avoid heavy taxes by traveling across mountains and rivers, so it was called the Salt Gang Eighteen Crossings Ancient Road.