Day 1 Shanghai → Fuyuan Temple → Dingshan Great Wall → Tao Erchang → Shushan Gunan Street → Hotel
07:15
Meet at the designated location between 7:15 and 7:30 to sign in and head to your destination in a good mood:)
07:30
We set off on time at 7:30. On the bus, tourists introduced themselves to each other and laughed and chatted all the way.
Our adventure will focus on Yixing, formerly known as Jingyi and Yangxian, a renowned Chinese pottery capital. Known as "the ancient capital of pottery, a world of caves, an oasis of tea, and an ocean of bamboo," Yixing is also the birthplace of the purple clay teapot.
11:00
We arrived safely at the trailhead at the foot of Fuyuan Zen Temple. The bus had already reached the halfway point, saving everyone a lot of energy.
After a little warm-up, let's start today's hike🚶
11:30
Arriving at the gate of Fuyuan Temple, our first destination on this trip, Fuyuan Temple was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty and flourished during the Ming Dynasty. It is the sanctuary of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, a veritable "millennium-old temple," and the main site of the Dingshan Great Wall, the firewall surrounding the temple.
A villager said: "The starting point of its construction was to prevent fire. This is a Taoist temple, and there are many incense burners all year round, which is very dangerous, so this Great Wall was built. Generally speaking, wildfires burn from below, so now with the Great Wall, we can block the fire." Today it seems that it not only plays a role in preventing wildfires, but has also become a unique tourist attraction.
Step into the temple, walk around, and pray for peace and health 🔖; after the tour, go to enjoy a vegetarian meal together, 20 yuan per person, just scan the code and pay it to the temple; the vegetarian food here is famous far and wide, especially the vegetarian noodles, I recommend trying it 🍜
Warm reminder: Vegetarian meals use the temple's public tableware. Please wash it after use and return it to the designated area of the temple. If you mind, you can bring your own lunch box.
1:30 PM
After a satisfying meal, follow your guide to the Dingshan Little Great Wall, a winding mountainside section known as the "Dingshan Little Great Wall." Officially known as the "Dharma King's City," it's also known as the "Yixing Little Great Wall." Located in Bodong, a county bordering Yixing, Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang, it sits on Dachao Mountain, close to Taihu Lake. Stretching approximately 2 kilometers, it surrounds a Zen temple, surrounded by lush vegetation and encompassing the Fuyuan Temple on the mountain.
The small loop is 3km long and is mainly composed of stone steps. Let's walk and stop, start the light hike, and overlook the vast Taihu Lake scenery. On sunny days, you can even see the center of the lake. The scenery of lakes and mountains is indescribably pleasant 😉
3:30 PM
Purple clay pottery has a history of more than 2,400 years. Since we came to Yixing, the "famous pottery capital of China" and the birthplace of purple clay pots, of course we can't miss the activities related to "pottery". After finishing the trip at Dingshan Little Great Wall, we moved to "Taoer Factory" and "Shushan Ancient South Street" -
Tao Erchang, a 40-year-old purple clay factory, has been transformed into a vibrant art and ceramics district. Hidden within this artistic district are iconic attractions like the UCCA Museum of Tao Art and the Yixing Zisha Museum. Shushan Gunan Street, established during the Ming Dynasty, served as a major trading port for Yixing ceramics during the Ming and Qing dynasties and is considered one of the birthplaces of Yixing's purple clay culture. The renowned Dongpo Academy, with over 800 years of history, served as Su Dongpo's residence during his stay in Yixing. Nestled within Gunan Street, it offers a tranquil haven where one can hear the echoes of purple clay culture...
These two blocks have a strong artistic atmosphere. In addition to various ceramic handmade shops, there are also many check-in spots for taking photos. In the following time, you can wander around here freely and explore slowly.
4:30 PM
We have specially arranged a purple clay handmade DIY activity for everyone near the ancient street. You can walk into the pottery workshop and follow the professional masters to make your own purple clay teapot. You will be inspired by the traditional Chinese culture and craftsman spirit😯; pick up the purple clay and tools, and the handcraft skills that return to nature will surely make you shine✨; make your own purple clay teapot with your own hands, and the owner will send your work to you after firing it within a month🫖
6:30 PM
After a day of fun, everyone must be tired. We prepared delicious food for dinner near the hotel. Let's go back to the hotel tonight and rest early. Let's look forward to tomorrow's journey together.
Day 2 Hotel → Longchi Mountain Chazhou → Guangde Taiji Cave → Shanghai
08:00
After a night out, I believe everyone is full of energy again. Let’s get ready and continue our journey on the second day. :)
08:30
On our second day, we first visited the oasis-like Longchishan Tea Fields. This natural oxygen bar is also a perfect spot for relaxation. More importantly, it's home to Yixing's famous "Yangxian Snow Buds" tea. This tea has been produced since the Eastern Han Dynasty, served as tribute in the Tang Dynasty, and was favored by scholars in the Song Dynasty, earning its name from a line in a poem by Su Shi. In 2010, it received a Geographical Indication for Agricultural Products. Enjoy a sip of Jiangnan Spring!
We've prepared tea baskets early in the morning. The tea leaves, bathed in the morning dew, appear even fresher and more tender. Today, we'll strap on our baskets and become tea pickers, experiencing the tea-picking process and learning how to select tea. The three key elements of tea picking are "selection," "plucking," and "collection." Choose young leaves of uniform size, with "one bud and two leaves" being ideal. Gently pluck the leaves with your fingertips. Finally, collect them in a well-ventilated bamboo basket.
After picking, we will follow the tea farmers to the tea making room to experience the process of tea frying - first pour the fresh leaves into the pot, and stir-fry quickly with your hands in the pot. This step is called "killing the green" and the purpose is to drive out the moisture; after killing the green, the tea leaves are rolled while hot, and the warm green leaves are gathered in a bamboo plate, and rubbed in circles with the palms of your hands; finally, it is dried, and the tea leaves shrink from a full green color to dark brown strips; it is like a long precipitation, turning the fresh green into a mellow taste that can be slowly savored.
Since fresh tea leaves cannot be baked in time, we will exchange everyone's harvest for baked tea leaves. Let's drink a cup of "Yangxian Snow Bud" together🍵
11:30
It's lunch time, let's have a delicious lunch and take a break~
13:00
After experiencing the daily life of a tea farmer, we'll visit Guangde Taiji Cave, known as the "First Cave in Southeast China," this afternoon. Nestled in the heart of Shilong Mountain in Xinhang Town, Guangde City, it borders Yixing County, Jiangsu Province, and Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, where pastoral scenery intersects. Taiji Cave is an underground limestone cave complex and the largest karst cave complex in East China. With a total area of 140,000 square meters and a length of over 5,400 meters, it's renowned for its spectacular sight of "mountains within caves, caves within mountains, and caves interconnected." With its long history and rich cultural heritage, Taiji Cave was hailed as one of the "Four Wonders of the World" by Ming Dynasty writer Feng Menglong.
We'll begin our journey by land, passing famous sights on foot, such as "Taishang Laojun" and "Dripping Water Wears Away Stone." Stalactites, illuminated by colorful lights, will look like fairy tales... The "Dripping Water Wears Away Stone" stalactites are particularly captivating, a natural wonder imprinted in the pages of history. The perseverance of water dripping through stone over millennia is truly breathtaking. 😯 We'll then journey by water, taking a boat through an underground river, experiencing the myriad illusions of light and shadow, such as the "Lingxiao Palace" and "Huangshan Sunrise." ✨ Before we knew it, we'd found ourselves amidst the wonders of nature's craftsmanship.
3:30 PM
Good times are always so fleeting. After our trip to Taiji Cave, we are about to return, concluding our two-day enjoyable journey. We are expected to arrive in Shanghai at 7:00 PM. We kissed goodbye with tears in our eyes and look forward to meeting again next time.
