Mystical Landscapes | A 3-Day Fantasy Adventure in Chenzhou

🌄Day1: Cloud Pasture and Thousand-Year Fireworks

📍Chenzhou West Station→Yangtianhu Prairie→Yuhou Street→Dongjiang Lake Hotel

☁️ 12:00 Stepping into Miyazaki's Cloud Pasture
After arriving at Chenzhou West Station by high-speed train, we headed straight to Yangtianhu Prairie. The sharp turns on the mountain road made my heart race. At the top of the "Confession Slope" at 1,314 meters altitude, the view suddenly opened up—windmills spinning on rolling meadows, and alpacas leisurely chewing dandelions beneath the round doors of Hobbit houses. Must-try activities:

1. Horseback riding through flower fields (50 yuan/round), where Tibetan guides teach you to control your horse's speed with "jia jia" and "yu";
2. Picnic under the "Loneliest Tree," where deer stole my buttered bread—surprisingly, they love seaweed flavor!
3. Order a "Cloud Latte" at the mountaintop café and watch the drone footage of meadows and lakes forming a "Sky Mirror."

🌙 19:00 Time-Folding Magic at Yuhou Street
Lanterns light up one by one along the ancient street at dusk, with neon reflections on bluestone slabs like a time-travel drama set. Highly recommended:

【Fengchu Legend Fish Noodles】The spicy red broth hits your senses—add a soft-boiled egg for the local secret recipe;
Wait 20 minutes at the heritage oil cake stall for a crispy shell with flowing brown sugar inside, so hot you'll be puffing air.
Overnight at the "Mist Hidden" guesthouse by Dongjiang Lake, where opening the window lets in the white noise of water lapping against the shore.

🌅Day2: Misty Wonderland and Red Canyon

📍Misty Xiaodongjiang→Gaoyiling→Mahuangqiu Grand Canyon→Feitian Mountain

🌫️ 5:30 Mist-Catching Plan at Xiaodongjiang
Rushing into the morning mist wearing a thin down jacket, the fisherman at Observation Deck No. 2 casts his net right on time—the golden fishing net draws a parabola as camera shutters mix with the sound of egrets' wings. Photography tip: Use slow shutter speed (1/15 sec) to capture the mist wrapping around fishing boats like flowing silk. Friends will ask if your social media posts are AI-generated.

🗿 14:00 Mars Landing at Gaoyiling
Avoiding the scorching midday sun, we took motorcycles (15 yuan/person) from the west gate straight to the summit. Standing on the glass walkway along the dragon's spine, the red rock walls below look like giant dragon scales. Only when the drone rises do you realize you're standing on the claw tip of the "Giant Lizard Lake"! Warning: Be careful with the high-altitude swing (50 yuan/time)—the swing arc is so wide you can see goats on the opposite mountain.

🛣️ 17:00 Mahuangqiu Highway Cinematic Experience
The sunset turns the Danxia landform amber, transforming the 6km canyon road into a natural red carpet. Rent a convertible jeep (200 yuan/hour), play "Ordinary Road" as background music, and the highway in your rearview mirror seems to lead to "Westworld."

🚤 19:00 Night Boat Adventure at Feitian Mountain
Our final stop was Feitian Mountain's Nine Dragon Water Fortress, where the boatwoman suddenly broke into Yao folk songs during our bamboo raft night tour. The cliffs on both sides were projected with "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains," and my phone's live photos captured firefly trails.

🌲Day3: Cloud-Touching Fingers or Yao Embroidery Secrets

📍Mangshan Five Fingers Peak / Rucheng Yao Village

⛰️ Option A: Mangshan Five Fingers Peak Fantasy Quest
While the cable car passed through the sea of clouds, a girl in our group exclaimed, "This must be the filming location for 'Noble Aspirations'!" On the suspended walkway at the "Golden Whip Embracing Clouds" viewing platform, there's a bottomless abyss below. When taking photos with the "Summit Warrior Certificate" provided by the scenic area, the mountain wind nearly blew away my hair extension.

🌸 Option B: Intangible Heritage Journey in Rucheng Yao Village
At the Shazhou Village embroidery workshop, 75-year-old Grandma Pan taught me how to embroider the "Half Quilt" pattern. After pricking my finger three times, she smiled and said, "The Red Army wasn't afraid to bleed back then, so what's this?" In the afternoon, I enjoyed a free elderly meal at the "Happiness Canteen"—the pork with potatoes smelled so good I wanted to steal the recipe.

🍜Local Food Hit and Miss List

✅ Must-Eat List

"Sanjia Flavor Restaurant" on Yuhou Street's chopped chili fish head (fish meat infused with perilla fragrance)
Dongjiang Lake's "Fisherman's Evening Song" grilled mandarin fish (garlic-infused meat under crispy fish skin)
Bamboo tube rice with cured meat at the foot of Mangshan (smoky aroma permeating sticky rice)

❌ Avoid These

The "Dongjiang Salmon Sashimi" in scenic areas is mostly rainbow trout substitute
The coconut water (15 yuan each) at Gaoyiling summit is suspected to be artificial flavoring

📌Hardcore Survival Guide

1. Transportation Hacks

For Yangtianhu, hiring a car is recommended (400 yuan/day)—beginners should avoid self-driving on mountain roads;
Motorcycles at Gaoyiling's west gate save 80% effort climbing, but bargain down to 10 yuan/person;

2. Photography Secrets

Use a telephoto lens (70-200mm) at Xiaodongjiang to compress mist layers;
Wear solid-color long dresses for Mahuangqiu Highway photos, iPhone color settings: Vibrance +40, Temperature -15;

3. Hidden Experiences

"Sanhe Academy" on Yuhou Street offers free flower drum opera every Saturday;
Rucheng Yao Village offers "Half Quilt" overnight experiences (book 3 days in advance);

4. Anti-Scam Essentials

Choose left-side seats on the Mangshan cable car for the best sea of clouds view;
Bring mosquito repellent for Feitian Mountain's bamboo raft night tour—the river mosquitoes are tougher than Danxia rocks!

The most magical moment of this journey was when I was running from a sudden shower at Yangtianhu, and a Tibetan grandmother threw me a yak wool cape: "Don't worry, girl, the prairie rain won't wet those with good fortune." Sure enough, after running a hundred meters, the rain cleared—that's Chenzhou for you, where you think you're conquering nature, but in reality, nature has already gently embraced you.