Fengning Bashang! Really not recommended to go in August!!!

Budget: 800+ RMB per person for a great time!
💰Transportation: 4-hour self-drive from Beijing (fuel + tolls ≈ 300 RMB/car)
💰Accommodation: Farmhouse/inn 200-300 RMB/night (Datang Town is the top choice, book 3 days in advance!)
💰Tickets: Combo tickets are more cost-effective! Colorful Forest + Qiansongba ≈ 180 RMB, Lightning Lake is free
💰Food: 50-80 RMB per person per meal (roast lamb leg 60 RMB per person, Youmian noodles 15 RMB for a full meal)

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🌟Must-visit spots (0 filter for photos!)
1. Qiansongba Forest Park 🌲
- Drive the "Hundred-Mile Heavenly Road" through the spruce forest 🌲, stand on the "Heaven and Earth Catwalk" and touch the clouds ☁️
- 📸Photo spot: Windmill with birch trees (white windmill + white birch forest in one frame)

2. Lightning Lake Sunset 🌅
- Free! The lake reflects the sunset like a spilled palette, horseback riding around the lake 50 RMB/hour (bargain!)

3. Dahan Palace 🏯
- Wear a Mongolian robe to shoot arrows and wrestle, take a "Grassland War God" photo set (night bonfire party is super fun)

4. Lover’s Valley 💘
- Wild and free secret spot! Horseback ride through grass slopes and flower seas, filming location of "Princess Pearl"

5. Colorful Forest Fairy Tale Trail 🌈
- Take a small train into the green wilderness, kids can feed the sika deer 🦌 (top choice for families)

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🚗Route plan (pitfall avoidance version)
Day 1: Beijing → Lightning Lake → Datang Town
- 14:00 Arrive at Lightning Lake to shoot the "Mirror of the Sky" → 18:00 Roast lamb leg + horse milk wine at herder’s home → 20:00 Join the inn bonfire party (free song and dance show)

Day 2: Hundred-Mile Heavenly Road → Lover’s Valley → Colorful Forest
- 8:00 Drive the Hundred-Mile Heavenly Road (enter from the south gate! Bring offline maps) → 12:00 Horseback riding in Lover’s Valley → 15:00 Take the small train in Colorful Forest → Overnight at the scenic area’s Squirrel Inn

Day 3: Qiansongba Sunrise → Return trip
- 5:00 Climb East Mountain peak to watch the sea of clouds sunrise → 9:00 Hike the pine forest canyon → 13:00 Before returning to Beijing, enjoy a bowl of lamb noodle soup

> ❗️Important reminders:
> - Fill up the tank before Hundred-Mile Heavenly Road! No signal + gravel road, SUV preferred
> - Sunscreen essentials: sunglasses + SPF50 cream + arm sleeves (UV rays comparable to plateau)

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🍖Food hits and misses (tested!)
✅ Must-try
- Six ways to eat whole roast lamb: crispy skin dipped in sugar → tender meat wrapped in perilla leaves → fragrant lamb ribs → bone marrow straw soup
- Youmian Wowo: coarse grains with lamb mushroom soup, warm and healthy
- Beef jerky and milk tea combo: salty milk tea + charcoal-grilled shredded beef jerky, great for snacks

❌ Avoid
- "High-priced hand-pulled rice" inside scenic spots (little meat and cold!)
- Roadside dried meat (hygiene depends on luck)

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💡Hidden activities
✨ Shoot the Milky Way at 3 AM: Qiansongba has little light pollution, summer stars visible to the naked eye
✨ Pick wild daylilies: yellow flowers everywhere in meadows from July to August (dry and brew to reduce heat)

> Outfit tips:
> Short sleeves + light jacket during the day, down jacket at night!
> White long dress + denim hat = ultimate grassland photo shoot 📸