Weekend Escape from Shanghai: Treasure Destinations Reachable by High-Speed Rail

💁🏻‍♀️Tired of the fast pace of the Magic City? Want to take a breather this weekend? These 4 treasure small towns reachable by high-speed rail have beautiful scenery, fewer crowds, and are super close. Save them quickly and set off!

1️⃣ Zhejiang · Huzhou
✔️ A poetic water town hidden in Jiangnan, combining the gentleness of a thousand-year-old ancient town with the comfort of bamboo seas and tea gardens, just 30 minutes by high-speed rail!
🕣: Nanxun Ancient Town 7:30 - 17:30; Moganshan 8:00 - 17:00; Xinshi Ancient Town open all day
🎫: Nanxun Ancient Town 95 RMB; Moganshan 80 RMB; Xinshi Ancient Town free
📸: Nanxun Ancient Town (ride a gondola through the Hundred-Room Building, check in at Xiaolian Villa’s garden secret), Moganshan (stay in stunning homestays, hike and breathe fresh air, overlook the layered mountains), Xinshi Ancient Town (free visit to the thousand-year-old water town, taste tea cakes and three-course tea, experience authentic Jiangnan life)

2️⃣ Jiangsu · Nantong
✔️ The "Pearl of River and Sea" by the river and sea, rich in historical charm and full of artistic atmosphere, just 1 hour by high-speed rail!
🕣: Nantong Museum 9:00 - 17:00 (closed on Mondays); Langshan Scenic Area 6:00 - 18:30; Nantong Adventure Kingdom 10:00 - 17:30
🎫: Nantong Museum free; Langshan Scenic Area 70 RMB; Nantong Adventure Kingdom adult ticket 180 RMB
📸: Nantong Museum (take kids to China’s first public museum, see exhibitions on river and sea culture), Langshan (hike to overlook the Yangtze River, visit Guangjiao Temple), Nantong Adventure Kingdom (enjoy thrilling rides, check in at "Jiangsu’s Little Disneyland")

3️⃣ Anhui · Xuancheng
✔️ A secret small town in southern Anhui, where Huizhou-style ancient villages blend with landscape paintings, just 1.5 hours by high-speed rail!
🕣: Chaji Ancient Town 8:00 - 17:00; Jingtingshan 6:00 - 18:00; Taohuatan 8:00 - 17:30
🎫: Chaji Ancient Town 80 RMB; Jingtingshan free; Taohuatan 82 RMB
📸: Chaji Ancient Town (stroll on stone paths, sketch and take photos, feel like you’re in an ink painting village), Jingtingshan (hike to overlook Xuancheng panorama, check in at the beautiful scene described in Li Bai’s poem “Mutual Admiration Never Tires”), Taohuatan (ride a bamboo raft on the pond, experience the poetic “Peach Blossom Pool a thousand feet deep”)

4️⃣ Zhejiang · Shaoxing
✔️ The Jiangnan water town depicted by Lu Xun, with black-awning boats, fragrant yellow wine, and ancient stone bridges, full of everyday life atmosphere, just 40 minutes by high-speed rail!
🕣: Lu Xun’s Former Residence 8:30 - 17:00; Shenyuan Garden 8:00 - 17:00; East Lake 8:30 - 17:00
🎫: Lu Xun’s Former Residence free; Shenyuan Garden 40 RMB; East Lake 50 RMB
📸: Lu Xun’s Former Residence (check in at Baicao Garden and Sanwei Study, relive childhood from textbooks), Shenyuan Garden (listen to Yue opera, feel the love story of Lu You and Tang Wan), East Lake (ride a black-awning boat through cliffs, experience the “Jiangnan water and stone bonsai”)

🫵🏼Don’t wait! Just go this weekend, these magical small towns are waiting for you to unlock!