Zhejiang Songyang

Zhejiang Songyang

“Zhejiang·Songyang” in-depth slow life guide, featuring cloud-top ancient villages, secret terraced fields, cliffside homestays, and millennia-old farming civilization, tailor-made for those who love nature, photography, arts, and healing travel—

🌄【Zhejiang Songyang 3 Days 2 Nights｜Stay in a Village Among the Sea of Clouds｜Explore the “Last Secret of Jiangnan” for 3480 RMB per Person】

📍 Location: Songyang County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province (China’s most complete cluster of traditional villages)
⏰ Duration: 3 days 2 nights (recommended departure on Friday, return on Sunday)
💰 Budget cap: 3500 RMB/person
🔥 Keywords: Chenjiapu Pioneer Bookstore｜Yangjiatang Golden Potala Palace｜Daji Township Ancient Temple｜Cliffside Coffee｜Ten Thousand Mu Terraced Fields｜Fragrant Tea

Ladies! This time I visited a place called “the last secret of Jiangnan” by National Geographic—Zhejiang Songyang.
It hides 86 national-level traditional villages, more pristine than Lijiang, quieter than Wuyuan,
Each village seems to grow out of the mountain mist, nestled between sea of clouds and terraced fields.

For three days and two nights, I stayed in a bookstore homestay on a cliff, opening the window in the morning to rolling clouds;
I drank a hand-brewed coffee in front of the golden “Potala Palace” old house;
I listened to morning bells and evening drums in a thousand-year-old temple…
At that moment, I truly felt: life is worth it, right here in Songyang.

Here’s the highlight: for less than 3500 RMB per person, you can have a poetic journey of “soul escape”!

🗓️ Itinerary Overview (Recommended route: high-speed train + bus transfer)

✅ Advantages: off-the-beaten-path｜many villages free of entrance fees｜excellent photo opportunities｜suitable for sketching/daydreaming/family/couples
🚆 Route suggestion: Your city → Hangzhou/Lishui → transfer to bus → Songyang County → chartered car loop tour of ancient villages

🚄 Day 1: Arrive in Songyang · First Encounter with Cloud-top Ancient Village

🚄 Transportation options (Shanghai example, other cities similar):
Recommended high-speed train: Shanghai Hongqiao → Lishui Station (about 3 hours, second-class seat 214 RMB)
✅ After arrival, take the scenic area shuttle bus or carpool to [Songyang County] (about 1.5 hours, ticket 30 RMB / carpool 50 RMB)

🚗 After arriving in the county, it’s recommended to charter a car for a day tour or stay two nights in a homestay with pick-up/drop-off service (highly recommended!)
Charter car cost: about 400 RMB/day (can share in a group)

🎒 Around 3 PM, start the trip with the first stop at [Chenjiapu Village]—
An ancient village built on an 800-meter cliff, also home to the internet-famous “Pioneer Bookstore·People’s Bookstore.”

🏡 Accommodation recommendation:
Strongly suggest staying in cliffside homestays or designer renovated old houses!
Recommended: “Feiniaoji·Songyang” (cliff glass room), “Yanjiu·Chenjiapu People’s Bookstore Inn,” “Guoyun Mountain Residence·Xikeng Branch”
Room type suggestion: with viewing terrace or sea of clouds window view, off-season price about 680 RMB/night

📸 Afternoon roaming route (free open areas):
Check in at [Pioneer Bookstore] (converted from the original village hall, a cultural masterpiece!)
Must-do: order a coffee, take a series of “knowledge and distance” photos among the bookshelves
Stroll through [Stone Alley], explore century-old rammed earth houses
Climb up to shoot [Chenjiapu panoramic view] (soft light at dusk)

🍽️ Dinner recommendation:
Dine inside the homestay or at “Chenjiapu Farmhouse”
Must-try: Songyang thin pancakes, stewed salted chicken, Qingming rice cakes, yellow rice cakes
About 70 RMB per person, all ingredients homegrown and self-raised

🌙 Evening:
No neon lights in the ancient village, only dim lanterns decorating the alleys
Or soak in the room’s bathtub watching stars, listening to the mountain wind lull you to sleep

💰 Day 1 total cost:
High-speed train 214 + bus + carpool 80 + charter car share 200 + accommodation 680 + meals 70 = 1244 RMB

🌿 Day 2: Golden Potala Palace × Terraced Field Secret × Cliffside Coffee

🌅 Wake up at 6:30 AM! Enjoy Songyang’s early morning before the clouds disperse:
Open the window, the whole valley is filled with sea of clouds, distant mountain peaks float like islands.

🚗 Morning: Drive to [Yangjiatang Village] (known as the “Golden Potala Palace”)
Feature: the whole village’s yellow earth wall buildings stacked layer upon layer, shining golden under sunlight
Photo spots:
Shoot panoramic view from the foot of the mountain (best time: 9:00-10:00 AM)
Stone steps in front of old houses + wear Hanfu and look back
Century-old couple tree at the village entrance (ginkgo + sweetgum)

☕ Arrive before noon at [Yankeng Lingtou Village]
Here is a [Cliff Coffee·Yan Coffee] hidden on a 700-meter-high mountain peak
Hand-brewed Yunnan beans + overlooking the entire tea garden, atmosphere maxed out
Coffee 35 RMB/cup, can be deducted from consumption (great for photos and social media)

🌾 Afternoon light hiking:
Head to [Dajun Township] to experience She ethnic culture & greenway cycling
Rent an electric bike 30 RMB/hour, cycling along the Oujiang tributary is super pleasant
Or visit [Likeng Village] + [Pingtian Village] (national treasure-level rammed earth architecture cluster)

🌙 Stay second night at homestay (if changing):
Recommended: “Guoyun Mountain Residence·Xikeng Branch” (higher chance of sea of clouds) or return to Chenjiapu
If not changing rooms, can save packing time

🍽️ Dinner: Return to homestay for farmhouse feast or try “Dajun She Flavor Restaurant”

💰 Day 2 total cost:
Accommodation 680 + charter car share 200 + meals 80 + coffee 35 + local transport 20 = 1015 RMB

☕ Day 3: Ancient Temple Zen × Tea Garden Picking × Full Load Return

🌞 Wake up naturally, have an authentic southern Zhejiang breakfast in the thousand-year mountain village
Homestay offers: Songyang thin pancakes + fried eggs + homemade pickles + mountain spring tea
Or walk to the village entrance shop for a bowl of hot beef soup with guokui flatbread

🚗 Morning: Visit [Daji Township·Huiming Temple] + [Liusan King Park]
Huiming Temple: Tang Dynasty ancient temple, over a thousand years old, with serene incense
Liusan King: a 1500-year-old giant Chinese cedar, needs six people to hug
Pass by [Xuehuaji Waterfall], abundant water and majestic in summer

🌱 Optional experience: tea picking + tea making (spring season only)
Location: Songyang Baimu Tea Mountain or Xiecun Tea House
Content: hand-pick one jin of tender buds, master stir-fries into green tea on site
Cost: 80 RMB/person, finished product can be taken home

🎁 Buy souvenirs:
Homemade tea leaves (Longjing-like green tea, 100 RMB/can)
Qingming rice cakes vacuum packed (40 RMB/bag)
Handmade bamboo woven tea box (60 RMB)
Pioneer Bookstore cultural notebook (35 RMB)

🚗 Return arrangement:
Check out at noon, charter car to Songyang Bus Station or Lishui High-speed Rail Station
Recommended to choose return train after 14:00 for a relaxed pace

🍽️ Lunch: Can be had in Lishui city, recommended “Lishui Local Cuisine Restaurant,” about 60 RMB per person

💰 Day 3 total cost:
Charter car share 200 + transport + high-speed train 214 + meals 60 + experience 80 + souvenirs 240 = 794 RMB

✅ Total budget breakdown (per person):

Item Cost
------ ------
Round-trip high-speed train (Shanghai round trip) 214 × 2 = 428 RMB
Local transport (bus + carpool + charter car share) 80 + 600÷3=200×3 days = 680 RMB (based on 3-person carpool)
Accommodation (2 nights) 680 × 2 = 1360 RMB
Meals (3 days) 70 + 80 + 60 = 210 RMB
Special experiences (tea picking + coffee) 80 + 35 = 115 RMB
Souvenirs & cultural purchases 240 RMB
Emergency reserve 200 RMB
Other small expenses 50 RMB (water, tissues, snacks, etc.)
✅ Total: about 3483 RMB

🎉 Perfectly controlled within 3500 RMB! Still 17 RMB left to buy a bag of Jinyun baked cakes as a souvenir!

🌟 Blogger’s honest words:

Songyang is not a place to “show off presence,”
It’s the kind of town where you want to put down your phone, take a deep breath, and quietly daydream.

When you stand at the cliffside homestay watching the sea of clouds surge,
When you hear the ancient temple bells piercing the valley,
When you touch those stone steps worn smooth by time…
You suddenly understand: some places are not for checking in, but for healing.

If you are tired of the city’s noise,
Come to Songyang—
Here, time is meant to be wasted, and life is meant to be written.

📌 Collector-level Tips:
✅ Best seasons: March-May (tea picking season) / September-November (golden terraced fields at harvest), avoid plum rain and cold winter
✅ Most ancient villages in Songyang have no entrance fee! Only a few spots charge maintenance fees (10-20 RMB)
✅ Strongly recommend chartered car loop tours (mountain roads, inconvenient public transport), can be booked through homestays
✅ Suggested to bring: camera, Hanfu/white dress, comfortable hiking shoes, thermos cup (essential for tea)
✅ Respect villagers’ lives: do not randomly photograph elderly faces, do not trespass private courtyards
✅ Signal is generally weak, suitable for “digital detox,” which makes it more relaxing