Reverse Holiday Travel: Luoding Hidden Deep in the Mountains of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, Ancient Tower and Cultural Charm Paired with a Slow City, Few People and Peaceful

Reverse Holiday Travel: Luoding Hidden Deep in the Mountains of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, Ancient Tower and Cultural Charm Paired with a Slow City, Few People and Super Comfortable

Having traveled all over the popular check-in spots in the Pearl River Delta, if you ask which small city wins my heart the most, Yunfu Luoding definitely ranks high—it’s my third time coming here. Luoding is not only famous for its wrinkled fish tofu, but also for the thousand-year-old Wen Tower, which holds a rare tranquil ancient charm of Lingnan. This time, besides the must-see Wen Tower and Confucian Academy, I also found several little-known old villages. If you want to avoid crowds during the holiday, quickly save this Luoding off-the-beaten-path guide~

🚗 Transportation Guide

- High-speed rail: Take the high-speed train to Yunfu East Station, then transfer to a bus directly to Luoding city center. Within the city, taxis or electric bike rentals are more flexible.
- Self-driving: About 2.5 hours from Guangzhou, directly accessible via the Guangkun Expressway. The roads in the city and surrounding areas are flat and easy to drive.

🗺️ 3 Days 2 Nights Holiday Highlights Route

Day 1: Depart Guangzhou → Luoding Wen Tower → Luoding Confucian Academy → Longzhou Ancient City Wall
Day 2: Pingtang Town Rice Field Karst Forest → Julong Cave Scenic Area → Lianzhou Ancient Villages
Day 3: Cai Tingkai Former Residence → Jinyin Lake Scenic Area → Return

🌟 Luoding Must-Visit: Wen Tower & Confucian Academy Cultural Line

- 🏯 Luoding Wen Tower: The most complete Ming Dynasty multi-storied brick tower remaining in Guangdong, ranked first among the "Eight Views of Luoding"! The tower is octagonal with seven stories. From the top, you can overlook the Long River flowing through the city. At sunset, the ancient tower bathed in golden light creates a perfect blend of antiquity and shadows, making every photo atmospheric and stunning.
- 📜 Luoding Confucian Academy: One of the best-preserved Qing Dynasty Confucian academies in the Lingnan region and one of only two remaining in Guangdong. The red walls, black tiles, flying eaves, and dougong brackets, along with exquisite wood carvings and paintings inside the Dacheng Hall, showcase craftsmanship. It’s a perfect place to quietly appreciate Confucian cultural heritage.
- 🧱 Longzhou Ancient City Wall: The remaining Ming Dynasty city wall built along the Long River, with weathered bricks bearing the marks of time. Strolling along the wall, feeling the river breeze and watching boats pass by, you seem to travel back to the lively old days of ancient Longzhou.

Other Unmissable Attractions

- 🌾 Pingtang Town Rice Field Karst Forest: Thousands of acres of rice fields hidden under the karst peaks, lush green in spring and golden in autumn. Every photo looks like a "Little Guilin of Lingnan," perfect for family trips to experience pastoral scenery.
- 🪨 Julong Cave Scenic Area: The stalactites inside the cave take on countless shapes, with sights like the "Dragon Bed" and "Dragon Palace" vividly formed. The cave maintains a cool constant temperature, ideal for summer cooling and autumn sightseeing.

🏡 Off-the-Beaten-Path Villages (Few People, Peaceful!)

- Lianzhou Ancient Villages: Ming and Qing dynasty ancient residences clustered together, with well-preserved wok ear walls and carved wooden windows. Under the ancient banyan trees, elders often chat leisurely, full of local life atmosphere but not noisy.
- Cai Tingkai Former Residence: Birthplace of the famous anti-Japanese general Cai Tingkai, a typical Lingnan rural residence. The former residence displays the general’s life story, blending red revolutionary heritage with ancient village charm.

💡 Holiday Travel Tips

- Must-try Luoding foods: Wrinkled fish tofu (best freshly fried and eaten), Luoding rice rolls (unique sauce), fermented black bean chicken (savory and flavorful)
- Around Wen Tower, there is an old street area with many long-established snack shops. After visiting the tower, you can conveniently explore and taste local delicacies.
- It’s recommended to visit Pingtang Town Rice Field Karst Forest early in the morning or at dusk when the light is soft, making photos more beautiful.

This thousand-year-old ancient city hidden in western Guangdong lacks the hustle and bustle of popular tourist spots but offers the unique cultural charm and slow life of Lingnan. If you don’t want to squeeze into crowded hotspots during the holiday, come to Luoding for a date with ancient towers and pastoral landscapes~