Neijiang endured the hardship and is back, speaking some harsh truths

Neijiang August Sweet City Roaming Guide: 72 Hours of Art, Food, and Wilderness Celebration 🌿

Location

Neijiang, the "Sweet City" of southern Sichuan, is crossed by the Tuojiang River. On the left is Zhang Daqian’s splash-ink world, and on the right is Weiyuan’s sea of clouds secret realm. In August, the intense heat fades here, the river breeze carries the scent of locust flowers, and Sweet City Lake shimmers with ripples—perfect for a slow trip!

🎨【Three-Day Intensive Route】

Day 1: Art Pilgrimage + Old Street Vibes

☀️ Morning: Rush to the Zhang Daqian Memorial Hall (free!), touch the replica of "Ten Thousand Miles of the Yangtze River," said to absorb the master’s artistic luck!

🌞 Noon: Head to Jiandao Street, must-try the beef noodles at "Widow Noodle Shop"🍜! Alkaline noodles soaked in spicy red oil broth.

🌙 Evening: Night tour of Sweet City Lake, the lights reflect on Sanyuan Tower like a crystal palace, the right side seats on the boat offer the best view!

Day 2: Yanjing Ancient Town + Lake Island Wilderness

☀️ Morning: At 6 AM, rush to Luoquan Ancient Town (free!), the misty stone paths look like a scene from a fantasy drama!

🌞 Noon: Rent a boat at Guyu Lake to chase egrets (60 RMB/hour), prepare your telephoto lens for the "Egret Pavilion" on the lake island, migratory birds fluttering beautifully to take your breath away!

🌙 Evening: Return to the city to eat Longchang Lamb Soup, the broth is milky white like milk, sprinkled with scallions so fresh it’ll make your eyebrows raise, paired with tangerine diced spicy sesame cake sweeter than first love!

Day 3: Wilderness Fun + Cloud Romance

☀️ Morning: Drive 1 hour to Weiyuan Shiban River, barefoot walk 7 kilometers on the natural stone riverbed.

🌞 Noon: In Weiyuan city, try "Wang’s Rabbit Noodles" with spicy rabbit meat sauce paired with chilled cold shrimp, one bite cools you down by 10°C!

🌙 Evening: Stay at Qilong·Yiyunjian Homestay, stone house on the cliff with floor-to-ceiling windows, as night falls the valley lights come on, lying down watching the starry sky is romantically scream-worthy✨～

🌟【Must-Check List】

1️⃣ Daqian Garden: Take photos in Hanfu under the wisteria trellis, red walls and green tiles create a cinematic vibe!

2️⃣ Luoquan Ancient Town Salt God Temple: The only Salt God Temple dedicated to Guan Zhong in the country, tofu feast is a must-try!

3️⃣ Weiyuan Shiban River: Free water playground, loved by families and couples alike～

4️⃣ Sweet City Lake Night Tour: Light show + Sichuan opera face-changing, river breeze mixed with spicy aroma is intoxicating!

5️⃣ Jiandao Street Night Market: Traditional brown sugar sesame cake, spicy soft tofu pudding, a foodie’s paradise!

🏨【Accommodation Recommendations】

1️⃣ Neijiang Wanda Realm Hotel: River view rooms overlooking Sweet City Lake at night, soaking in the bathtub is super healing～

2️⃣ Luoquan Salt God Inn: Renovated Ming and Qing dynasty old house, open the window to see the thousand-year-old salt well, waking up to the night watchman’s call is a full-on time travel experience!

3️⃣ Qilong·Yiyunjian Homestay: Cliff stone house + private mountain hot spring, enjoy the sea of clouds and sunrise lying down!

🚌【Transportation Guide】

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Day 1: City bus line 3 directly to Zhang Daqian Memorial Hall → 10-minute walk to Jiandao Street → 15 RMB taxi to Sweet City Lake dock.

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Day 2: Charter car 200 RMB/day round trip to Luoquan Ancient Town + Guyu Lake (bookable on Trip.com!).

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Day 3: Self-drive/charter 1 hour to Weiyuan Shiban River, homestay offers free parking～

📸【Photo Spots】

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Daqian Garden lake pavilion reflection (soft morning light)

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Luoquan Ancient Town salt well mist (best at 5 AM)

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Qilong Homestay cliff terrace (absolutely stunning at sunset)

🍜【5 Must-Eat Foods】

1️⃣ Neijiang Beef Noodles: Spicy red oil broth so fragrant it makes you sneeze, soft-boiled egg is the soul!

2️⃣ Longchang Lamb Soup: Broth with goji berries and red dates, warming and healthy～

3️⃣ Fried Sticky Rice Cake: Glutinous rice skin wrapped with molten brown sugar, one bite sticks to your teeth!

4️⃣ Jiandao Street Spicy Tofu Pudding: Melts in your mouth, spicy and thrilling like a dance on your tongue!

5️⃣ Sweet City Preserved Fruits: Rock sugar lotus root slices with tea, sweet but not greasy, perfect as souvenirs～

💰【Expense List】

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Accommodation: Wanda Realm 1 night 500 RMB + Qilong Homestay 1 night 600 RMB = 1100 RMB (river view + wilderness full experience!)

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Food: Three days of feasting about 300 RMB (from beef noodles to lamb soup, every meal satisfying～)

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Tickets: Guyu Lake boat 60 RMB + charter 400 RMB = 460 RMB (all other attractions free!)

Feeling: About 1500 RMB per person for a star-level experience, incredible value!

⚠️【Tips】

1️⃣ Wear non-slip shoes at Weiyuan Shiban River! Mossy stones are slippery～

2️⃣ Shengshui Temple vegetarian meal starts at 11 AM, miss it and regret for a year!

3️⃣ Booking charter cars on Trip.com is cheaper than on-site, remember to compare prices in advance～

🙈Hardships: Queued at Jiandao Street to buy sesame cake and got sunburned to a crisp! Rowing at Guyu Lake without sunscreen, arms got sunburned in layers😭

Neijiang is like a piece of candy, the first taste is the preserved fruit fragrance of Sweet City, the deeper savor is the evening breeze of the Tuojiang River and the romance of the wilderness～ Three days are simply not enough! What hidden gems have you discovered? Drop them in the comments, I’m coming back for round two!🎒