Wenzhou|I declare this the most stylish village in Wenzhou
by BOBBY WEBER
Jun 2, 2025
Zeya Shuiduikeng Village, Wenzhou: a magical collision of traditional papermaking × wild mountain coffee × art exhibitions. Whenever you want to escape the city, you’ll think of coming here for a stroll.
> A 300-year-old village reborn, with one hand scooping thousand-year-old pulp and the other holding a latte. The trendiest slow life of Jiangnan hides in the mountains and fields.
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🌸 Legacy of Paper Mountain: Touch the living "papermaking living fossil"
Stepping into Shuiduikeng Village feels like falling into a Ming and Qing dynasty time machine: 28 ancient residences with black tile and stone walls staggered along the mountain, 6 water-powered mills by the stream, 27 paper troughs, and 39 brine ponds, still whispering the thousand-year papermaking legend. Learn the “dipping pulp into the screen” technique from old papermakers and scoop your own golden bamboo paper—this is the only fully preserved traditional papermaking site in the country, hailed as the "living fossil of Chinese papermaking"!
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☕ Coffee shop in the wild: a rice mill transformed into a trendy secret spot
Who would have thought? The abandoned rice mill at the village entrance has turned into the hottest coffee shop in southern Zhejiang—MOJ COFFEE. Rough stone walls paired with cactus jungles, bamboo birdcages hanging among ferns, and wild-style seats made from container wood planks... every snap is a forest-themed masterpiece📸.
🔥 Hot recommendations:
- Terrace viewpoint: overlook green mountain terraces and catch a glimpse of intangible cultural heritage papermaking demonstrations.
Now many stylish coffee shops have sprung up in the village, from industrial ruins to Japanese wabi-sabi styles. The aroma of coffee has become the new code to awaken the ancient village!
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🎨 Art enters the village: a cross-border dialogue between graduation exhibitions and ancient houses p16-20
The ancient village is not just history; it embraces youthful creativity! These exhibits are exquisite and very tempting to buy[Awesome]
In May 2025, 41 graduates from Wenzhou Business College brought their works into old houses—the "Mountain and Sea Classics" art exhibition transforms Paper Mountain culture into digital animations and agricultural IP sculptures, a stunning collision of tradition and trend that amazed the whole internet.
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🚶♀️ One-day wandering route: travel through a 300-year time tunnel
08:30 Arrive at "Waishuiliang Art Realm" parking lot 🅿️
09:00 Stroll along the ancient paper-picking path, listen to the symphony of streams, waterfalls, and birdsong 🎵
10:00 Explore the Four-Connected Mill workshop, experience traditional papermaking 📜
12:00 Enjoy Zeya’s Jinfen noodles + creek fish soup at a farmhouse restaurant 🐟
14:00 Daydream at MOJ Coffee, shoot ethereal photos 📸
15:30 Visit the "Mountain and Sea Classics" art exhibition, see Paper Mountain cultural creations 🎭
17:00 Climb the back mountain viewing platform, wait for a golden sunset 🌄
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💡 Travel tips: unlock niche experiences
- Best season: May to July for hydrangea seas in blue and purple across the hills, June for the dazzling "Golden Mountain" paper drying season;
- Hidden experience: stay overnight at Waishuiliang Art Realm guesthouse, fall asleep to the sound of the creek 🌌;
- Food highlights: papermaker’s dish “clear soup pickled chicken” and must-try Jinfen noodles;
- Transportation guide: 1-hour drive from Wenzhou, navigate to “Zeya Four-Connected Mill.”
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🌟 Why is Shuiduikeng worth a special trip?
> It proves that rural revitalization doesn’t require tearing down the old to build new—the old rice mill emits coffee aroma, art exhibitions are held beside Ming and Qing paper troughs. Slow down, and you can hear the breath of history.”
The stories here are still growing: villagers increase income by renting old houses, young people return home to open coffee shops, artists continue the paper spirit through creation... Under the shared prosperity model of “government funding + collective benefits + social operation,” the ancient village has become a “breathing living museum” 🌱.
Post by BOBBY WEBER | Jun 2, 2025













