Complete Guide to Wuyuan Autumn Sun-Drying I’m waiting for you at Huangling

🌾 Wuyuan Autumn Travel Complete Guide

🍂 Why must you visit Wuyuan in autumn?

- ✅ The world’s unique “sun-drying” culture: chili peppers, corn, pumpkins, and chrysanthemums cover the rooftops in a burst of color
- ✅ Rich layers of autumn colors: golden rice fields + fiery red maple leaves + white walls and black tiles = a perfect blend of ink painting and oil painting
- ✅ Photographer’s paradise: Shicheng morning mist, Changxi sunset, Huangling sun-drying terraces, every frame is wallpaper-worthy
- ✅ Deep cultural heritage: millennia-old Huizhou ancient villages, ancestral halls, memorial arches, and horse-head walls tell history
- ✅ Convenient transportation: high-speed rail direct to Wuyuan Station, easy shuttle from the county to scenic spots

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🗓 Itinerary (4 days 3 nights · Photography + Slow Life Edition)

Day 1: Arrive in Wuyuan | First encounter with Huizhou autumn colors

🚄 Transportation

1. ✅ High-speed rail is the most convenient
- Major cities nationwide → Wuyuan Station (direct high-speed rail, within 2 hours from Shanghai/Hangzhou/Nanchang)
- Take a taxi from the station to Huangling Scenic Area entrance (about 30 RMB, 20 minutes)

🚗 Or choose car rental/carpool to scenic spots (photography tour recommended)

🏨 Stay at a boutique mid-mountain guesthouse in Huangling
✅ Recommended: [Huangling·Sun-Drying Beautiful Stay] or [Tiyun Renjia]
- Open the window to see the sun-drying, some rooms face the sun-drying workshop directly
- Includes double breakfast, owner can provide photography guidance
💰 About 800 RMB/night × 3 nights = 2400 RMB (peak season price, book early for discounts)

🌆 Afternoon: Huangling Scenic Area (ticket + cable car 145 RMB)
- Key highlights:
- Sun-drying workshop: layers of chili peppers, corn, chrysanthemums, stunning aerial views
- Tianjie Ancient Alley: 300 meters high ancient street connecting over 100 Huizhou-style old houses
- Leixin Bridge: glass plank road suspended between two mountains, overlooking the valley’s autumn colors
- Wuguitang, Fangpo Ancestral Hall: learn about Huizhou clan culture

📸 Photography tips:
- 4–5 PM, slanting sunlight, best for sun-drying shots
- Use telephoto lens to compress the scene and highlight color layers
- Drone photography: observe no-fly zones in the scenic area

🍽 Dinner: Huizhou farmhouse feast at the guesthouse
- Must-try: stuffed red carp, steamed pork with rice flour, fermented tofu, Qingming rice cakes
- About 70 RMB per person

🌙 Evening: Night tour of Tianjie + star photography
- Night lights illuminate the sun-drying, creating a unique charm
- High spots for star trails and ancient village light shadows

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Day 2: Shicheng Morning Mist | Poetic encounter of maple leaves and cooking smoke

🚗 Depart early at 5:30 AM: Wuyuan → Shicheng (1.5-hour drive)
- Recommend car rental (round trip 400 RMB) or join a photography tour (with guide)

🍁 Shicheng (ticket 60 RMB, includes all-access pass)
- Certified by China Photographers Association as “China’s Most Beautiful Morning Mist Location”
- Two ancient villages (Cheng Village, Dai Village) surrounded by over 200 century-old maple trees
- Late autumn mornings with rising mist and curling cooking smoke, like an ink painting

📸 Best shooting time: 6:00–7:30 AM
- Best spot: viewing platform on the hill opposite Cheng Village (arrive early to secure position)
- Bring tripod, telephoto lens, and hand warmers (cold mornings)

🏡 Morning: stop by Changxi Village on the way back
- Relatively off the beaten path, fewer tourists, pristine autumn scenery
- Babbling creek, red leaf reflections, perfect for quiet hiking
- Experience tea drinking and persimmon beating with villagers

🍽 Lunch: local home-cooked meal in Changxi Village
- Recommended: stir-fried cured meat with bamboo shoots, wild mushroom soup, sweet potato cakes
- About 50 RMB per person

🏨 Evening: change accommodation to old house guesthouse in Sikou Town/Yan Village (optional)
- Recommended: [Houtang Manor] or [Mingxun Courtyard]
- Ming and Qing dynasty Huizhou mansions renovated, deep courtyards, rich cultural atmosphere

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Day 3: Xiaoqi + Jiangling | Autumn symphony of royal chrysanthemums and rice waves

🚗 Morning: Xiaoqi Village (included in all-access pass)
- Divided into “Upper Xiaoqi” and “Lower Xiaoqi,” the former is an ancient village, the latter tea gardens
- Autumn highlights:
- Royal chrysanthemums in full bloom (late October to early November), golden flower sea like a carpet
- Ancient camphor tree clusters in the village, over a thousand years old
- Huizhou memorial arches and horse-head walls complement each other

📸 Photography tips: low-angle shots of chrysanthemum fields with white walls and black tiles background

🌾 Afternoon: Jiangling Terraces (included in all-access pass)
- One of China’s four major rapeseed flower areas, in autumn golden rice fields layer like a painting
- Less crowded than spring, autumn is more tranquil
- Climb the viewing platform to overlook the “earth fingerprint”

🏡 Experience: join villagers harvesting rice (reservation required)
- Experience threshing and sun-drying rice, feel the beauty of farming

🍽 Dinner: return to Huangling or local guesthouse for dinner
- Try chrysanthemum stewed chicken — a seasonal nourishing dish

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Day 4: Likeng + Return

🚗 Morning: Likeng Village (included in all-access pass)
- Small bridges, flowing water, typical Jiangnan water town layout
- No lotus in autumn, but white wall reflections remain charming
- Take a small boat (40 RMB/person) for a slow waterway tour

🛍 Noon: shopping for souvenirs in Wuyuan County Town
- Must-buy:
- Wuyuan royal chrysanthemum (clears liver and brightens eyes, 80 RMB/can)
- Stuffed red carp dried fish (vacuum packed, 60 RMB/bag)
- Huimo Su, Wuyuan snowflake cake (traditional snacks)
- Handmade oil-paper umbrellas or Huizhou brick carvings

🚄 Return:
- Taxi to Wuyuan Station (about 30 RMB)
- Take high-speed rail home, easy and comfortable

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💰 Total Budget Breakdown (per person)

| Item | Cost |
|------|------|
| Round-trip high-speed rail ticket (e.g., Shanghai↔Wuyuan) | About 400 RMB |
| Accommodation (3 nights boutique guesthouse) | 800 × 3 = 2400 RMB |
| Meals (7 main meals + snacks) | About 400 RMB |
| Tickets:
- Huangling 145 RMB (includes cable car)
- Shicheng 60 RMB
- All-access pass (includes Likeng, Jiangling, Xiaoqi, etc.) 180 RMB | 385 RMB |
| Transportation (car rental + taxis) | 400 RMB |
| Shopping/Extras | 300 RMB |
| Total | About 3685 RMB |

✅ Keep within 3800 RMB, affordable even for photography enthusiasts!

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📸 Blogger’s Secret Photo Spots

| Location | Photography Tips |
|------|----------|
| Huangling Sun-Drying Platform | 4–5 PM, shoot against the light to capture color layers |
| Shicheng Morning Mist | Arrive before 6 AM, use long exposure for motion effect |
| Changxi Village Creekside | Low-angle shots of red leaf reflections |
| Jiangling Viewing Platform | Wide-angle shots of terrace panorama |
| Likeng Small Bridge | Symmetrical composition of white wall reflections |

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🍽 Must-Try Food List (Safe bets)

| Food | Specialty | Recommended Place | Price per Person |
|------|------|--------|------|
| Stuffed Red Carp | Wuyuan specialty, tender meat | Guesthouse/Farmhouse | 80 RMB |
| Fermented Tofu | Huizhou famous dish, savory and rich | Huangling restaurants | 40 RMB |
| Steamed Pork with Rice Flour | Wrapped in lotus leaf, fragrant and soft | Villagers’ home meals | 50 RMB |
| Royal Chrysanthemum Tea | Golden and fragrant, good souvenir | Xiaoqi Village Tea Garden | Free tasting |
| Qingming Rice Cake | Made with mugwort juice, sweet or savory | Early market stalls | 5 RMB each |

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📩 Tips:
- Best viewing period: sun-drying lasts until late November, maple leaves peak from late October to November 15
- Avoid peak crowds: skip National Day, after October 10 fewer people, better scenery and prices
- Accommodation reminder: Huangling guesthouses are in high demand, book 10–15 days in advance
- Clothing guide: 20°C daytime, 10°C at night, bring a windbreaker + light down jacket
- Photography gear: wide-angle + telephoto + tripod + drone (observe no-fly zones)

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