Spending summer in Jianchang Ancient City like a poem filled with the warmth of everyday life

🌿 Afternoon: Hide in the alleys and let time slow down like a cup of jasmine tea

Friends, the right way to enjoy summer is never to “survive” in an air-conditioned room—in the afternoon at Jianchang Ancient City, even the breeze has a secret plan to pull you into a slow, dreamy world🌿

Sunlight filters through the leaves of old locust trees, casting scattered spots of light on the bluestone pavement. At this moment, stepping into the alleys, the first “checkpoint” to pass is the courtyard of a half-hidden tea house. Pomegranate flowers are dazzlingly bright, rattan chairs gently sway under the trees. Order a pot of local jasmine tea, grab a handful of sunflower seeds, and slump into a chair—the wind passes through, carrying the fragrance of tea and flowers to your face, ten times gentler than air conditioning! Listening to the rustling leaves and watching petals occasionally fall into the tea bowl, you might feel that time in the ancient city is measured by the number of times the rocking chair sways, so slow that you don’t want to leave🍵

If tea isn’t your thing, the “Yuecheng Youli” cultural and creative shop is your secret base🧵 On the Yi embroidery small wallets, colorful threads stitch mountain flowers; bookmarks with ancient city silhouettes hide stories of green tiles and flying eaves. While flipping through handmade notebooks, the owner might come over and say, “The stones under this wall are older than my great-great-grandfather…” Old stories mixed with the scent of ink make the air feel heavy and warm. Here, even daydreaming is a serious matter—after all, who would want to rush time?

😋 Evening: When the fireworks rise, let your taste buds run wild in the alleys

When the clouds in the sky turn orange, it’s time to activate the ancient city’s “food radar”—smoke rises from every chimney, and the aromas, like playful little spirits, dart through the alleys, making it impossible not to follow😉

Those in the know have already slipped into Gao Ma Ruyuan. Tables under the wisteria trellis are highly sought after. Watch the owner scoop up lively fish and splash them into boiling sour soup with a splash. The orange-red soup bubbles and steams, the sour and spicy aroma piercing your nose. After sprinkling fresh green cilantro and taking a gulp of chilled rice wine—boom! The sour, spicy, and fresh flavors explode on your tongue, and the summer heat? It’s completely washed away by this soup🍶 If you prefer bold flavors, the chef’s mountain-style spicy pork intestines and blood curd will make you stomp your feet! The red oil coats the blood curd, trembling slightly; one bite fills your mouth with fragrance. In the mushroom soup pot, various mushrooms simmer into amber broth—one sip soothes even the weariness in your bones🌶️ Oh, and you must order their twice-cooked pork! The black pork, with its perfect balance of fat and lean, is stir-fried in chili until glossy, paired with white rice—so delicious you’ll want to lick the plate clean~

✨ Night: From magical lantern festivals to whispered stargazing, the ancient city’s romance never closes

Don’t think the fun ends when it gets dark—the night in Jianchang Ancient City is when the main event begins!

At 7:40 PM, the “Splendid Lights” lighting ceremony at Datong Gate kicks off on time with a bang✨ The moment 34 sets of lights illuminate simultaneously, your eyes will be dazzled! The golden scales of the “Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness” shimmer in the light, the pomegranate-shaped “Ethnic Unity” lantern glows brightly red, and the most amazing is the “Nine-Tailed Fox Fairy,” whose nine tails gently sway in the night breeze, as if about to leap out of the lantern. Climb the city wall and look down—the entire ancient city is woven into a dazzling net of lights, even the green tiles glow softly.

It gets livelier after the lights come on! Acrobats on steel wires fly like birds, each step drawing “wow”s from the crowd; magicians suddenly pull you on stage, and when a dove appears from their sleeve, you’ll scream along with everyone else🎪 Anime fans, don’t worry—cosplayers dressed in Hanfu and anime costumes parade through the alleys, flashing peace signs for photos, as if about to travel to another dimension at any moment~

When the night deepens and tourists gradually leave, the ancient city returns to its quiet self🌌 Walking on the bluestone pavement, your footsteps “tap tap” like a conversation with the old city walls. A few inns still have lanterns lit, warm yellow light leaking through window cracks, facing the stars in the sky. Occasionally, distant dog barks and crickets chirping in the grass can be heard. Sitting on the stone steps of Datong Gate, feeling the breeze, you suddenly understand: the romance of the ancient city is half in the lively moments and half in this deep night’s tranquility.

Friends, summer should always have a trip like this—no need to rush, no need to check guides, just follow the rhythm of Jianchang Ancient City: afternoon tea and stories, evening skewers and soup, night chasing lights and stargazing. The breeze here is cool, the fireworks fragrant, and the time here… will brew your summer into the most unforgettable flavor☀️ What are you waiting for? Pack your bags, see you in the ancient city~