Huangshan Travel Notes

Huangshan Travel Notes

There are two small towns on the edge of Huangshan Mountain, where you can see ancient Anhui buildings and eat classic Anhui cuisine. One is Hongcun and the other is Xidi. In comparison, Hongcun is more well-known. So I chose to go to Hongcun for this stop.

The train arrived at Huangshan North Station that evening. There are direct buses to various scenic spots in the train station, but we arrived relatively late, and there were many people on May 1st, so we missed the last bus. When we got off the bus, there was a girl who planned to go to Xidi, so we shared a car and went there together (but we didn’t ask for WeChat). It was already evening when we arrived in Hongcun. Before arriving, we booked a B&B in the scenic area, bought tickets, put away our luggage, and found a restaurant in the scenic area to eat Anhui cuisine. Anhui cuisine is generally similar, and there are not many types of dishes. Just pick a few with high ratings from Dianping. In my impression, the roasted pork with bamboo shoot tips tastes very good, and the boss is also very nice. Before leaving, he even gave us a cup of sour plum soup as a gift.

The next day we mainly walked around the scenic area, but to be honest, the overall feeling of the ancient town was the same. There are also various special snacks in the scenic area, but I think the hairy tofu is not good. I don’t know why it can be found on the tip of my tongue.

The entire town is full of traditional Anhui-style buildings, with three architectural features: pink walls, black tiles, and horse head walls. In terms of building site selection, attention should be paid to pillowing mountains, surrounding water, facing screens, and facing the sun, so that the house community can be cleverly integrated with the surrounding environment. The color tone of the building is unified into black, white and gray levels, which looks fresh and elegant, giving people a strong and unique aesthetic effect.

Overall, it is a scenic spot that you can visit if you have time. Although it is not very unique, it is a good experience to have the opportunity to experience the classic Anhui architecture and taste Anhui cuisine.

There is a special shuttle bus from Hongcun to Huangshan, but please note that Huangshan City and Huangshan Scenic Area are two different places.

Before going to Huangshan Mountain, you still need to check the strategy and be prepared. The first thing is whether to stay one night on the mountain. I feel that it is not too late to go up the mountain during the day and go down the mountain in the evening. I will miss many scenic spots. I chose to stay one night on the mountain. Since the hotels on the mountain were full during the May Day period and the prices were too high, I gave up the option of staying in a hotel on the mountain and chose to bring my own tent up the mountain. It was a new experience. However, it gets cold at night in the mountains, so you still need to keep warm. Then there are special tent camping sites in Huangshan, basically in the squares of several hotels. It is best to make a reservation with the hotel in advance and charge a certain tent camping fee.

If you’re staying one night, you’ll also need to plan your itinerary. Huangshan has two mountain climbing points, the front mountain and the back mountain. Which way to go up or down? I am still afraid of taking the cable car. I choose to climb the mountain. Where to stay at night and where to watch the sunrise in the morning. It is best to plan the general route well. It will save money. A lot of things happen.

There are four strange things in Huangshan: strange pines, strange rocks, sea of ​​clouds and hot springs. The pine trees on Huangshan Mountain are indeed unique. They have obvious layers and look a bit like large parasols. There are also various flowers growing on the mountain (like rhododendrons). As for strange rocks, the geology of Huangshan Mountain is mainly granite. Although the shapes are different, they still look the same on the mountain. When you go down the mountain and look at the photos, you completely forget what they are. Moreover, this kind of thing is 30% destined by nature and 70% depends on imagination. I have visited various Yandang Mountains, Sanqing Mountains, and Taimu Mountains since I was a child, and I am no longer interested in it. When it comes to the sea of ​​clouds, it depends on fate. Basically, if there is a sea of ​​clouds, you won't be able to see the sunrise. If you are very lucky, you can see the sea of ​​clouds at sunset and still see the sunrise the next day. If it is particularly bad, you may not be able to see it at all.

Our route was to go up the mountain from the back. Considering the fatigue of the journey, we decided to go up the mountain by cable car. But there were too many people. I got up early (early in my mind) and got on the cable car at noon. In the afternoon, I spent the afternoon climbing the mountain while admiring the scenery. Finally, we decided to set up a tent next to the Beihai Hotel and watch the sunrise at Lion Peak the next day. After setting up the tent, we went up to Guangmingding to watch the sunset, but we were not very lucky and saw neither the sunset nor the sea of ​​clouds. Of course, you can also set up the tent on Guangmingding, which is higher than Lion Peak, but there are also many disadvantages. The first is that there are many people, the second is that it will be colder at night, and the third is that it is so difficult to climb with the tent on your back. Gao will be very tiring.

After going to Guangmingding, we returned to Beihai Hotel and had a great buffet meal at Shizilin Hotel (I couldn’t help but feel guilty after seeing all the hard work on the mountain the next day). It's too cold in the mountains at night to go out. We wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags in the tent and started to have fun (the mountain internet is pretty good).

There is no need to get up specially the next day, a group of people will wake you up. We wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags and followed the crowd to the top of Lion Peak. This is also my first time to watch the sunrise on the mountain. The feeling is still different from watching the sunrise on the beach before. Unfortunately, my cell phone is not very good and I can’t take great photos.

When I was going down the mountain to clean up my tent, I heard someone snoring in the tent, and I was so impressed that I was so impressed. After packing up the tent, we wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags and continued on our way, worrying that it would be too cold. The next day's itinerary is to first visit the Xihai Grand Canyon, then go up to Lotus Peak, and finally descend from Qianshan Mountain. The Xihai Grand Canyon is still very spectacular. The mountain road is very steep. Along the way down, you can also appreciate the strange peaks and rocks on the side. Most of the roads are difficult for two people to pass, so often when someone comes from the opposite direction, you have to stop and wait for them to pass first. After reaching the bottom of the valley, we took the canyon sightseeing cable car up the mountain. From the car, we could see the overall appearance of the canyon, which was a completely different feeling than being there ourselves.

Then we went to Lotus Peak. Lotus Peak is the highest peak in Huangshan Mountain. The way up the mountain is very dangerous and there are many people. In addition, the peak is very small and can only accommodate a dozen people. Fortunately, we came from the back mountain. The road from the front mountain to Lianhua Peak, which was the road they took up when we descended from Lianhua Peak, was blocked for at least two hours.

Huangshan's Lotus Peak and Tiandu Peak are open for a limited time. They are only open from April to November every year. At other times, the mountains are closed for rest. Fortunately, you didn't miss them. Not long after we got off Lianhua Peak, we arrived at the visitor center of Qianshan, where the Qianshan Cable Car rides. The most familiar welcoming pine is there (but for us it was the seeing-off pine). Follow the road up the mountain for a short distance and you will reach Tiandu Peak. Tiandu Peak has the famous Carp Ridge, but unfortunately Lianhua Peak and Tiandu Peak open alternately, with a cycle of 3-5 years. It is a pity that we have no chance to see it. We also want to come back to Huangshan in about five years to see Tiandu Peak, but we don’t know if we will have this opportunity.

I really couldn’t walk down the mountain, so I chose the cable car. However, there were not many people going down the mountain, maybe because of the time. At noon, those who climbed up the mountain from the back probably hadn’t had enough fun that day.

It was still early to go down the mountain, so we went to soak in the hot springs for a while. After getting off the cable car, there is a shuttle bus that goes directly to the hot springs. The shuttle bus conductor was very nice and gave us special tickets, which were cheaper than those offered in the hotel. The hot springs have various springs, various flower juices, coconut milk, red wine, and bubble baths, but it was a bit hot when I went there and felt too hot. Taking a dip in the hot springs can relax your body after a day of exercise and is very comfortable. The hot springs also have a shuttle bus down the mountain, but it only runs once an hour, so don’t miss the time.

After going down the mountain, there are also shuttle buses back to the station. But there were too many people, and the tickets were sold out when we came down. So I had to carpool back with others.

Although I often go to Hangzhou, the last time I visited Hangzhou was a long time ago and I don’t even remember much about it. This time I was able to revisit the old place and it had a unique flavor.

west lake

If you go to Hangzhou, West Lake can be regarded as a must-visit attraction. I also went three times with different classmates. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake during the day, feed the squirrels by the lake, go for a walk after dinner, and watch the musical fountain in the evening. But we went a little early, it was not very dark yet, and we were already old enough to like musical fountains, so we just checked in. There is a musical fountain at 19:00 and 20:00 every day. If it is summer, it is recommended to open it at 8:00 pm.

Lingyin Temple

It's just a temple, and you can read some interesting stories in the temple. But it is said that it is very accurate to seek marriage here. It rained heavily on the day we went, but we still walked up in the rain. Considering that we are so pious, it might be more accurate.

Originally we wanted to climb Feilai Peak, but we got lost in the temple and climbed to another temple on the mountain. In fact, Feilai Peak is opposite the temple. It was almost four o'clock when we came back to the city after coming down from the mountain with nothing. I was really tired, hungry and soaked to the skin.

Xianghu

Xianghu Lake is not that well-known, but it is relatively close to my classmate’s home, so it took me half a day to visit it. However, God was not kind to us and it rained heavily again. The scenery of Xianghu Lake is still quite good, but it is not developed much and some roads are not easy to walk. However, when we went there, some buildings that looked like B&Bs were being built. Maybe it will be much better in a few years.

There is also a Polar Ocean Park next to Xiang Lake. I was in a hurry and didn’t go in, but it still looks good and is suitable for bringing children to play.

Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

I have heard about the reputation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal for a long time, but I have never seen it in Beijing. The first time I saw it was in Hangzhou. A water bus has opened on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the Qiaoxi Historic District where you disembark is also very culturally distinctive and you can visit it.

Qianjiang New Town Light Show

To put it simply, it is very shocking. It can be said that I am surprised by the development of Hangzhou city. If you want to go see it, please pay attention to the time. There will be one show at 19:30 and 20:30 on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Although I didn’t mainly travel to Hangzhou, it was still a very pleasant experience. I can't help but be surprised by the rapid development of Hangzhou and the prosperity of the motherland in recent years.