China is a vast country with many areas left untouched by
modernization. There are many towns with naturally stunning
landscapes. Here is a list of picturesque border towns, such as the
town reminding people of the classic movie The Bridges of
Madison County and the town crowned as "the Chinese Maldives".
Quiet and secluded, these towns present some antique architecture
which make these communities charming and simple.
1 Feng Huang Cheng
Feng Huang is Chinese for 'phoenix', the mythical bird which is
a good omen and symbolizes longevity. When consumed by fire, Feng
Huang will be reborn from the flames. Feng Huang Cheng gets its
name from a legend that two of these fantastic birds flew over the
town and found the town so beautiful that they hovered it,
reluctant to leave.
Located on the western edge of Hunan Province next to Guizhou,
Feng Huang Cheng's beauty lives up to this story. Claimed to be one
of the two most beautiful towns in China, Feng Huang Cheng sets an
example of what villages were like before the start of
modernization. In the town dozens of lanes are paved with stones
that run between the wooden houses built on stilts. Generations of
local people have stepped on the lanes and worn them down bit by
bit. Mist envelopes the town in the early morning or after a rain,
creating a charming picturesque scene of Southwest China.
But Feng Huang Cheng's charm goes beyond the natural beauty.
This ancient town has a history of 1,300 years and it has a number
of old gardens as well as distinctive residential buildings,
elegant bridges and mysterious towers and pagodas. In Feng Huang
Cheng, tourists can also have a glimpse of the Great Wall. This
section of the Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620)
to defend against the local Miao minority ethnic group, which
defied the central government at that time.
But today the Miao people live with local Han people. Visitors
will find a large array of handmade items in the local shops,
including silver accessories, homemade textiles, and batik fabric.
Food here also has local flavor and pickled red peppers are a local
delicacy.
How to get to Feng Huang Cheng: Take a train to Jishou
and then switch to a bus for Feng Huang Cheng. There are two
shuttles buses that go to Feng Huang Cheng everyday, at 11 am and 3
pm respectively.
2 Habahe
A county located in northern China bordering Kazakstan, Habahe
boasts the most beautiful autumn in the world. Every September,
Habahe becomes a splendid sea of colors -- green, red, orange, and
yellow… Which is why timing is most important in appreciating the
autumn beauty of this place. If they come too early, tourists can
only see green leaves, but if they are too late, they can just see
bare branches.
Habahe is located in Ataile district, which boasts a variety of
plants from all climatic zones, from the temperate to tundra. It's
said that people here don't need clocks to tell the time because
the change of the plants' colors with the change of sunshine can
tell them exactly what time it is.
Tuwa people have lived here for generations and their way of
life is well preserved. Their lifestyle is similar to people in
Kazakstan, speaking Turki language and dressing like Mongols. Their
houses are built with logs and pen in their herds with wooden
fences.
How to get there: First get to Urumchi. Then in a car
drive towards Jimusaer and pass Qitai. Go north to take the
Huangjin Passage to reach Aletai City. Head west to reach Buerjin
County and then turn north to reach Habehe County.
3 Taishun
When photographer Robert Kincaid drives his truck in The Bridges
of Madison County looking for passion, many of the audience may
have also thought about their own dreams on beautiful bridges. If
you are one of them, Taishun is for you.
Taishun is surrounded by mountains. Its closed location has
naturally protected the town through ancient wars, which is why
various bridges constructed in ancient China survived almost
intact. Corridor bridges are the main feature of Taishun Town. It
even won the name China’s Exhibition Hall of Corridor Bridges. The
most impressive of all the bridges is Hongqiao Bridge. It was
constructed completely of wood using no metal nails.
How to get there: There are shuttle buses between
Wenzhou to Taishun, while long distance buses connect Hangzhou to
Taishun.
4 Xiaoqikong
The name of Xiaoqikong means "bridge with seven little arches"
and this town is a scenic spot. Under the bridge is a little creek
called Xiangshuike, which runs the whole course dotted with big and
small waterfalls.
Another famous scenic spot is "wood above river", where a group
of trees are scattered evenly around the river. Tourists can walk
through the wood and watch the waters. Xiaoqikong also has a place
called Yuanyang or Mandarin Duck Lake. It is named after two trees
growing in the lake, one is slim and the other is thick, but both
with the bottom halves of their trunks in the water. While the
trees have separate roots, the branches of these two trees mingle
together above the water.
How to get there: Go to Guiyang, Municipal City of
Guizhou Province. Take a train heading for Mawei and get off at
Xiaoqikong Holiday Village.
5 Yuzhizhou Island
Nicknamed "the Chinese Maldives", Yuzhizhou Island in Hainan has
another romantic title, "Island for Lovers". Between the beach and
bamboo forest stand a bunch of cottages for lovers built out of
bamboo and leaves.
Yuzhizhou Island is a small island covering just 1.48 square
kilometers. It's the perfect place for diving. Seawater around the
island is totally pollution free and boasts a colorful collection
of tropical fishes, sea urchins and coral reefs.Most people who
holiday at Sanya also go to Yuzhizhou Island for diving.
Apart from the fresh seafood, Yuzhizhou Island features unique
Lingzhi crab, which eats Lingzhi, a tonic plant often used in
traditional Chinese medicine on the island. Different from ordinary
crabs, the Lingzhi crab is completely black. It tastes a bit bitter
you first eat it, but its fresh taste comes out after a few
minutes.
How to get there: Get to Haikou and ride a
long-distance bus to reach Sanya. There are regular buses and
high-speed jet boats between Sanya and Yuzhizhou Island.
6 Bamei
A well-preserved Zhuang minority ethnic group village, Bamei
Village is located 450 kilometers away from Kunming Municipality,
in Yunnan Province. This village has no electricity or roads
connecting it to the outside. People here till the fields with
wooden ploughs, irrigate the land with old wooden water wheels and
make clothes with hand-spun cloth. They use marsh gas to light and
burn wood to cook. Given the absence of industrial pollution, air
here is very fresh and the views are spectacular.
Here tourists can also enjoy some unique Zhuang minority ethnic
festivals, such as paying tribute to ancestors, playing grass
balls, singing girls and boys matching songs.
How to get there: Go to Kunming, Municipal City of
Yunnan Province. Head to Qiubei and pass Guangnan to reach Fali.
Once you get there, get out of your car and walk along the land
boundary between two pieces of land for several hundred of meters
to reach the entrance of Bamei Village.
7 Hailuogou Valley
This place is mostly covered in ice and snow. Hailuogou Valley
is full of contradictions. On one side there is a large glacier
closest to an urban area and has the lowest altitude. Hailuogou
Valley has the largest icy waterfall in China, 10 times larger than
Huangguoshu Waterfall. A dozen hot springs can also be found in the
valley. The temperatures of the springs range from 40 degrees
Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius. Tourists can soak in the hot springs
while watching the snowflakes fall.
How to get there: Get to Chengdu City and take the
newly built Chengya Highway, then head through Erlangshan Mountain
tunnel, and Daduhe Great Bridge to reach Hailuogou Valley. The
whole journey is 282 kilometers long and takes five hours.
8 Luoping
At the source of the Pearl River, there is a land of wonder and
beauty: Luoping. The place boasts the largest cole flower garden in
the world. The brilliant yellow carpet of cole flowers are grown
among the rolling hills, a natural landform in the region.
Jinjifeng or Golden Rooster Hill and Niujie, “Bull Street” are the
two best spots to take photos of cole flowers. At Jinjifeng there
is an endless view of the flora in the fields.. And at Niujie, cole
flowers mingle with the winter wheat and other vegetables creating
a different natural picture.
Apart from cole flowers, there are two other spots are worth
exploring. Jiulong or “Nine Dragons” Waterfall consists of 10
waterfalls. The view of all the waterfalls is grand. Duoyihe is
more quiet, lined by colorful flowers.
How to get there: Take a train from Guangzhou to
Kunming and get off at Luoping railway station. Then take a
three-wheeled vehicle to get to Luoping County. There are also
special trains connecting Kunming to Luoping and the trip takes
about four hours.
9 Ranwuhu Lake
Ranwuhu Lake is a combination of the Swiss Alps and China's
Jiuzhaigou, a scenic spot in Sichuan Province, famous for its
picturesque waters and mountains. At Ranwuhu Lake, there are
magnificent snow-capped mountains, glaciers, a blue lake, green
meadows, floating clouds and dense woods, giving visitors tourists
the feeling of being in a legendary place. The mountain range lines
both banks of Ranwuhu Lake. And the lake's water varies with the
seasons reflecting the vegetation growing along the banks.
How to get there: Ranwuhu Lake is located east of
Tibet. Drive east along National Way 318, past Basu Baima Township
to reach Ranwu Village.
(finance.sina.com.cn December 7, 2007)
