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March 23, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Countryroads that will take you home

By Xu Wenwen | March 23, 2016, Wednesday | Print Edition

NORTH of urban Hangzhou lies a place with lush bamboo forests and huge trees that cover rolling hills, ponds and lakes of all sizes, and, most importantly, fresh air that fills your lungs with pure oxygen.

Just one hour by car from central Hangzhou or three hours from Shanghai, Lin’an is the place to go if you want a retreat from the city’s concrete jungle and an escape from the smog.

“Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside” is Lin’an tourism authority’s slogan this year — a slogan that might sound familiar to some. About 40 years ago, chairman Mao Zedong declared that certain privileged urban youth would be sent to mountainous areas or farming villages to learn from the workers and farmers there. The movement was called “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside.”

Instead of just targeting the youth, Lin’an Tourism Bureau hopes to attract city dwellers from all walks of life to stay in this quaint, rural area.

Besides Tianmu Mountain, perhaps the area’s most popular travel destination, the bureau recently recommended other places that also deserve tourists’ attention, including Taihuyuan and Shenlong.

In both places, monkeys roam the forests, and tourists can hike, camp and cook outdoors.

Part of Tianmu Mountain, Taihuyuan is the water source of Taihu Lake on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. At the top of one of the scenic area’s mountains is a lake and large waterfall that feeds Taihu Lake.

Dubbed the “Little Jiuzhai Valley,” after a popular tourism destination in Sichuan Province, the scenic area boasts many waterfalls, lakes and lush foliage. Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li took wedding photos there in 2007, with the natural landscape as a backdrop.

To hike here means to wander among pine trees, rocks, bamboo, streams, and waterfalls. Depending on how adventurous you are, you can choose the safe stone-step path, or pick your own way through the foliage.

Butterflies and birds are common sights here, and you may even encounter monkey as the area is home to the Yangtze River Delta’s biggest wild monkey population.

But be careful — no matter how cute they look, they are still wild animals, and can be easily irritable and aggressive. So remember to take care of your bags and cellphones, and don’t try to feed them.

Five kilometers away from the Little Jiuzhai Valley lies Shenlong Valley, another scenic spot with hills, waterfalls, and meadows.

It’s popular with campers. Renting a tent for two people costs 60 yuan (US$9.30), or you can bring your own tent and pay 10 yuan for the site. Go when it’s warmer so it is not too chilly at night. If you are lucky and the weather is good, you will fall asleep under a star-studded sky.

During daytime, all the ingredients to make Chinese New Year cake, Chinese soy milk, and “tong guo fan,” meaning bronze pot rice, are available at the site. The dishes are cooked on a fire made of tree branches and bamboo in small oven. If you don’t want to cook yourself, you can order other dishes, or throw some meats and vegetables on the barbeque.

Admission: 98 yuan for Shenlong Valley; 83 yuan for Taihuyuan; 20 yuan for tong guo fan/each person; 60 yuan for a tent (bring your own sleeping bag and blanket).

The tong guo fan and team games have to be booked in advance.

Other recommended Lin’an scenic spots ideal for a weekend tour:

Liuxi River: The upper stream of the river is wide and peaceful, and people go there to raft in bamboo boats while at the lower stream people change to speed boat with more rapid current. At Heqiao Ancient Town along the river, you’ll find a typical watertown with traditional architecture and customs.

Zhexi Canyon: It is for more experienced hikers, featuring huge rocks, large waterfalls and mountains. Rafting is also an option.

Tianmu Mountain: A huge mountain with more than 99 percent vegetation cover and with dozens of rare plant species, Tianmu Mountain is a cultural epicenter where an abundance of Buddhists, Taoists and Confucian relics are situated. The mountain is ideal for hiking and just relaxing. Ordinarily, tourists live in a local hotel, eat organic food by local farmers, and go hiking.

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