October 2025: An Autumn Journey in Yixian, Huangshan
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Timeline: October 14, 2025
Autumn’s first hike in Bishan Village: Earlier, either there were too many tourists during the National Day holidays or the weather was scorching hot, so only today did I officially begin my first autumn hike of 2025!
I didn’t expect the first destination to be the hometown of Wang Lun, the main figure in Li Bai’s poem “Farewell to Wang Lun.”
This place is a hidden Huizhou-style countryside world with its own unique charm.
Although the environment somewhat resembles rural Shaoguan—situated at the foot of several green mountains, with rivers running through, large rice fields surrounding the area, and an old distinctive pagoda—this village still has its own very noticeable uniqueness.
The soil color and architectural style each have their own characteristics.
At the first stop, I happened to run into three girls from an art institute in Hunan.
Their school had arranged for a bus to take them to a nearby intangible cultural heritage study base to do handicraft assignments, though they also had sketching tasks.
There was even a paid studio in the middle of the base—if I hadn’t followed them through, I probably would’ve been stopped outside.
I didn’t expect that the truly free part of the base was located in the large courtyard at the very end.
Visitors could also visit, learn, check in, and even participate in hands-on activities like tie-dyeing and batik.
On the way there, a big wolf-like dog escorted us all the way to the study base.
They told me the dog simply liked playing the role of a guardian.
A dog of this size in Shenzhen would always have to wear a muzzle before being allowed outside.
Although the dog was good-natured, when it suddenly approached a girl drinking milk tea at a small shop, it scared her so much her soul practically left her body.
She threw her milk tea aside and ran off—some people are just naturally terrified when they see a big dog.
Later, when I was walking alone toward a parking lot at the far edge of the village,
a small black dog and a big yellow dog suddenly started barking at me fiercely and charged at me.
There was no time to dodge, so I quietly and gently greeted them instead.
Within a few seconds, they suddenly made a full 360-degree turn—
as soon as they got close to me, they instantly switched into “old friend” mode.
They both came over, leaning against me, wanting me to pet them.
The big yellow dog even escorted me for several hundred meters.
I never expected the atmosphere here to be so friendly that even the dogs understand how to welcome a guest!
There are many professional cycling paths here that lead directly to the foot of the mountains!
There are several rows of shared e-bikes in the parking lot at the entrance of the scenic area,
so you can take a taxi here and ride around freely.
On the left is a connected village called Fengwu Village.
The stone monument there has an introduction written with almost the same numbers and style as Bishan’s.
The two signboards are linked together, and it really feels like Fengwu and Bishan are twin villages!
Next time, for my second visit, I’ll make a special trip to bike around both villages.
On the way back, I complained to the Didi driver that the rice here was harvested too early.
She said I could go to Hongcun to photograph rice fields—
they plant the rice later there to match the tourism market.
She also said that locals can enter all nearby scenic spots for free.
For the first time, I truly understood the saying “locals don’t scam locals.”
If only the government and people of my hometown understood the principle of “only charge outsiders”—
then we wouldn’t have to waste 30 yuan on the 5A Danxia Mountain annual pass!
And all the major scenic spots in Shaoguan could also be visited for free!
Fortunately, I still had a Yicai Pass.
My friends confirmed that it gives the same benefits as locals—
you can enter all major scenic spots for free.
I need to make good use of it in the coming days—
I’ll visit the places with the highest ticket prices first
and save the free spots for last!
There are many other highlights, like the restaurant right in the middle of the rice fields and the café by the river (I could write tens of thousands of words about them),but the pure natural beauty here is the real focus!
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Timeline: October 15, 2025
5A Xidi Village Scenic Area: Under the early-autumn sunset, when you’re sitting by Mingjing Lake in the Xidi Scenic Area enjoying the gentle evening light, you can truly feel a soothing, healing energy here.
On one side of the lake, there is even a specially planted golden rice field.
Looking into the distance, you see white Huizhou-style ancient villages scattered everywhere, with ponds, streams, and a group of white ducks playing in the water!
Half of today’s crowd consisted of students from art academies; they practically occupied every corner of the scenic area, mostly doing sketching and oil painting.
The Hunan art school we bumped into yesterday in Bishan Village had their entire group here today doing field sketching too!
Among the visitors was also a small group of people carrying DSLRs, along with several groups of blond European tourists.
On the left side of the entrance, there are about three to five main streets.
Most shops there are colorful stores, bars, cafés, and restaurants.
This area doesn’t give off much of a hiking-and-photography vibe—it’s more like the typical tourist experience of just following the crowds.
Honestly, walking through such densely crowded spaces a few times made me feel dizzy,
so I spent most of my time staying near the lake’s scenery.
Here, you can wait for the last rays of sunset and capture some unique photo angles.
The wind by the lake was very cool and refreshing,
but many art students were gathered here in clusters—
you could easily predict that in the future, the art industry will gain another massive wave of overachievers!
In the past, you’d only occasionally spot a few art students outdoors;
today, there were hundreds or even thousands sketching at the same time—quite eye-opening!
5A ticket prices around the country are usually just over 100 yuan,
but with the Yicai Pass, you can scan and walk right through the free manual entrance lane.
It was my first time experiencing such smooth and efficient travel and hiking.
After taking the bus back and scanning my transit code, I suddenly realized—
I should’ve used the Yicai Pass instead!
The bus driver enthusiastically told me that the pass works on the bus too.
Had I known earlier, why would I bother taking Didi rides or renting e-bikes?
From now on, I can just hop on the free buses straight from Taihe Plaza in Yixian
and directly reach Hongcun, Lucun, Xidi, and most major scenic spots.
Free bus rides + free entry to major scenic areas—one pass handles everything,
making hiking travel both carefree and fun!
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Timeline: October 16, 2025
5A Hongcun: Hongcun is basically the “Plus version” of Xidi.
Although both are rated as 5A attractions and both have a 104-yuan ticket price,
and both are traditional ancient villages where some local residents still live,
and both have wide golden rice fields on the outskirts,
and both have a small artificial lake,
and both have vast natural surroundings behind the village,
and the two places are only 18 kilometers apart—
they share the same cultural and historical roots!
But Hongcun’s lake is much wider;
walking along the main path by South Lake feels a bit like strolling around Hangzhou’s West Lake.
Hongcun’s mountains are taller, with clouds drifting across the peaks—
it looks like the kind of place where “cloud boats” could appear at any time.
On the left side of the entrance, there is an extremely wide river,
with an unobstructed view—
cloud-wrapped mountains stretch across the horizon.
If you prefer hiking along the outer edges,
this area is also an ideal hiking paradise.
The golden rice fields on the right edge of Hongcun are perhaps dozens of times larger than Xidi’s—
one patch connected to another—
extending from the scenic area’s border to surrounding regions.
It’s incredibly pleasing for photography and hiking.
There are many classic ancient houses along the water in the central area near South Lake,
while Xidi has very few formal residential houses by the water.
The art students sketching here were also everywhere today,
but not as massive or dense as yesterday in Xidi.
The water-culture here is richer—
besides South Lake, the village also has a famous half-moon-shaped artificial lake.
The only unpleasant part was that the main street was packed with people,
similar to the lively free parks in Shenzhen on weekends.
Around 3 p.m., the number of people suddenly surged.
Wave after wave of middle-aged and elderly tour groups crowded the main road.
I didn’t expect a Thursday afternoon to be this lively—
I can only imagine what weekends must look like here.
After all, unlike a massive scenic area like Danxia Mountain that can disperse the crowds,
Hongcun isn’t big enough to scatter people around.
But although the main road was crowded,
the smaller alleys and outer edges were almost empty,
because most tourists prefer to stick with the crowd.
Yesterday, the round-trip transportation to Xidi cost me 19 yuan.
Today, including the ticket and transportation, I spent 0 yuan.
I brought my own water and didn’t buy anything the whole trip,
all thanks to Yixian’s special visitor-pass privileges.
It was my first time experiencing the joy of a “zero-cost hiking trip.”
Back in Shenzhen during the summer,
every outing meant buses + metros,
and the round-trip cost was almost always double-digit.
In Shenzhen, only seniors over 60 can enjoy zero-fare bus rides,
but here in Yixian, even young wanderers can enjoy the fun of zero-cost travel!
If more places had such friendly visitor policies,
a lot of young people wouldn’t need to compete endlessly in big cities.
Instead, they could shine and contribute in beautiful first-tier rural regions—
which might become a win-win story for both the government and the local communities!
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Timeline: October 18, 2025
Millennium-old Lucun: Similar to Xidi and Hongcun, this ancient village uses a commercial model where the thousand-year-old settlement is enclosed and managed as a scenic area.
Inside, you can eat, drink, shop, and play, and you can also observe the real daily life of the residents—basically like a live broadcast of authentic village living.
In Guangdong, most thousand-year-old villages have no one living inside, so they feel less alive and lack the warmth of everyday human life.
Here, the green mountains and clear waters are even better than Hongcun.
When you stroll leisurely down one of the main streets of the village, the river feels wide and open, and raising your head, you meet the mountains right away—while in Hongcun, you’d have to look from a more distant angle to see such views.
The dogs here are also very friendly and clingy—they actively greet visitors.
Hongcun has an area where stray cats gather, but I didn’t see any in Xidi or Lucun.
The scenery around Lucun is also incredibly impressive.
The roads extend in all directions, connecting nearby villages.
Besides the main gate, only a few places have ticket checkpoints;
if you’re familiar with the area, it’s easy to find free entry points.
Hongcun and Xidi have similar layouts.
The staff explained that they must keep the villages connected and cannot block all the roads.
Along the way, I asked a local whether it was possible to go up to those buildings on the mountain.
She suggested I go to the viewing platform instead.
Thankfully she mentioned it, or I would’ve missed the most important spot.
From the viewing platform, you can see the full panoramic picture of the golden autumn scenery.
Below the mountains are clusters of high-end hotels.
When I return for a second visit, I hope it’ll be a sunny day so I can explore more of the outer areas.
The commercial area here is quite small, and there are very few tourists—
a perfect place for a healing trip close to nature.
Yixian is an ideal place for living the wanderer lifestyle.
You can work in the daytime or at night,
and every afternoon you can choose a village to hike or bike around.
Tourists come to scenic areas to consume—eating, drinking, playing—
paying for tickets, lodging, meals… everything costs money.
But wanderers like me come here simply to hike and clear our minds,
experiencing the everyday life of locals without spending within the scenic area.
So this afternoon’s expenses also totaled 0 yuan.
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Timeline: October 23, 2025
Mukai Bamboo Sea: I’ve seen many bamboo forests in the south,
but I’ve never seen mountains completely covered in bamboo—everywhere, stretching endlessly.
And the mountain peaks didn’t even look low.
Looking out from a high vantage point at the panoramic sea of clouds and bamboo was truly shocking for the first time.
Halfway up the mountain, I saw various unique farmhouses and teahouses perched on the slopes,
where you can eat and drink while enjoying unbeatable views of the mountains and bamboo forests.
The cool, pure energy carried by the wind through the bamboo feels incredibly healing.
Locals say that on rainy days, this place is full of a fairy-like atmosphere!
But the only downside is that many small paths have drainage ditches several meters deep without guardrails.
If someone with poor night vision were to fall, even if they didn’t die, they’d be half-crippled!
While halfway up the mountain, I found several perfect panoramic shooting spots and couldn’t stop expressing how ideal each one was—each point more amazing than the last.
Walking from lower to higher ground was like experiencing a continuous upgrade of surprises.
Only when I reached the top did I realize that that spot was the best of all.
The mountaintop is full of unique hotels and guesthouses.
There’s a small road that connects them.
When I walked to the entrance of a hotel called “Yunyu Bamboo,” I ran into a girl born after 2000.
She saw me taking photos and asked if I was wandering around the area.
I said yes, and she told me I could check out their hotel’s backyard because the view was amazing.
I thought she was just being polite—after all, hotel backyards are usually just plants and small gardens—
so I didn’t go in at first.
When I returned after seeing all the ideal viewing spots,
I decided to stop by their backyard… and I was completely stunned.
The second-floor backyard had a huge lawn, a swimming pool,
and an independent viewing deck that captured the most spectacular panoramic view of the bamboo sea.
The entire third-floor viewing platform was larger than a small soccer field.
You could walk around freely and see the mountains and bamboo forest from all three sides.
There was even a suspended tea-drinking corridor hanging in midair.
No matter the season, reading or sipping tea here while overlooking the world would be incredibly satisfying.
I kept taking photos on the rooftop—nonstop.
After going back downstairs, I suddenly didn’t feel like leaving.
I just sat down in the first-floor corridor and enjoyed a moment of “overlooking the world.”
The 5A scenic areas Xidi and Hongcun didn’t offer many surprises,
but this little 3A Mukai Bamboo Sea brought me three huge surprises in one day.
It reminded me again how big the world is—there are always new wonders and unexpected moments!
Recently, many friends told me that the air and energy in Yixian feel especially good
and that the locals are incredibly warm and friendly.
I’ve already experienced both to some extent,
and I’ll share more detailed stories later!
This small county of Yixian has a population of just over 70,000
but has more than 20 major scenic spots,
2 with 5A ratings, 4 with 4A ratings,
84% forest coverage,
1,684 Ming and Qing dynasty ancient buildings,
44 traditional villages,
70 intangible cultural heritage items,
and 88 major cultural relic units.
It is the province’s oldest county (2,200 years),
the least populated,
and the most ecologically preserved!
These data come from an official stone plaque I saw on the roadside near Mukai Bamboo Sea.
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Timeline: October 25, 2025
Tachuan Autumn Scenery: Similar to Hongcun, Xidi, and Lucun, Tachuan also contains simple, authentic villages surrounded by golden rice fields and embraced by green mountains and clear water.
But since Tachuan Scenic Area is part of a national forest park, it also has a small hillside where you can directly overlook a section of Huangshan.
Unlike the artificially constructed theme parks in major cities, the cultural architecture here blends naturally with the environment.
The golden rice fields here are even wider and more captivating than those in Xidi, Hongcun, or Lucun.
Under the glow of the sunset, a bright red mobile coffee truck was parked along the countryside road,
and travelers sat at the best viewpoints, leisurely sipping coffee while admiring the enchanting rice fields and mountains……
The most beautiful scenery isn’t even inside the ticketed area—
it’s on the stone hiking trails along the outskirts.
Along the paths, you’ll find the Tachuan Book Bar nestled beautifully between mountains and water, along with Huizhou-style villages.
Streams flow gently, the sunlight is warm, and everywhere you look is picturesque.
This place is also a paradise for hikers—
the surrounding ancient villages are all connected by walkable paths.
Walking a few loops around the area feels incredibly relaxing and comfortable.
There are barely any pedestrians on these trails;
all you hear is the breath and rhythm of nature.
Visitors tend to gather only in a few spots inside the scenic area,
but true hikers are the chosen ones who can truly enjoy nature’s cleansing and healing power!
At the entrance of the ticket hall is a giant boulder.
On the front, it reads: “The Most Beautiful Mountain Village in the World.”
On the back, it says “Tachuan Autumn Scenery,”
and another stone wall displays huge characters: “One of China’s Four Most Beautiful Autumn Sceneries.”
It’s impressive that tiny Tachuan has the confidence to call itself the king of autumn scenery in the world!
If you come to Yixian but never witness Tachuan’s autumn colors,
you might regret it for life…
On the road, I heard some tourists joking and complaining—
things like, “People from the countryside come to see other people's countryside,”
“Leaving the place you're tired of to visit the place others are tired of,”
and “Since we’re already here, no matter how high it is, we must climb it,”
along with a bunch of other random brainwashing lines…
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Timeline: October 26, 2025
Nanping Ancient Village: Right after entering, I heard strange “meow meow meow” sounds near a pile of trash—
turns out it was a white kitten.
Luckily, I had some cat treats in my bag brought from my hometown in Guangdong.
The little one ate happily.
Last time in Hongcun, I encountered a similar scene,
but unfortunately I forgot to bring the cat treats that day.
There was a tiny kitten crying alone in the corner of a rice field.
If it had been at the public stray-cat area, many people would’ve taken care of it!
If you want to experience a recreated scene of everyday community life from the Ming and Qing dynasties,
the 4A Nanping Ancient Village is a great place to visit.
It has 200 ancient buildings and 72 streets and alleys,
including 8 large ancestral halls belonging to major clans.
These have been arranged like museums, preserving the layout and household settings of the time.
After visiting a few ancestral halls of wealthy families,
I began exploring the surroundings on foot.
On a road called Jianqu Road,
there is a cluster of modern Huizhou-style buildings,
each several hundred square meters in size.
I guessed they might be newly developed areas of Nanping for wealthy residents.
Inside the ancient village, many families still live in their inherited homes,
filled with the distinct atmosphere of traditional rural life—
including the constant smells of chicken, duck, cattle, and sheep droppings.
One place called “Qiyue Organic Rice Wine” stood out—
even rice wine is now embracing the organic label.
In the center of the scenic area is a public stage where Huangmei opera performances are held,
with most of the audience being middle-aged and elderly residents living inside the village.
Nanping cannot be reached easily by bus.
Using public transit would take over two hours.
After several consecutive days of enjoying free bus rides,
today that streak came to an end.
Interestingly, both the outbound and return trips were driven by the same driver—
who, coincidentally, lived near our community.
I asked him why Yixian’s Bus Route 1 runs until 5 p.m.,
but others stop between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
His answer reminded me:
the county has only a bit more than 20,000 permanent residents,
and after 3 p.m., many scenic spots become quiet.
Even fewer people take buses,
so continuing to operate would be too costly.
Today was Sunday,
and Nanping was shockingly empty—far below my expectations!
The driver said Bishan Village had tons of visitors today.
And the 5A Hongcun and Xidi never lack crowds, especially on weekends.
Tachuan, Lucun, and Mukai Bamboo Sea have natural surroundings ideal for hiking and photography,
but the area around Nanping is quite ordinary.
The sun didn’t come out either—
otherwise I might have hiked directly to Fengwu Village.
After looping around the area a few times and finding no motivation to keep walking,
I returned to the community at around 4 p.m.
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Timeline: October 31, 2025
Autumn Colors in Southern Anhui:
Right after entering the Xidi Stone Forest Scenic Area, the first thing you see is a sea of flowers—bright reds and yellows everywhere!
Beyond the flower fields lies a stunning stone forest, a karst landscape formed during the Cambrian period 500 million years ago.
Along the cement road that circles the mountain halfway up, the distant view reveals layers of golden mountains and delicate villages.
The interweaving colors of red, yellow, and green paint rich and layered scenery:
the red leaves of Chinese sweetgum and Chinese tallow trees echoing the golden rice fields!
No wonder Yixian is known as: “A World Cultural Heritage Site, a Chinese Painting-Like Countryside”!
Unfortunately, from start to finish, I encountered no more than six visitors.
During my entire hike and photography session, the only sounds were the breath of nature and my own footsteps.
Various children’s amusement attractions—such as the high-altitude glass water slide, tubular slide, and mountain cableway—were all completely empty,
as if the whole mountain had been built just for me!
The natural scenery here is integrated with theme-park-style elements,
and many facilities resemble Shenzhen’s 1,320 free theme parks.
But even the quietest parks in Shenzhen still have children and adults making noise.
Here, however, it was shockingly quiet and niche.
By November, this place will become a perfect sanctuary for hiking and enjoying autumn scenery!
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Timeline: November 02, 2025
Spiritual Insights from Revisiting Hongcun:
Last night, I went back to Hongcun with a few friends.
The maze-like ancient market streets were completely packed—
the crowd density was even higher than Bantian Street in Shenzhen.
After walking two loops, I felt dizzy, overwhelmed, and exhausted.
And interestingly, the main reason wasn’t physical—
it was spiritual.
Recently, I have checked in at almost 20 different places.
I spent hours at most of them feeling mentally energized,
with only minor physical tiredness.
Today, I read some new surface-level intelligence reports (I’ll share more in a few days).
Apparently, every person’s aura on the surface world carries certain negative anomalies.
When you're in a densely populated area,
everyone’s magnetic fields overlap,
magnifying these negative anomalies through a kind of quantum entanglement effect.
Once you’re invaded by these high-intensity anomalies,
the feeling is similar to being bombarded by a negative scalar-wave energy weapon.
If your spiritual senses are less sensitive, you may not notice much.
But nature’s magnetic field is pure and natural,
and water—rivers, lakes, seas—is filled with pure goddess-like energy,
all of which help heal the personal energetic field.
When you’re in such a relaxing and healing environment,
it becomes easier to deeply connect with your higher self
and release negative emotions.
During this time, your subconscious will offer more inner guidance,
or provide more creativity and inspiration.
Right now, almost no one on the surface world has perfectly purified energy.
It’s hard to guarantee that every person you meet can offer positive emotional value.
On the contrary, if a group of negative people gather together,
their negativity amplifies each other,
dragging down your positive frequency—
unless you have strong enough positive energy to counteract it.
In the afternoon, on the way to Yixian East Station,
I ran into a community friend.
It was still early, so we revisited Xidi and the Xidi Stone Forest.
Surprisingly, Xidi had even fewer people than when I went on a weekday last time—
today’s total traffic was less than half of yesterday’s Hongcun.
And Xidi Stone Forest had even fewer visitors than two days ago—
back then I saw three visitors;
today, on a big Sunday, I saw exactly zero!
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PS:
The above records cover nearly 20 scenic spots I visited in Yixian during October 2025 alone.
About 11 of them required entrance fees, and they are all representative locations.
This article only lists some of them!
Most of the trips were taken alone via direct bus rides,
with one or two locations reached by solo Didi rides.
Only the last revisit mentioned was done with community friends in Yixian.
All descriptions were recorded 100% verbatim from the notes I wrote on the same day.
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