Jiangnan Ink Wash Town Check-in Guide
Immersive Huizhou Experience for 800 Yuan, I Spent a Day Living the Slow Life in Longchuan
📍Day 1: Jixi → Longchuan | Budget about 800 yuan
Exposed by the high-speed rail station check-in on social media
When I arrived at Jixi North Station, it was just past eight in the morning, the sky was overcast, but the mountains and waters of Huizhou looked as if they had been washed with clear water, the contours of the mountains were crystal clear. It was a rare clear morning—I deliberately chose the earliest high-speed train just to sneak into Longchuan Village before the scenic area staff started work.
Yes, you read that right. Travel strategists know that entering Longchuan Scenic Area before 7:30 AM or after 5:30 PM is free; the gatekeepers haven’t arrived yet, so strolling along Water Street is completely unburdened. As a budget travel blogger completing the whole trip with 800 yuan, this kind of information gap must be fully leveraged.
Here’s how I took the high-speed rail
Departing from Hangzhou East, it takes 1.5 hours to reach Jixi North Station, with a second-class seat ticket costing about 110 yuan. After exiting the station, take bus route 6 directly, fare 2 yuan, 20 minutes straight to Longchuan Village. Don’t take a taxi—saving that money is enough for a proper breakfast.
The bus system in Jixi is actually quite friendly. Route 6 runs from 6:00 AM to 5:40 PM with frequent service, unlike other tourist counties where waiting is difficult. After getting off, follow the signs; you’ll hear the babbling of Longchuan Creek before you even see it.
7:15 AM, I really slipped in
Stepping onto the bluestone path at the village entrance, the whole village was still asleep. No vendors calling out, no tour guides with loudspeakers, only the sound of water and occasional rooster crowing. This is unimaginable in Hongcun or Xidi. Longchuan is called “Huizhou’s Number One Feng Shui Village,” and honestly, this title is no exaggeration—the village is nestled between two mountains, Longchuan Creek runs through it into the Dengyuan River, backed by green hills and facing water. The 1,600-year-old layout is right here; whether the feng shui is good or not, living here is truly comfortable.
During the free time, you can explore Water Street and the outer street scenes; the core attractions open at 8:00 AM. But this is actually the smartest way to play—first, take advantage of the few people to walk through Water Street, capture enough shots of sunlight just climbing over the horse-head walls, then buy tickets to enter the ancestral halls.
First check-in spot: Hu Family Ancestral Hall
The scenic area officially opens from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Adult tickets are 75 yuan, student tickets 40 yuan. Sometimes you can get a 10 yuan discount if you book online the day before.
Walking into the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, saying it’s stunning is no exaggeration. The main hall’s 22 winter melon beams are all carved wood; each lotus petal is hollowed out in three layers. This level of craftsmanship is hard to replicate even today. At the back is a female ancestral hall, rare nationwide, showing the subtle status of women back then. I met an elderly man resting with his grandson in the courtyard; the child pointed at the “lotus and crab” carving on the beam and said it was pretty. The guide nearby added casually, “This symbolizes ‘harmony.’” That offhand comment felt more natural than any scripted tour speech.
Nearby, you can also visit the local sages’ hall, Hu Zongxian’s Shaobao Mansion, and Hu Bingheng’s former residence. These exhibitions are small but intertwine Huizhou merchant stories and anti-Japanese history, much richer than overly commercialized ancient towns.
Water Street treasure hunt: bamboo rafts and century-old cold jelly
Leaving the ancestral hall and walking along Water Street, you pass a small bridge called “Guanqiao”—this is the cover shot spot for the entire Longchuan. Standing on the bridge, the winding Water Street, white walls with black tiles, and distant green mountains overlap; any photo looks like a postcard.
Below is Longchuan Creek. You can sit on a bamboo raft by the roadside, drifting under 13 ancient bridges for 20 yuan per person. While drifting, you’ll pass villagers washing clothes by the creek, a scene so authentic.
By Water Street is a century-old teahouse selling “Shuangjing Bingniang”—rice wine chilled with well water, 5 yuan a bowl. Sitting on a stone bench by the road drinking a bowl, paired with freshly made Jixi tart cake, the salty flavor is the best. The tart cake is made fresh at street stalls, with a soft outer skin and solid filling, costing just a few yuan.
A surprising food discovery
For lunch, I found a farmhouse restaurant by Water Street and ordered Hu Shi’s specialty pot and Jixi fried vermicelli. The specialty pot layers egg dumplings, dried bamboo shoots, and meatballs, simmered slowly over low heat, tasting truly different, only 38 yuan a serving. The fried vermicelli was full of wok hei, chewy and springy, just like the taste I had in my childhood countryside.
Eating in Jixi has a unique feature—it doesn’t separate tourists from locals. Those shabby storefronts on the street are filled with elderly men in slippers and young mothers pushing strollers. When you go in, the owner doesn’t even look up, serving the exact same dishes as the next table. A bowl of stinky mandarin fish noodles costs 12 yuan, a table of dishes for four or five people can be done for just over 100 yuan. This price level is unlikely in any well-known tourist city, but Jixi is like this because the owners cook and earn according to local standards, not relying on tourists to gouge.
After 3 PM, the light is the best prop
After lunch, I headed to the village’s high platform. Near the Shaobao Mansion is a small hill; climbing up offers a bird’s-eye view of Longchuan Village. The afternoon light is soft, the horse-head walls outlined with a golden edge, tiles reflecting light, the whole village looks like it’s wrapped in a thin layer of gold foil. Many travel notes say the “Longchuan cover photo” is taken from this spot.
The village also offers intangible cultural heritage experiences, like fish lantern making and lacquer fan crafting. The fish lantern experience costs about 30 to 50 yuan, and you get to take home the lantern you made yourself. This souvenir is much more interesting than the Yiwu trinkets sold at the scenic area entrance.
Before leaving, I did something quite superstitious
In the evening, I found the “Source Well” by Water Street. It’s said that the well wall grows thousand-year-old lingzhi mushrooms; tossing a coin in to make a wish is a tradition passed down through generations in Longchuan. I tossed a one-yuan coin, silently wishing: next time I come, I’ll bring the payment for this travel article to treat friends to a specialty pot.
📝 Where the 800 yuan was spent
Item Cost (yuan)
Round-trip high-speed rail (Hangzhou → Jixi North) About 220
Jixi North Station → Longchuan bus round trip 4
Longchuan Scenic Area ticket 75
Breakfast (tart cake + drink) About 15
Lunch (specialty pot + fried vermicelli) About 50
Dinner (snacks + dim sum) About 25
Bamboo raft experience 20
Fish lantern crafting experience About 40
Snacks + well water chilled rice wine About 30
Total About 479
With a budget of 800, I actually spent less than 480 yuan. The money saved can either be used for a stinky mandarin fish feast or upgraded to first-class round-trip high-speed rail tickets—plenty of options.
⚠️ Longchuan Pitfall Prevention Guide
1. Arrive before 7:30 AM! Free to stroll Water Street and capture morning mist bamboo rafts; fewer people means better photos.
2. Don’t smoke inside the ancestral halls. Villagers will scold you on the spot; they’re serious.
3. Bring some cash. Some elderly-run stalls only accept cash.
4. No drones! The entire village bans drone flights; caught means a 500 yuan fine.
5. After 4 PM, the light is perfect for photos; light and shadow through carved windows look like oil paintings.
6. The new hotel at the village entrance is far from the core area and lacks character; better to stay in villagers’ renovated old houses where you can fall asleep to the sound of the creek.
7. If not staying in the village, the last return bus is around 5:40 PM; if you miss it, you must take a taxi back to Jixi North Station (about 25 yuan). Please check the actual bus schedule on the day.
What’s the biggest difference between Jixi Longchuan and Hongcun? Hongcun sells Huizhou; Longchuan lives Huizhou. There are no staged performances or deliberately posed scenes here. The villagers you meet washing clothes on the bluestone road, the elderly napping in courtyards, women chatting by Water Street are not NPCs arranged by the scenic area—they are real people living here. The scenic area is built around the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, but the free admission period is the real Longchuan. The 1,600-year-old village is much less commercialized than Hongcun or Xidi, preserving more authentic Huizhou architectural style and cultural depth.
Few people, comfortable, not crowded, no need to fight for photo spots, cheap and fair prices—these words together sound like a fairy tale in the 2026 travel context, but Jixi Longchuan really achieves this. Before it becomes the next Huangshan or is taken over by internet-famous shops, go see it early. This place will definitely become popular someday, but I hope it can keep its current “come if you want” confidence when that day comes.