9-Day Self-Driving Tour of Southwest Zhejiang with BYD Tang DMI (6)
On November 15, 20255, four of us embarked on a 9-day road trip in southwestern Zhejiang Province, driving in BYD Tang DMI vehicles from Yixing, Jiangsu. Before departure, we purchased the 2026 version of the "Poetic Zhejiang" cultural tourism benefit card (199 yuan) through the "Poetic Zhejiang" mini-program: (Day 6)
1. Xianju Yong'an Park - Gaoqian Ancient Residence
2. Shenxianju - Xitou Street (Huzhen Town Old Street) - Yanxia Stone Village Scenic Area
3. Jinyun Xiandu Scenic Area - Heyang Ancient Residence
4. Lishui Liandu District Guyan Scenic Area - Tongji Weir - Songyang Yangjiatang Village - Songzhuang Village
5. Songyang Chenjiapu Village - Xikeng Village - Pingtian Village - Shicang Ancient Residence Cluster - Songyang Old Street
6. Songyang Shimenxu Covered Bridge - Yunhe Terraced Fields Scenic Area - Longquan Sword Factory (Linling Line) - Sword Town Sword Museum - Xiazhang Ancient Village
7. Longquan Yuandi Village - China Celadon Town·Piyun Celadon Cultural Park - Jiangshan Fugai Mountain - Ershibadu Ancient Town
8. Jiangshan Dai Li's Former Residence - Sino-US Joint Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall - Xianxia Pass - Jianglang Mountain Scenic Area - Qingyang Mao Family Cultural Village - Quzhou Ancient City Cultural Tourism Area - Shuitingmen Ancient City Wall
9. Longyou Grottoes - Jinhua Zhuge Bagua Village Scenic Area - Back to Yixing
November 20, 2025, Day 6 of self-driving tour: At 7:00 AM, four people ate breakfast at a shop opposite the hotel for 39 yuan, then drove to Songyang Shimenxu Covered Bridge. At 8:30 AM, we departed and arrived at Yunhe Terraced Fields Scenic Area and Kenggen Stone Village after about 2 hours. At 12:30 PM, after visiting these areas, we headed to Longquan Sword Factory (Linling Line). We ate at Yunshan She Restaurant before departure; the food was quite good, costing 239 yuan. At 2:40 PM, we arrived at Longquan Sword Factory, then went to the Sword Town Sword Museum. We stayed at the Forging Youth Apartment (Wangou Taoxichuan Branch) in Xiazhanggu Village that night, two standard rooms costing 300 yuan (breakfast not included). Dinner was at a restaurant across the street from the Forging Youth Apartment; the food was excellent, especially the two hot pots. We brought our own drinks, and the total cost was 260 yuan.
Attractions: Songyang Shimenwei Covered Bridge. The villages of Shimen and Shimenwei are located on opposite banks of the Songyin River. "Shimenwei" was originally farmland of Shimen Village. Villagers used to cross the river to farm, but gradually built houses and formed a new village on the opposite bank. The Shimen Bridge, connecting the two villages, was built in June 1974. It is an unreinforced, unribbed concrete double-arch bridge, 263 meters long, and was once an important north-south transportation route on the Songyin River. In December 2010, the Zhaitan connecting bridge was completed, and the Shimen Bridge and the Wangcun-Zhaitan line were almost abandoned. Due to years of disrepair and safety hazards, the local government once considered demolishing the bridge. This scenic area also includes the nearby ancient Wuyang Weir, a thousand-year-old dam, becoming an important scenic node in the Songyinxi Scenic Area. The newly built covered bridge also serves as a shared public space at the entrance of the two villages, much like the old covered bridges.
Yunhe Terraces: A first batch of 4A-level tourist attractions in Yunhe County, integrating tourism, leisure, photography, and folk culture appreciation. Yunhe Terraced Fields Scenic Area is located in Chongtou Town, 5 kilometers from the county seat. First developed in the early Tang Dynasty and flourishing in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it boasts a history of over 1000 years. Covering a total area of 51 square kilometers, it is mainly distributed on the high mountains surrounding Chongtou Town in Yunhe County, with an altitude ranging from 200 meters to over 1400 meters and a vertical height of over 1200 meters. Spanning three geological landscape zones—high mountains, hills, and valleys—it features over 700 terraces, making it the largest terraced field complex in East China, hailed as "China's most beautiful terraced fields." It is a major photography base in Lishui, known as the "Hometown of Photography in China." The scenic area boasts natural landscapes including terraced fields, seas of clouds, mountain villages, bamboo forests, streams, waterfalls, and rime ice. The "spectacular cloudscape, a world of floating clouds" is a major highlight of the Yunhe Terraced Fields.
Kenggen Stone Village was originally the dwelling place of miners who mined silver during the Ming Dynasty. The miners possessed excellent stone-working skills, and since Baiyin Valley had abundant stone, they used the local materials to build stone houses. They diligently cultivated the terraced fields they had reclaimed, married girls from nearby villages, and lived a simple agricultural life of slash-and-burn agriculture, with men farming and women weaving. This was the original "Kenggen Stone Village." Kenggen Stone Village is located amidst the terraced fields of Yunhe County, Chongtou Town. The Yunhe Terraces are known as "one of the most beautiful terraced fields in China," developed as early as the early Tang Dynasty and flourishing in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, with a history of over 1000 years. They cover a total area of 51 square kilometers, mainly distributed in the high mountains surrounding Chongtou Town, Yunhe County.
Longquan Sword Factory: Established in 1956, Longquan swords, also known as Longyuan swords, originated in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, more than 2600 years ago. They are famous ancient Chinese swords, symbolizing integrity and purity. Legend has it that they were forged jointly by the two great swordsmiths, Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang. Sword-making was most renowned in the Wu and Yue regions. An ancient saying goes, "Swords from Wu and Yue cannot be made good if moved to other places; it's due to the nature of the land." Longquan produces copper and iron, and Longquan swords, with the master swordsmith Ou Yezi as their ancestor, are considered the pinnacle of iron swords. During the Tang Dynasty, all famous swords were named "Longquan," making Longquan synonymous with fine swords. Ou Yezi, the founder, was a native of the Yue Kingdom during the late Spring and Autumn Period and early Warring States Period. Legend has it that Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang, in order to forge this sword, carved open Cishan Mountain, releasing the mountain streams and channeling them into seven pools arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper next to the forge, hence the name "Seven Stars." After the sword was completed, looking down at its blade was like gazing down into a deep abyss from a high mountain, ethereal and profound, as if a giant dragon were coiled within. This was named "Dragon Abyss."
The Longquan Sword Museum is located in Longquan City, Lishui, Zhejiang Province. The museum covers an area of over 3,000 square meters, including a building area of 2,200 square meters and an exhibition area of 1,000 square meters. It comprises six exhibition halls and a long corridor, housing nearly 300 swords from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign. The first and second exhibition halls on the first floor introduce the history of Chinese swords and Longquan swords, showcasing the forging process of Longquan swords—a national intangible cultural heritage representative work. The third exhibition hall displays antique swords from private collections—exquisite weapons from various dynasties collected by Mr. Zhou Zhengwu and Mr. Huangfujiang. The first-floor gallery serves as a temporary exhibition area, hosting sword-related exhibitions periodically; currently, it displays swords that have won gold medals in various competitions. The second floor features a hall showcasing swords collected by prominent figures such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, as well as foreign heads of state. It also displays contemporary Longquan swords and a sword club integrating display, purchase, and leisure activities. The exhibition uses a combination of physical objects, textual explanations, photo panels, and multimedia presentations to effectively showcase the history of Longquan swords and the content of various thematic exhibitions.
Xiazhang Village is located in the northwest of Longquan City, Lishui. Historically known as "Yunwu Ancient Village," it was founded during the Song Dynasty when Guan Shifu, a recluse from Longquan, lived in seclusion on Baiyun Cliff behind the village. Guan Shifu planted many camphor trees to repel poisonous insects, and later, mountain people such as the Wu family moved in. During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Zheng Chengen migrated from Rongyang, Fujian to Xiazhang (the Zheng family are descendants of Zheng Chenggong), and the village was formed. It was named "Xiazhang Village" because of a thousand-year-old camphor tree at the village's entrance. The ancient village is surrounded by lush trees and dense forests, often shrouded in mist, creating a serene and enchanting atmosphere. The village originated in the Northern Song Dynasty and has a history of over a thousand years. Surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys, the village boasts dense forests, unique rock formations, and beautiful waterfalls, showcasing the wonders of nature. Within the village, well-preserved Song Dynasty relics, Ming and Qing Dynasty residential buildings, and ancient cobblestone paths blend seamlessly with the natural environment.
The Ming and Qing Dynasty residential buildings in the village, with their carved beams and painted rafters, are well-preserved and form a considerable ancient architectural complex. In terms of layout, the ancient houses are situated on a narrow, undulating slope, adapting to the terrain and changing their orientation according to the surrounding mountains. The village currently houses the former residence of martyr Zheng Yu-kui, a Longquan City-level cultural relic protection unit, as well as ancient buildings such as the Yunwu Academy and the Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall.
Most of the buildings in the village are centuries-old residences, exhibiting distinctive Ming and Qing Dynasty architectural features. The houses are mostly courtyard houses, with the main building facing east, flanked by side rooms or auxiliary rooms. Due to the undulating terrain, the buildings are very close together and lack courtyard walls. The interior doors and windows all open towards their respective courtyards, adorned with exquisite carvings and paintings. The building materials are logs, rammed earth, and a small amount of bricks and lime from the mountains, maintaining their natural appearance. The base of the building is mostly made of stones, decreasing in size from bottom to top, with a row of pebbles laid horizontally at the junction with the wall at the top, creating a very smooth surface. The upper part consists of rammed earth walls, and the roof is covered with small blue tiles.