This summer, an absolutely hidden gem for playing in the water in Southern Anhui!

For the May Day holiday, I specifically chose to avoid the crowds and took a trip to Qimen, planning to find a secluded place to lie flat for a few days. I never expected it to be so beautiful that I couldn't stop playing around. I have to say, this is the most perfect combination of mountains and water in Southern Anhui, and it has refreshed my understanding of the area once again. Along the way, the mountains on both sides are covered with neatly arranged tea gardens, and even the houses in the mountains are neatly lined up, which is very friendly to those with OCD. The trees are lush along the way, and there are streams of various sizes everywhere, and most of these streams are clear and shallow, allowing you to stop the car and play in the water at any time. Li Creek Canyon - Navigate to 'Guniujiang National Nature Reserve Li Creek Management Station', and you'll find pools of various sizes all the way up the canyon, with water so clear it makes you question life. If you're lucky, you might even see a salamander. Li Creek Ancient Village - A free ancient village, right at the entrance is a long stream, the water is also incredibly clear, and there are lots of small fish inside, so delicate don't even think about catching one, don't ask me how I know. Jinshan Village Yan Shang - Just over ten minutes' drive from the above two attractions, there is a stunningly beautiful lake, perfect for dazing out all day. Located at the foot of the mountain and by the water, it's very healing, and if I were to choose a Shangri-La in this life, it would definitely be here. Qimen, this scenic spot 'delayed' by 'black tea', also has the most well-preserved ancient tree forest in Huizhou, Taoyuan Village, Hongqi Village... If you're bringing children, I suggest choosing places with clear and gentle water to play in (there are many here). Also, it's not recommended to go swimming in the mountains on rainy days, safety always comes first when going out to play. Leave No Trace Travel Initiative: All the attractions are very pristine, and I hope everyone can enjoy the beauty while also taking care of and protecting them. Please take your trash with you, so the beauty can last. Follow me, and I'll take you to explore more hidden gems in Southern Anhui.

Lixi Ancient Village "Play in the water, drink tea, listen to stories"

Lixi Ancient Village is located within the territory of Qimen County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, quietly lying at the foot of the Guniujiang Mountain in Qimen, giving off a feeling of being nurtured in seclusion, unknown to the world. It has a history and culture of a thousand years, and has produced many famous doctors, with the most famous being the Ming Dynasty imperial physician Wang Tang. There were not many people when we went in the afternoon, and the ticket price was 30 yuan per person. Upon entering the village, you see a huge stone stele with the characters "Lixi" inscribed on it. The winding mountain road before the entrance to the village is rugged, with dense bamboo forests. Near the village entrance, the road turns, and a painting-like scene appears before your eyes (pictures 7, 8). Passing through this beautiful scenery and entering the village, walking along the small paths in the village, you can see the typical Hui-style architecture, with white walls and black tiles, and flying eaves and arches. The village has ancient ancestral halls, temples, bridges, steles, trees, tombs, and operas, many scenes that have withstood the test of time. The most famous of these is the Wang family ancestral hall "Hetang", built by the Ming Dynasty imperial physician Wang Tang. Wang Tang once treated Ming Shenzong and Ming Guangzong, and received rewards and titles from the emperor. At the end of the village, there is a camphor tree that is several hundred years old, with a thick trunk and a dense canopy. To be continued You must drive yourself, just navigate directly to Lixi Village.

The grand theater of Lixi ancient village

It's a sizable theater garden where indoor performances of even operas take place, a relic from ancient times that has been renovated to preserve its old charm. Nowadays, it serves as a teahouse open to the public. The entrance is modest, situated by the river. Inside, there are floors above and below, and during performances, there are private boxes available for an immersive experience. One can spend the whole day chatting over a pot of Qimen black tea, slowly enjoying each play, one by one. It makes one reflect on the rich and leisurely life of our ancestors. Once we retire, we'll have more time to explore and understand. I just hope that with the country's development, we'll have more retirement funds to spend on such cultural excursions.

The Mudian Opera on the Lixi Water Street

The hospitable villagers of the ancient Lixi village specially performed the Mudian Opera for us on the square of Lixi Water Street. This is an ancient folk opera genre in our country, and it is also the most famous in history, with the most plays, the most completely preserved, the richest in content, and the grandest in scale. It is also the first drama in the history of Chinese opera with verifiable evidence, hence it is known as the 'ancestor of all operas'. Since May 20, 2006, when Huizhou Mudian Opera was listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects, Qimen, as the core component of Mudian Opera in Huizhou, has an irreplaceable important position in the development history of Mudian Opera and the history of Chinese drama. The performance that day started in the square, but as the rain got heavier, we had to move indoors to continue with other plays.

The trip to Lixi ancient village is truly worthwhile

Lixi ancient village is a village in Qimen County with a rich cultural and natural landscape. The mountains are clear, the water is pure, and the local customs are simple and unspoiled by excessive development. The village is home to numerous ancient bridges, ancestral halls, trees, and steles. The preserved ancient opera is an eye-catching intangible cultural heritage. Lixi harbors many ancient and magical legends, making it a great place to visit, especially now during the fragrant rapeseed flower season, making the trip truly worthwhile.

The charm of Lixi Village remains irresistible even in the rain

The picturesque ancient village of Lixi, despite the rain, still displays its beauty. With the help of anti-slip shoes, I toured several ancient buildings along the slippery stone paths. What puzzled me was the Qimen Imperial Physician Exhibition Hall, which looked as though it had been specially restored and arranged at one point. I wonder why it now appears to have been 'ransacked' or if the quality of the restoration is in doubt, as it is now in a state of disrepair. It is difficult to fully understand the complete content of the imperial physician exhibition, and this kind of indirect waste is truly regrettable. How can it live up to the title of a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit? If efforts were made to reorganize, it could probably be restored. The real challenge is how to raise funds again, but I hope that through our sketching activities and publicity, more tourists will come to visit and build popularity. We must resolve to cherish the assets left by our ancestors and not waste them away, failing to live up to the name of a provincial-level protected unit.

In this adviser bridge, in addition to inspiring stories of educational significance, you can also play here, and you can experience the tea garden of the famous Huangshan Maofeng at the foot of Xihuang Mountain. Shan Yejun likes to persuade the scenery on the side of the bridge, like an inexplicable fate like it. I also like to go slowly for sightseeing here. I like to take a stroll along the yak and advise the bridge. It is not only clean air, comfortable environment, but also Maofeng tea that Yamano Jun likes to drink. Under the clear sky, the lush green peaks of Huangshan Mountain appear to be full of vitality in the Qianshan Bridge Tea Garden. I like this feeling full of Zen. I don't know if you like Sun Yat-sen like this feeling?