Things to do in Shitai

My second visit to West Lake was great; the boat tour was excellent. The dock was easy to find, the staff were very friendly, provided clear explanations, and helped with any issues. There were also sightseeing buses, which were nice but a bit pricey. Taking the boat tour and then walking around was both perfectly fine.

Foggy early morning but luckily it cleared up in time to reveal the famed mystical cloud sea. Really surreal and beautiful. Bring rain gear and snacks though.

The temperature inside the cave is 15℃, which is too cool in midsummer. The first section is about 60 meters, and you can take a boat. The rest is walking along the underground river. It takes about an hour and a half to play in total! It is very beautiful inside and worth seeing!

The scenery is beautiful! This must be one of the little shops on the street. Haha!

Five stars! The night view of Wangxian Valley truly lives up to its reputation; the cliffside pavilions are dazzlingly lit, resembling a fairyland. I recommend entering in the afternoon. Enjoy the canyon and streams during the day, and then experience the daytime and nighttime views at dusk when the lights come on – perfect for taking stunning photos. The park has excellent facilities, and online ticketing and ID card entry are very convenient. Definitely worth a special trip!

Before coming, I did a lot of research, and everyone said that you'd regret not going, and you'd regret going anyway. After much deliberation, I still came. My mother really liked it; she thought it was beautiful even though it's a man-made scenic area and took many photos. The area was very lively; even in the afternoon, there were still many people, and there were queues at the photo spots. I joined in the fun so I could take some pictures for my mom. Overall, the experience was just average because there were too many unfavorable factors: it was a cloudy day with no sun, the lighting was dim at night, and the ground was slippery in the afternoon… and it's essentially still a commercialized ancient town (village) with local characteristics. Luckily, my mother liked it, so it wasn't a wasted trip. However, the view of the terraced fields from the viewing platform was excellent; I felt like I'd seen such a view in my dreams. Finally, I want to praise the friendly and enthusiastic service from the shopkeepers within the scenic area. Overall, it was an expensive but worthwhile trip.

At the summit, there's just a rock and a flat area, nothing special. On the other side, there's a temple to the God of Wealth with 1399 steps. You need to be very sincere to reach the top. Below are various Buddhist halls and temples, as well as some stone carvings of Buddha statues. The scenery is pleasant, with mountains, water, and forests.

Xidi is nice; it's not overly commercialized, and you can see the villagers' lives. It's rustic and steeped in history. The village is well-preserved, perfect for a leisurely experience. However, wandering around on the off-main roads after dark can be a little scary. There are folk performances in the square at night, which are very lively, and at 11 pm, they even play gongs and drums to signal the night watch. Hongcun is heavily commercialized, with assembly-line-like shops selling cultural and creative products, Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), silver jewelry, and even grilled sausages—it's pretty much the same everywhere in China. But the morning and night views of Moon Pond and South Lake are worth seeing.

Really interesting experience! I already have a post about it in my profile!

When it's not crowded, you can go upstairs to see the river view; it's a different experience, although the stairwells are indeed narrow. I didn't go inside the scenic area for the night view, but the photos I took outside were also very beautiful; the night view is truly stunning.