Youyang Peach Blossom Spring

|Youyang Peach Blossom Source + Gongtan Ancient Town Two-Day Tour Guide. My workplace's restrictions on leaving Chongqing really frustrated me, so I decided to explore the surrounding districts and counties of Chongqing during the weekend~~ I've been to Fuling, Nanchuan, and Wulong, and this time I chose a less popular route to Youyang. First, I wanted to see the Peach Blossom Source described by Tao Yuanming, and second, I wanted to walk the ancient salt road in front of Gongtan Ancient Town and take a look at the picturesque Wujiang River. Additionally, Youyang is an autonomous county of the Tujia ethnic group, so there should be plenty of ethnic specialty foods to try, and thus the detective in me decided to take a trip~~ We went on a self-driving trip over the weekend, leaving on Saturday noon and returning on Sunday evening. It takes about 5 hours to drive from Chongqing's main city to Youyang one way, which is a bit rushed. You could either leave early on the first day or plan for a 2.5 to 3-day trip for a more leisurely experience~ I'll share based on our itinerary~ Pre-trip preparations: various photography equipment, charging devices, sun hats, sunglasses, umbrellas or raincoats, personal items... It's recommended to bring an extra coat as the temperature in the districts and counties can be slightly lower, and for shoes, flat shoes are suggested~

"After walking dozens of steps further, the view suddenly opens up. The land is flat and spacious, with houses neatly arranged, and there are good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberries, and bamboos. Paths crisscross, and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard. The people there go about their farming, and the men and women are dressed just like outsiders. The elderly with yellow hair and the young with hair hanging down are all content and happy." The Youyang Peach Blossom Spring is a restoration of the lifestyle depicted in the poetry. Experts from home and abroad have verified that the Youyang Peach Blossom Spring scenic area matches extremely closely with the idyllic land described by Tao Yuanming in 'The Peach Blossom Spring'. In the ancient city, there are thatched houses each with its own characteristics, where one can experience them one by one, such as the Qin Music Workshop with ancient music performances, the Guiyuan Tianju with a sip of peach juice and dew, the Yuanxi Xie with a slow taste of leaf tunes and green mugwort, and the Qin Qu Yuan with bamboo weaving experiences. The scenic area displays the 'Qin people, Qin style, Qin appearance, and Qin charm' from 2000 years ago, embodying the so-called 'men plow and women weave, harmony between heaven and man', as if in a dream back to the Qin dynasty. You can change into authentic Qin dynasty clothes in the scenic area, wear 'Qin attire', and play and take photos in the Peach Blossom Village. There is a place to return the clothes when leaving the scenic area. Each set costs 20 yuan per person. Now is the most beautiful season of Youyang Peach Blossom Spring! When the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the garden is filled with peach colors that cannot be concealed, and you can take a 2-day and 1-night trip to Youyang! Accommodation/Dining Recommendations: Night tour of Youzhou Ancient City with local potato rice and stay at Qing'ai Wen Residence; Morning: Mung bean noodles, Evening: Dingguan rice. Super delicious😋

There are two Peach Blossom Springs in the world, one in your heart, and the other in Youyang, Chongqing. More than 1600 years ago, Tao Yuanming wrote 'The Peach Blossom Spring', leaving behind a utopia that people have longed for ever since. Since then, Peach Blossom Spring has been hidden in ancient poetry, hidden in everyone's heart. Come and see, does this place really match the heavenly realm described by Tao Yuanming in your imagination? Excerpt from 'The Peach Blossom Spring' Eastern Jin Dynasty. Tao Yuanming During the Taiyuan years of the Jin Dynasty, two fishermen from Wuling made their living by fishing. They traveled along a stream, forgetting how far they had gone. Suddenly, they came upon a forest of peach blossoms, which stretched for hundreds of steps along the bank. There were no other trees, only fragrant grass and beautiful flowers scattered in profusion. The fishermen were very surprised and continued to explore deeper into the forest, wanting to see its full extent. At the end of the forest, a spring appeared, and beyond it was a mountain with a small opening that seemed to emit light. They left their boat and entered through the opening. At first, it was extremely narrow, just wide enough for one person to pass. After walking dozens of steps, they suddenly found themselves in a bright and open area. The land was flat and spacious, with houses neatly arranged, and there were good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo. Paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. People were coming and going, working the land, and the men and women were dressed just like people from the outside world. The elderly with their white hair and the children with their hair hanging down were all content and happy.

🌸 There are two Peach Blossom Springs in the world, one in the heart, and the other in Youyang. The Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming is 'where the woods end and the water source is found, there appears a mountain with a small opening, seemingly radiating light'~ 🌸 As comfortable and beautiful as a utopian Peach Blossom Spring, such an ideal realm not only restores the appearance in the poetry but also a state of life. Pre-Qin culture, restoring the details in the book, step by step, scene by scene, that is the Peach Blossom Spring in your heart, making one linger and forget to return~ Recommended Index: 🟢🟢🟢🟢 Walking Index: 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 Cost of Foot (2h strolling through the poetic scenes, plus 1.5h in the ancient cave heaven, a total of 3.5h without retracing steps) Cost-Performance Index: 🟢🟢🟢🟢 ‼ Sharing a self-driving tour guide: ✅ Itinerary 🚗 Day 1: Various places—Gongtan Ancient Town Wujiang Gallery—Youyang 🔸 Gongtan Ancient Town: The ancient town is quite large, take your time to stroll around, you can spend half a day. Gongtan Town is located at the foot of Phoenix Mountain at the confluence of the Apeng River and the Wu River. It is the best-preserved millennium-old town in the mountains of southeastern Chongqing, with high walls and large courtyards, including the main hall, side halls, wing rooms, and opera towers, carved beams and painted rafters, bearing hundreds of years of vicissitudes. 🔸 Wu River Riverside: With scenery that rivals Guilin, it will definitely dazzle you. You can choose to drift on the river or walk in the fields, enjoying the breeze on the river. 🚗 Day 2: Youyang—Die Shi Flower Valley—Youyang Peach Blossom Spring 🌸 Die Shi Flower Valley: It is the only global theme park that combines stacked stone art and the exhibition of the Wu culture. It is a fossil formed by the life activities of the single-celled organism cyanobacteria, which bind and deposit substances from seawater, and the 'flowers in the stone' are the life paths and trajectories of the single-celled organism cyanobacteria~~ 🌸 Peach Blossom Spring: It is a national-level forest park, combining karst geological wonders, Qin and Jin farming culture, Tujia folk culture, and natural ecological culture, condensing the most beautiful pristine scenery. 🌸 Ancient Cave: With a total length of about 3000 meters, it has winding corridors, deep underground rivers, and colorful stalactites, creating a beautiful landscape. ✅ II. Precautions 1. ☎ The leader will create a group the day before the trip to notify the assembly time, location, precautions, travel supplies, and other important information.