China is a vast country with many areas left untouched by modernization. There are many towns with naturally stunning landscapes. Here is a list of picturesque border towns, such as the town reminding people of the classic movie The Bridges of Madison County and the town crowned as "the Chinese Maldives". Quiet and secluded, these towns present some antique architecture which make these communities charming and simple.
1 Feng Huang Cheng
Feng Huang is Chinese for 'phoenix', the mythical bird which is a good omen and symbolizes longevity. When consumed by fire, Feng Huang will be reborn from the flames. Feng Huang Cheng gets its name from a legend that two of these fantastic birds flew over the town and found the town so beautiful that they hovered it, reluctant to leave.
Located on the western edge of Hunan Province next to Guizhou, Feng Huang Cheng's beauty lives up to this story. Claimed to be one of the two most beautiful towns in China, Feng Huang Cheng sets an example of what villages were like before the start of modernization. In the town dozens of lanes are paved with stones that run between the wooden houses built on stilts. Generations of local people have stepped on the lanes and worn them down bit by bit. Mist envelopes the town in the early morning or after a rain, creating a charming picturesque scene of Southwest China.
But Feng Huang Cheng's charm goes beyond the natural beauty. This ancient town has a history of 1,300 years and it has a number of old gardens as well as distinctive residential buildings, elegant bridges and mysterious towers and pagodas. In Feng Huang Cheng, tourists can also have a glimpse of the Great Wall. This section of the Great Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620) to defend against the local Miao minority ethnic group, which defied the central government at that time.
But today the Miao people live with local Han people. Visitors will find a large array of handmade items in the local shops, including silver accessories, homemade textiles, and batik fabric. Food here also has local flavor and pickled red peppers are a local delicacy.
How to get to Feng Huang Cheng: Take a train to Jishou and then switch to a bus for Feng Huang Cheng. There are two shuttles buses that go to Feng Huang Cheng everyday, at 11 am and 3 pm respectively.
2 Habahe
A county located in northern China bordering Kazakstan, Habahe boasts the most beautiful autumn in the world. Every September, Habahe becomes a splendid sea of colors -- green, red, orange, and yellow… Which is why timing is most important in appreciating the autumn beauty of this place. If they come too early, tourists can only see green leaves, but if they are too late, they can just see bare branches.
Habahe is located in Ataile district, which boasts a variety of plants from all climatic zones, from the temperate to tundra. It's said that people here don't need clocks to tell the time because the change of the plants' colors with the change of sunshine can tell them exactly what time it is.
Tuwa people have lived here for generations and their way of life is well preserved. Their lifestyle is similar to people in Kazakstan, speaking Turki language and dressing like Mongols. Their houses are built with logs and pen in their herds with wooden fences.
How to get there: First get to Urumchi. Then in a car drive towards Jimusaer and pass Qitai. Go north to take the Huangjin Passage to reach Aletai City. Head west to reach Buerjin County and then turn north to reach Habehe County.
3 Taishun
When photographer Robert Kincaid drives his truck in The Bridges of Madison County looking for passion, many of the audience may have also thought about their own dreams on beautiful bridges. If you are one of them, Taishun is for you.
Taishun is surrounded by mountains. Its closed location has naturally protected the town through ancient wars, which is why various bridges constructed in ancient China survived almost intact. Corridor bridges are the main feature of Taishun Town. It even won the name China’s Exhibition Hall of Corridor Bridges. The most impressive of all the bridges is Hongqiao Bridge. It was constructed completely of wood using no metal nails.
How to get there: There are shuttle buses between Wenzhou to Taishun, while long distance buses connect Hangzhou to Taishun.
4 Xiaoqikong
The name of Xiaoqikong means "bridge with seven little arches" and this town is a scenic spot. Under the bridge is a little creek called Xiangshuike, which runs the whole course dotted with big and small waterfalls.
Another famous scenic spot is "wood above river", where a group of trees are scattered evenly around the river. Tourists can walk through the wood and watch the waters. Xiaoqikong also has a place called Yuanyang or Mandarin Duck Lake. It is named after two trees growing in the lake, one is slim and the other is thick, but both with the bottom halves of their trunks in the water. While the trees have separate roots, the branches of these two trees mingle together above the water.
How to get there: Go to Guiyang, Municipal City of Guizhou Province. Take a train heading for Mawei and get off at Xiaoqikong Holiday Village.
5 Yuzhizhou Island
Nicknamed "the Chinese Maldives", Yuzhizhou Island in Hainan has another romantic title, "Island for Lovers". Between the beach and bamboo forest stand a bunch of cottages for lovers built out of bamboo and leaves.
Yuzhizhou Island is a small island covering just 1.48 square kilometers. It's the perfect place for diving. Seawater around the island is totally pollution free and boasts a colorful collection of tropical fishes, sea urchins and coral reefs.Most people who holiday at Sanya also go to Yuzhizhou Island for diving.
Apart from the fresh seafood, Yuzhizhou Island features unique Lingzhi crab, which eats Lingzhi, a tonic plant often used in traditional Chinese medicine on the island. Different from ordinary crabs, the Lingzhi crab is completely black. It tastes a bit bitter you first eat it, but its fresh taste comes out after a few minutes.
How to get there: Get to Haikou and ride a long-distance bus to reach Sanya. There are regular buses and high-speed jet boats between Sanya and Yuzhizhou Island.
6 Bamei
A well-preserved Zhuang minority ethnic group village, Bamei Village is located 450 kilometers away from Kunming Municipality, in Yunnan Province. This village has no electricity or roads connecting it to the outside. People here till the fields with wooden ploughs, irrigate the land with old wooden water wheels and make clothes with hand-spun cloth. They use marsh gas to light and burn wood to cook. Given the absence of industrial pollution, air here is very fresh and the views are spectacular.
Here tourists can also enjoy some unique Zhuang minority ethnic festivals, such as paying tribute to ancestors, playing grass balls, singing girls and boys matching songs.
How to get there: Go to Kunming, Municipal City of Yunnan Province. Head to Qiubei and pass Guangnan to reach Fali. Once you get there, get out of your car and walk along the land boundary between two pieces of land for several hundred of meters to reach the entrance of Bamei Village.
7 Hailuogou Valley
This place is mostly covered in ice and snow. Hailuogou Valley is full of contradictions. On one side there is a large glacier closest to an urban area and has the lowest altitude. Hailuogou Valley has the largest icy waterfall in China, 10 times larger than Huangguoshu Waterfall. A dozen hot springs can also be found in the valley. The temperatures of the springs range from 40 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius. Tourists can soak in the hot springs while watching the snowflakes fall.
How to get there: Get to Chengdu City and take the newly built Chengya Highway, then head through Erlangshan Mountain tunnel, and Daduhe Great Bridge to reach Hailuogou Valley. The whole journey is 282 kilometers long and takes five hours.
8 Luoping
At the source of the Pearl River, there is a land of wonder and beauty: Luoping. The place boasts the largest cole flower garden in the world. The brilliant yellow carpet of cole flowers are grown among the rolling hills, a natural landform in the region. Jinjifeng or Golden Rooster Hill and Niujie, “Bull Street” are the two best spots to take photos of cole flowers. At Jinjifeng there is an endless view of the flora in the fields.. And at Niujie, cole flowers mingle with the winter wheat and other vegetables creating a different natural picture.
Apart from cole flowers, there are two other spots are worth exploring. Jiulong or “Nine Dragons” Waterfall consists of 10 waterfalls. The view of all the waterfalls is grand. Duoyihe is more quiet, lined by colorful flowers.
How to get there: Take a train from Guangzhou to Kunming and get off at Luoping railway station. Then take a three-wheeled vehicle to get to Luoping County. There are also special trains connecting Kunming to Luoping and the trip takes about four hours.
9 Ranwuhu Lake
Ranwuhu Lake is a combination of the Swiss Alps and China's Jiuzhaigou, a scenic spot in Sichuan Province, famous for its picturesque waters and mountains. At Ranwuhu Lake, there are magnificent snow-capped mountains, glaciers, a blue lake, green meadows, floating clouds and dense woods, giving visitors tourists the feeling of being in a legendary place. The mountain range lines both banks of Ranwuhu Lake. And the lake's water varies with the seasons reflecting the vegetation growing along the banks.
How to get there: Ranwuhu Lake is located east of Tibet. Drive east along National Way 318, past Basu Baima Township to reach Ranwu Village.
(finance.sina.com.cn December 7, 2007)
