The scenery of Tonglu is unique in the world
The wind and smoke are clean, and the Tianshan Mountains are of the same color. Drifting from the flow, anything.
From Fuyang to Tonglu, about a hundred miles away, there are unique mountains and rivers, making the world unique.

Although I can no longer remember the "Book of Zhu Yuansi" that I memorized in junior high school, this sentence alone can be blurted out. Both Fuyang Tonglu are under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou and are connected by a Fuchun River. Standing in the picturesque and tranquil Tonglu, the scenery and climate are both pleasant, as if the noise has disappeared, leaving behind a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. Even the misty mist on the river carries a hint of ethereal aura.

The reputation of "unique mountains and waters, unique in the world" makes Tonglu still worth a special visit in the winter of Jiangnan. And the Chuiyun Tongtian River we are going to today is located in Tonglu.

The rippling blue waves, boating on the hanging cloud lake

The most famous scenery in Tonglu is the karst cave landscape. Compared to the famous Yaolin Fairyland, Chuiyun Tongtian River seems to have better playability besides its ornamental value. Due to factors such as crustal changes and volcanic eruptions billions of years ago, the geographical area where the scenic area is located has formed typical karst landforms. The addition of trendy internet celebrity check-in points in the scenic area has made it increasingly popular.
The Chuiyun Tongtian River is located in Yaolin Town. It has both a long underground river and a glass walkway facing the sky. Within a day, people can call for a return of the ticket price. When we went, it was the first day of the New Year, and suddenly we thought that besides boating, we could also climb high! The first trip of the New Year also conforms to China's traditional customs and realizes the beautiful meaning of praying for good luck in the New Year.

After arriving, park your car beside the main road at the entrance of the scenic spot and go straight in. When you see the memorial archway in front of you, which reads "Chuiyun Tongtian River, the first underground river", it means you have entered the main scenic spot.

I only found out at the entrance that Chuiyun Tongtian River is already a national 4A level scenic spot, which is a rare summer resort; There are fewer tourists in winter scenic spots than in summer, but the off-season travel experience is also very good, especially for those who love taking photos.

After entering the scenic area, you will find the starting dock for boating in the hidden river. The dock is rarely visited by tourists in winter, so you can take a good photo of the dock, which also has beautiful scenery. From a high altitude, although Chuiyun Lake may not be stunning in appearance, it is hard to imagine that such a lake is actually connected to an underground river that has caused a sensation in the world. The cruise ship, like willow leaves, surrounds the circular pier, with lush mountains and clear waters, making it a typical scenery of Jiangnan.

Here, you can enjoy a distant view of the Lingyun Overpass and also appreciate the elegant posture of the black swan. They have become the most vibrant embellishments on the slightly lonely lake surface in winter.

Finally, we boarded the ship offshore and embarked on our underground river exploration journey. The first day of the rare New Year is a warm and sunny day, bathed in the sunshine of the new year, hoping to bring good luck throughout the year. Sitting on the bow of the boat, swaying and listening to the paddles passing by and the flowing water babbling, there were no other boats around, as if it had taken over the entire lake. After passing the quaint and elegant Liuyun Pavilion by the shore, I soon saw the entrance of the cave.

After entering the slightly mysterious cave entrance, it's time to prepare for the high-energy warning ahead! The scenery at the entrance of the cave reminds me of Tao Yuanming's description in "The Peach Blossom Spring": when the forest runs out of water, it becomes a mountain. The mountain has a small mouth, as if there is light. At this moment, I am even more looking forward to the scenery that has always been praised by outsiders in the cave.

【 Embarking on a boat in the dark river, encountering a bizarre underground fairyland 】

The Chuiyun Tongtian River has a total length of 4.5 kilometers, a drop of 380 meters, and a total area of over 80000 square meters. The underground river is winding and deep, with clear water flowing year-round and clear to the bottom. The deepest point is about 70 centimeters. I thought it would be colder inside the cave than outside, but I didn't expect it to be warm in winter and cool in summer inside the cave. It's always 18 degrees Celsius, but it's even warmer than outside. Yang Hong, a poet from the Ming Dynasty, wrote a poem praising after visiting the Chuiyun Tongtian River, saying, "In summer, the heat is forgotten, but in winter, it feels like spring. Although the source and flow are the same, only the Chuiyun River is pure." This means that if summer comes, this is a natural summer paradise; The entire cave is like having air conditioning on.
In order to protect the environment inside the cave, all boats entering the cave are unpowered hand cranked boats. The aunt who punted the boat enthusiastically and meticulously explained to us the scenic spots along the way, reminding us which direction had "highlights"; When encountering some stalactites that grow relatively low, the aunt will remind us to bow down and pass safely in a timely manner.

Although the underground river is 4.5 kilometers long, only about 1 kilometer is open for cruise ships to visit, and the remaining 3.5 kilometers add a touch of mystery to the entire underground river. In the cave, faint sound of waves can be heard coming from all around. It is said to be an induction device. When a ship passes by, it will simulate the sound of waves, making the cruise ship very immersive.

The stalactites in the cave hang low, and when you look around, there are strange stones illuminated by colorful lights. The reflections in the water are even more dreamy. Those stalactites come in various forms, with characters, beasts, flowers, birds, insects, fish, and all living beings outlined in the divine pen of nature, both illusory and immortal. Some names are entirely based on one's own imagination. The stalactite is covered in damp water vapor, which is evidence that it is still growing. It is still alive and can breathe. The beauty of stalactites lies in their texture and form, which in turn contain infinite vitality. For tourists, it is also a thorough journey through time and space.

In some places, karst caves crisscross and there are caves inside; Sometimes deep and narrow, sometimes wide and high, the cave hall makes people feel like they are in a colorful underground palace; The incredible craftsmanship of nature often makes us feel the incredible nature of creation.

Halfway through the cruise, there will be a walking route on the shore, and then the boat will wait at the next pier, where you can board and continue the tour. And this part of the walk is the essence of the whole cruise ship, and also the postcard angle of the whole underground river: this place is called the "Cave of Buddha", as its name suggests. A large Buddha character is reflected on the rock wall, and a natural statue of Guanyin is also presented in front of us. This Guanyin statue was originally a stalactite, but later it was rumored to be the incarnation of Guanyin guarding here. Later, the monks hired a craftsman to carve his face, which gave him the appearance we see today.

After boarding the ship, continue boating in the lower half of the hidden river. This section is the widest part of the cave, where you can also see many distinctive stalactites, such as——

Dinghai Shen Zhi

said of an empress

Rainbow Stone, because the water level here was very high billions of years ago, washed the top of the cave very smooth, and with the light shining, it looked like a rainbow tunnel.

The decoration inside the cave is novel and unique, for example, when passing by this jellyfish lamp, the cave may accidentally drip water. The aunt who shook the boat said that the water inside the cave is pure and rich in minerals. If it drips onto the face, it can also nourish and beautify the face!

This is what I think is the most dreamy place inside the cave. The creatively designed chandelier lights up and down, and a great white shark will swim from the darkness with its mouth wide open; This kind of projection animation is so realistic in the dimly lit cave!

Halfway through, you will see the specially designed ship lift equipment here, called the Chuiyun Flying Boat. There are many underground caves, but only the Chuiyun Underground River has lift equipment, which adds a lot of entertainment to the entire cruise process. With the changing rhythm of the colorful lights, a time and space tunnel is created, where people and boats fly up to the top of the rock and steadily fall into the secondary river channel. Across an 8-meter drop, the hanging cloud flying boat takes you to another secret realm.

When passing through the underwater world, deep pools and canyons, and arriving at the Valley of Money, I still have a deep impression of the vortex shaped like copper coins on the top of the cave, which is also one of the most visible stalactites in the cave.

Arriving at Foshou Island means that the entire underground river journey has come to an end. Looking back at these stalactites behind them, although they are silent and grow slower than trees, they have an endless lifespan that humans can hardly imagine. Silence, slowness, and firmness are the qualities that exist within the cave, and they are also the best manifestation of their continued vitality after billions of years. Starting from the day when the water flows endlessly inside the cave, these stalactites are growing every minute and every second. Although their whispers are silent, the ding dong sound of dripping water piercing through the stones in their breath is their grateful chant of the wonders of the universe.

Approaching the exit, the colorful colors faded away, and seeing the faint light coming from outside, I realized that I had finally returned to reality. The 158 level internet celebrity staircase in front of me is a necessary path for going out, and although it may not seem long, it feels a bit breathless to walk back. I usually lack exercise, so I happen to come to Tonglu, a natural place in the mountains, to exercise well, sweat all over, and then take a deep breath of the purest and most natural air here.

[Lingyun Overpass, Caution for those who are afraid of heights]

After visiting the underground landscape, it's time to take a look at the above ground. There is more to play with than just one underground river, Chuiyun Tongtian River. After coming out, follow the sign to another popular check-in point in the scenic area, Lingyun Overpass. Along the wooden boardwalk, climbing up the stairs, the trees that cover the sky and sun fully showcase the wild beauty of the mountains and forests in this area. Passing through the Angel Corridor, there is a must see photo spot next to the Lingyun Overpass - Angel Wings.

This is not just the ordinary Angel Wings, but the "Angel Wings" left by the famous artist Colette Miller for the scenic area this year. He has been leaving works of Angel Wings around the world since 2012, hoping to celebrate the beauty of human nature through this public welfare project. The places where she left her works are all world-class landmarks, such as the Federal Bank Building in the United States and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Each angel's wing painted is unique and irreplaceable, and when this artist is attracted by the scenery of Chuiyun Tongtian River, they have this pair of colorful wings by the Lingyun Overpass. Therefore, do not miss this popular check-in point when passing by!

Lingyun Overpass is one of the core landscapes of Chuiyun Tongtian River. This glass walkway is more than 300 meters long and 150 meters high. Walking on it feels like taking a stroll through the clouds, and the beautiful scenery of nature is in full view. In the distance, the towering green mountains and rivers make people feel relaxed and happy, which is an experience that cannot be missed when coming here. Nowadays, it seems that all mountain scenic spots often build a glass walkway for tourists to take photos and punch cards, and it seems that all glass walkway have the potential to become popular online, as does the Lingyun Overpass, which hangs clouds and connects to the Tianhe River.

When entering the glass walkway, you must get shoe covers, which is also the need of the scenic spot to protect the glass surface. Please abide by it! Because it is winter and the scenic area is close, there are very few people on the overpass, so taking portrait photos is so easy! Dai Xiansen hasn't taken a photo of me for a long time and keeps asking me: Am I not regressing? I haven't regressed, have I? I haven't regressed, have I?
What do you think?

Tourists occasionally pass by on the boardwalk, and everyone's expressions are also exciting. Some remain calm and composed as if walking on a flat ground, while others look up at the sky and tremble, holding onto the railing next to them tightly; It is actually difficult for people who are not afraid of heights to understand the reasons for their fear. However, for a person like me who is not afraid of heights, walking along the glass walkway seems less challenging, especially when concentrating on taking photos, I don't pay attention to height at all.

The footage captured by the drone is so clean that it looks like nothing is visible, and below it lies an unfathomable dense forest valley. It's quite exciting to think about it.

On one side of Lingyun Overpass, there is another online red card punching point in the scenic spot floating in the air (glass walkway drifting). Although I was eager to try this point before coming here, I especially wanted to experience it. Unfortunately, this project was under maintenance when we arrived. I took a photo from the bridge, but due to the long slide, I couldn't capture the full picture. Coming here in summer must be a cool and enjoyable place to play with water.

[Chuiyun Shouting Spring, why not express what you want by shouting?]

On the other side of the glass walkway, you can overlook the Chuiyun Shouquan of Chuiyun Lake. This is a very addictive voice control device. The larger the decibel, the higher the fountain sprays, making it very popular on Douyin. The scenic area is really fun! If you have a loud voice, you must come here to challenge your limits; It is said that Shouquan can soar up to 30 meters, as high as the nearby small mountain peak; If we could achieve this height, how fulfilling it would be.

Chuiyun Shouquan is located by the edge of Chuiyun Lake, relative to the dock, on the other side of the lake. Walking down the mountain from Lingyun Overpass, you won't miss this place. This is also particularly suitable for urbanites who are under life and work pressure. Regardless of the decibel level, come here and shout a few times, just take it as a way to relieve stress!

In addition to Shouquan, there is also a highly recommended place for taking photos on the boardwalk by the lake, called Love Valley, which sounds very romantic by its name. It is a wooden boardwalk located in the mountains and forests, rarely visited by people, suitable for couples to walk together. On both sides of the boardwalk, there are three popular "Bird's Nests" in Bali, with slightly different appearances. You can choose your favorite photo shoot. Sitting on it and taking some portraits gives off a forest like feeling!

When the sun sets westward, the scenic area is also closing its doors. Leaving the Chuiyun Tongtian River Scenic Area, we are still unsatisfied with this exploration of "going from heaven to earth".

【 Waves, stones, and golden beaches, memories of Jiangnan with the colors of water and sky 】

The next morning, we headed to the Langshi Jintan Scenic Area, which is a 10 minute drive from Chuiyun Tongtian River. Jintan, also known as "Tidal Reversal Beach", was formed by the rising tide of the Qiantang River in the past. It is a natural pebble beach with an area of over a thousand acres. This place used to be an ancient port for water and land transportation in Tianmu Creek, with many historical relics, allusions, and folk legends.

I thought this was just a place to experience bamboo rafting, but I didn't expect that there are other caves and rich content in the scenic area. After entering, there are historical sites such as Jingming Pavilion, Longyin Hall, and Liu Xiuci Temple; At present, there are not many relics about Liu Xiu in the country. It is said that the Liu Xiu Temple here was the site where Liu Xiu took refuge in the past, but the temple we see now is a later built one. Fairies who like Hanfu can also wear Hanfu and come here to take a set of ancient style photos. After all, this lush and peaceful Jiangnan courtyard is really great for taking photos without anyone disturbing it.

What is your physique? Come and challenge yourself! Does a fairy with a devilish figure usually not need to eat?

Unexpectedly, Langshi Jintan is still a suitable place for friends to gather and company team building and expansion. It is equipped with facilities such as a water park, grass beach volleyball, family park, wild barbecue, tent camping, quality improvement, and rural stove, which is enough for a group of people to play happily all day long. If you're not in a hurry, you can really explore slowly and perhaps make new discoveries!

Passing through a thousand acre bamboo forest, you can see a natural cobblestone beach intertwined with green hills and beautiful natural scenery. Many bamboo rafts are docked on the shore, and you can experience the fun of mountains and rivers by riding bamboo rafts. Although few people come to drift in winter, the bamboo rafts here are gentle and won't get wet; In addition, the shallow water level in winter makes it more like boating on the river surface.

Although there was no sun on that day, there was no wind or waves in the center of the river, making it suitable for boating. Riding on a bamboo raft downstream, the beautiful scenery on both sides appears as a mirror image. The river gently steamed up a faint mist, misty and misty. At this moment, this scene perfectly reproduces the description in "The Book of Zhu Yuansi": "The wind and smoke are both clean, and the Tianshan Mountains share the same color. Wandering from the flow, anything." This should be the description of the scene before us.

Our bamboo raft passed through a rapids that were not really rapids, and successfully reached the finish line. Because the water level is shallow, although the boatman also worked hard all the way downstream; Finally, the bamboo raft was pulled back to the departure dock by the mechanical ship against the current. This journey takes about half an hour, but you can see the most poetic and picturesque mountains and rivers in Jiangnan as you imagine. After reaching the finish line, you can wait for the shuttle bus to return to the entrance of the scenic area, which is very convenient.

[Practical Guide]
[Attraction Information]
Chuiyun Tongtian River
Tourist attraction address: Donglin Village, Yaolin Town, Tonglu County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Ticket: Regular ticket: 98 RMB; Parent child ticket: 138 RMB for one large and one small/198 RMB for two large and one small
Opening hours: 08:00-16:00
Gaming advice: Playing takes half to half a day. The glass walkway is the highest place in the scenic spot, and you can walk down the mountain for about 20 minutes; You can also ride down in the air (when the facilities are open). There are two ways to play the underground river: boating in the underground river (by boat) and hiking in the underground Grand Canyon. The underground Grand Canyon requires an additional fee.


Langshi Jintan
Tourist attraction address: Langshi Village, Hengcun Town, Tonglu County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Business hours: 8:00-16:30
Ticket: Langshi Jintan Ticket+Drifting Ticket Adult ticket booked online is 60 yuan/person, and for a single ticket, it is 40 yuan/person


[Transportation Information]
Self driving:
We chose self driving, which takes about three and a half hours from Shanghai to the scenic area; It takes about an hour and a half to drive from Hangzhou to the scenic area. At the entrance of the scenic area is a main road, where cars can park on the roadside and charge per trip.
1. Tourists from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Taizhou:
Changshen Expressway (under the Tonglu exit of Hangzhou Xinjing section) → Provincial Highway 05 → Provincial Highway 16 → Entering the scenic area
2. Tourists from Wenzhou, Quzhou, Jiangxi, and Lishui:
Changshen Expressway → Hangxinjing section Fuchun River exit towards Fenshui direction → National Highway 320 → Provincial Highway 16 → Entering the scenic area
3. Mount Huangshan tourists:
Hanghui Expressway (heading towards Fenshui under the Qianqian exit) → Fenshui (heading towards Tonglu) → Provincial Highway 16 → Entering the scenic area

Public transportation:
If you choose public transportation, you can choose to take the high-speed rail to Tonglu Station, and then choose to take a taxi to get there. You can also take a bus from Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake or Fenshui from the downtown area of Hangzhou to Hangzhou West Station, directly purchase at the ticket window and get off at the "Tongtian River" station. From Tonglu County to Fuqiao Port Station, take a bus from Tonglu to Fenshui and get off at the "Chuiyun Tongtian River" station.
Take the bus from Tonglu to Fenshui to reach the Chuiyun Tongtian River Scenic Area. Get off at the Chuiyun intersection, it costs 7 yuan per person and takes about 30 minutes to arrive

[Accommodation Suggestions]
The main road at the entrance of the scenic area has many small hotels opened by local residents on both sides; Although the conditions are limited, the advantage lies in convenient transportation and the ability to walk back and forth to the scenic area. Because it is operated by local people at home, there will not be much difference in prices and facilities, so everyone can choose according to fate; If the accommodation conditions are relatively high, you can stay in Tonglu County, 25 kilometers away, which requires a taxi for round-trip.


Local cuisine

Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, with a dense water network near Tonglu. It also relies on mountains for food and water for food. So the most on the dining table here are fish, shrimp, and crabs from the river, wild vegetables from the mountains, and my favorite bamboo shoots. There are several farmhouse restaurants on the main road outside the hotel, with reasonable prices and sincere products; The busiest time was actually in the morning, and I heard that many nearby residents would come to have breakfast in admiration; Such a simple scene reminds me of the documentary called "Breakfast China", which was also a down-to-earth local restaurant.

Conclusion

If Tonglu is a freehand landscape painting, then Chuiyun Tongtian River is just one corner of the painting. However, the scenery in Jiangnan is always endless and endless to explore. The two-day and one night trip only has the simplest and most simple arrangement, without any rush pressure, so that you can truly relax your body and mind and return to nature. I think the beginning of the new year is a wonderful beginning. I used to remember to write a year-end summary, but this kind of narrative opening is the first time, and I really like it.

On January 1st, 2020, we were in Tonglu.
The paradise is far away, but Tonglu is very close.