preface

I have been to Hangzhou many times, but it is still my first time to visit Jiande, which is a 40 minute drive from Hangzhou. Here is the millennium old Meicheng ancient town, the perennial 17 ℃ Xin'an River, authentic cuisine that cures taste buds, and New United Airlines that can take you on a sightseeing trip! Meicheng is located in the western mountainous area of Meicheng Town, Jiande City, Zhejiang Province, at the confluence of the Xin'an River and the Lanjiang River. It was formerly known as Yanzhou Prefecture. With a long history of over 1200 years, beautiful mountains and rivers, and rich cultural relics, the ancient town of Meicheng has gradually become a popular tourist destination for people.

This is an unprecedented experience. I used to only know about West Lake in Hangzhou, but now there are more fun projects around Jiande that I couldn't experience before. On the first day of 2020, I came to Jiande, Hangzhou to experience the charm of the millennium old Meicheng ancient town.

Encounter the beautiful sunset on the ancient walls of Meicheng Ancient Town.

Walk into Hangzhou Jiande Xinlian Aviation Base with lovely children and experience an unforgettable aviation research and learning journey.

Millennium Yanzhou Prefecture, Charming Jiande Meicheng Ancient Town

Meicheng is located in Jiande City, Hangzhou, formerly known as Yanzhou Prefecture. It has a long history of over 1200 years and is more than 100 kilometers away from the city center. The Xin'an River, Fuchun River, and Lanjiang River converge here. This place has a long history, beautiful mountains and rivers, outstanding people, and rich cultural heritage. Du Mu, Fan Zhongyan, Lu You, and others have served here, and Xie Lingyun, Li Bai, and others have also traveled to the mountains and rivers here. They are all intoxicated by the scenery here, leaving behind magnificent poems for future generations. Meng Haoran once left a timeless poem here: "The wild sky is low, the river is clear, and the moon is close to people." Lu You left more than 200 poems during his tenure in Yanzhou.

The first time I arrived here, the biggest impression I had when I climbed the ancient city wall of Meicheng was that a simple and magnificent city gate stood facing the river. This is also the ancient city gate of Yanzhou Prefecture for thousands of years. Standing on the city gate, the view was extremely broad, and the beautiful Sanjiangkou was breathtaking. The bell on the city wall played a tinkling music as the gentle breeze blew, adding a wonderful sound to this quiet ancient city.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Jiande County was established in Meicheng, which was the capital of the ancient Muzhou Prefecture and the ancient Yanzhou Prefecture. It was named Meicheng because the ancient city walls were built in the shape of plum blossoms. In the evening, the sunlight shone golden on the ancient city walls and towers. The ancient city in winter still feels warm like spring.

Down the city wall and into the city, there are beautiful corridors and courtyards. The Sifan memorial archway, No. 1 Scholar memorial archway, Jiande Marquis Archway and other historic sites are worth savoring. The buildings on both sides of Meicheng Ancient Street, with white tiles and gray walls, have been passed down here. These ancient and antique skills, such as forging iron, have disappeared from the city. The Yuquan Temple, Wansong Forest, Twin Towers and Lingyun outside the city can slowly seek seclusion.

At present, there are not many tourists here. You can have a refreshing trip here and experience the heritage of the ancient city. Then it's time to talk about the delicious food in Meicheng. Walking along the main street in the city, we found that there are many local specialties in the streets on both sides, which are also very special. For example, Yanzhou dried duck, Yanzhou Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle), Meicheng handmade noodles, etc. are very delicious, and there are unique big bean curd buns. Lu You was once amazed by the taste of steamed buns, and named it "Yanzhou's first bag".

Strolling through the ancient town of Meicheng, experiencing the atmosphere of life here, and integrating into the local people's lives, one will find that the simple life here is also a kind of fun. Every time I travel, the most I want to experience is the local people's lives. Walking on the ancient streets, listening to the bustling past of this ancient city. Walk to a food shop, sit down and slowly savor the food here, slow down time, and feel the charm of this place.

Jiande Xinlian Aviation Base Launches Ideal Places

When I was a child, I had a dream of becoming a pilot when I grew up. I have flown many planes since I grew up, but the opportunity to take a helicopter is relatively limited. This time I came just to take a helicopter. The Xinlian Aviation Base is located in the Jiande Aviation Town of Hangzhou. The base has an aviation science popularization center, creating a science popularization and learning base that combines education and entertainment. The base also has an aviation model exhibition hall, which has various aircraft models for remote control simulation flight experience. We arrived at the Aviation Town and visited the Aviation Science Popularization Center. As soon as you enter the door, you can see the model of the airplane hanging above.

The aviation science popularization and learning camp in Jiande Aviation Town is divided into two major areas: indoor teaching venues and outdoor activity venues. The outdoor activity venue is set up with five activity zones, including New United Airlines outdoor teaching, remote control flight, and lawn release, for conducting large-scale aviation model performances, remote control flight experiences, hot air balloons, go karts, and other experiential projects. We plan to launch a series of aviation science popularization themed study tours, such as "Little Flyer" and "Sky Adventures", targeting different study groups. Fortunately, I visited with the children today and they looked good in the captain's uniform.

Under the guidance of the teacher, the children first arrived at the exhibition area of the development history of airplanes, to understand how airplanes came about. Starting from the ancient Chinese Kongming Lantern, they gradually moved on to modern airplanes, allowing the children to understand this process of development more intuitively and easily than what they see in textbooks.

There are many models of airplanes in the exhibition area, from ancient, modern, and even modern. The most eye-catching thing is the earliest airplane to fly into the sky, because this airplane is very different from today's airplanes. The first airplane invented by the Wright brothers was a biplane, which flew from the ground to the sky. Although the world's first airplane, Flyer One, only flew for 12 seconds and a distance of only 36.6 meters, this was the first time humans had conquered the sky. Seeing our domestically produced large aircraft again truly feels the strength of our motherland.

In addition to airplanes, there are also fighter jet models to help children learn more about the uses of these airplanes. Under the guidance of the instructor, each child listened attentively, deepening their understanding of airplanes. This is much better than learning from text alone in textbooks. The physical objects on site, combined with the teacher's explanation, immediately allowed children to learn about airplanes. There are too many models of airlines from all over the world in the exhibition area.

The other exhibition area is interactive with airplanes, such as simulating the cockpit of a plane, where you can see the buttons on the dial, the steering wheel, and so on. You can experience the feeling of flying an airplane here.

There is a very interesting exhibition hall, which is about the physical operation of aircraft engines and the main parts of the aircraft, such as the working principle of the aircraft engine. The various parts of the aircraft are decomposed and placed on this booth so that visitors can see the working principle of each part on site and operate some functions with their own hands, which is more intuitive. There is a booth where three ball switches are turned on, and the three balls fly up without falling. It's amazing, it turns out to be Bernoulli's theorem, where the balls fly in the air.

After the children finished visiting, they came to the classroom on the second floor, and the teacher took the children on a plane together. The children started by themselves, and the teacher explained on the front desk how the plane was assembled. The children listened attentively to the teacher below, each with a plane. They opened their bags and followed the steps taught by the teacher to assemble themselves.

Every child is carefully assembling the plane, and some younger children have also assembled the plane under the guidance of their parents. Xinlian Aviation Research is aimed at expanding aviation knowledge for children and adolescents, providing parent-child tourism and research courses to help children and adolescents achieve balanced development in exploration, creativity, practical abilities, values, and other aspects. It is particularly suitable for family parent-child activities.

After installing the plane, the children came to the Little Flyer Aviation Science Popularization Special Study and Travel Course, where they learned how to become a little flyer from a young age. The teacher taught the children how to be a little flyer. These courses are specifically designed to build a learning and exchange platform for young people, integrating aviation themed science popularization, aircraft experience, teaching and entertainment.

I have always been longing to take a helicopter, and this time I had the opportunity to sit here. We arrived at the New China Unicom Aviation located in the aviation town of Jiande, which is the only place where we can experience helicopters. It was here that I started taking off by helicopter to Qiandao Lake. Currently, there are nine study routes available, and you can choose according to your preferred route. Of course, the price is different as flying far and seeing more scenic spots will be more expensive.

I arrived at the New United Airlines Club, which offers coffee and tea. The club has professional pilots who participate in various aviation flight competitions all year round. When we arrived here, it happened that the pilots were teaching, and some new students were listening to the coach explain helicopter flight knowledge and training. You can see the helicopter parked outside the transparent glass window in the living room

This is the helicopter I am riding on. Before getting on it, I need to put on my life jacket, and then the teacher will first explain some safety precautions to pay attention to while riding the helicopter. To be honest, the first time I took this helicopter, I was a bit scared of people psychologically. After all, I used a propeller helicopter, and when I got on it, all these fears were unnecessary. The helicopter was relatively stable during the flight. After taking off from here, we flew towards the direction of Qiandao Lake, slowly raising the helicopter to a certain altitude and flying straight along this safe altitude.

Sitting on a helicopter, passing through the fields, passing through mountains one after another, we finally arrived at the sky above Qiandao Lake after about twenty minutes of flying. It was so beautiful, and it was the first time to experience the beauty of Qiandao Lake from above, experiencing the grandeur of the mountains. The water of Qiandao Lake appears deep blue from the air, and the helicopter sightseeing experience is truly a brand new experience. Looking at Qiandao Lake from the air is definitely an unprecedented experience, fantastic.

After taking off to a certain altitude, the entire ancient town has a panoramic view. The scenery seen from the air and on land are completely different. The scenery seen from the air is really beautiful. Qiandao Lake is very close to the ancient town, and it can be reached about 20 minutes from the New United Airlines base. In the sky above Qiandao Lake, when looking down from the helicopter, the deep blue lake water is surrounded by mountains. Suddenly, the helicopter landed on the surface of Qiandao Lake, flying less than three meters high against the water surface. It was really exciting, as if it was a scene from a movie. I didn't expect to experience it. Surprise me immensely. In no time, the captain increased his horsepower and raised the helicopter to a certain altitude, then descended to a certain altitude like a free fall, flying along the lake. The sound of the huge propeller swinging caused ripples in the lake.

It really gave me a different flying experience. After returning, I took a group photo in front of the helicopter and praised the captain's skills in piloting the helicopter. It really leaves me lingering and unforgettable. It's so fun, I really want to experience it again. If you have a trip to Hangzhou and have a childhood dream of flying, you can really experience taking a helicopter in Jiande.

Watch a model flight performance and experience the stunning charm of flying skills

After sitting in the helicopter, watching the model flight performance is something I never dared to imagine before. I used to see a lot of model aircraft flying on TV before, but this time I also saw a performance here. It was really amazing. Each model aircraft is a proportion of the real aircraft, and the appearance is the same as the real aircraft, only controlled by remote control. The first fighter jet to appear, after debugging, went to the runway and was ready to take off. A few young men holding remote controls were controlling the fighter jet, gliding rapidly on the runway, then increasing their horsepower and flying into the sky.

The sound emitted was somewhat similar to that of a fighter jet. Then we flew in various poses in the air, doing front somersaults, back somersaults, and performing high difficulty flight performances. Watching the fighter jet flying rapidly in the air, it instantly soared into the sky. I am also a new gameplay project launched by Xinlian Aviation Base.

New gameplay: Take a helicopter at Xinlian Aviation Base to overlook Qiandao Lake

I have always been longing to take a helicopter, and this time I had the opportunity to sit here. We arrived at the New China Unicom Aviation located in the aviation town of Jiande, which is the only place where we can experience helicopters. It was here that I started taking off by helicopter to Qiandao Lake. Currently, there are nine study routes available, and you can choose according to your preferred route. Of course, the price is different as flying far and seeing more scenic spots will be more expensive.

I arrived at the New United Airlines Club, which offers coffee and tea. The club has professional pilots who participate in various aviation flight competitions all year round. When we arrived here, it happened that the pilots were teaching, and some new students were listening to the coach explain helicopter flight knowledge and training. You can see the helicopter parked outside the transparent glass window in the living room

This is the helicopter I am riding on. Before getting on it, I need to put on my life jacket, and then the teacher will first explain some safety precautions to pay attention to while riding the helicopter. To be honest, the first time I took this helicopter, I was a bit scared of people psychologically. After all, I used a propeller helicopter, and when I got on it, all these fears were unnecessary. The helicopter was relatively stable during the flight. After taking off from here, we flew towards the direction of Qiandao Lake, slowly raising the helicopter to a certain altitude and flying straight along this safe altitude.

Sitting on a helicopter, passing through the fields, passing through mountains one after another, we finally arrived at the sky above Qiandao Lake after about twenty minutes of flying. It was so beautiful, and it was the first time to experience the beauty of Qiandao Lake from above, experiencing the grandeur of the mountains. The water of Qiandao Lake appears deep blue from the air, and the helicopter sightseeing experience is truly a brand new experience. Looking at Qiandao Lake from the air is definitely an unprecedented experience, fantastic.

After taking off to a certain altitude, the entire ancient town has a panoramic view. The scenery seen from the air and on land are completely different. The scenery seen from the air is really beautiful. Qiandao Lake is very close to the ancient town, and it can be reached about 20 minutes from the New United Airlines base. In the sky above Qiandao Lake, when looking down from the helicopter, the deep blue lake water is surrounded by mountains. Suddenly, the helicopter landed on the surface of Qiandao Lake, flying less than three meters high against the water surface. It was really exciting, as if it was a scene from a movie. I didn't expect to experience it. Surprise me immensely. In no time, the captain increased his horsepower and raised the helicopter to a certain altitude, then descended to a certain altitude like a free fall, flying along the lake. The sound of the huge propeller swinging caused ripples in the lake.

It really gave me a different flying experience. After returning, I took a group photo in front of the helicopter and praised the captain's skills in piloting the helicopter. It really leaves me lingering and unforgettable. It's so fun, I really want to experience it again. If you have a trip to Hangzhou and have a childhood dream of flying, you can really experience taking a helicopter in Jiande.

Watch a model flight performance and experience the stunning charm of flying skills

After sitting in the helicopter, watching the model flight performance is something I never dared to imagine before. I used to see a lot of model aircraft flying on TV before, but this time I also saw a performance here. It was really amazing. Each model aircraft is a proportion of the real aircraft, and the appearance is the same as the real aircraft, only controlled by remote control. The first fighter jet to appear, after debugging, went to the runway and was ready to take off. A few young men holding remote controls were controlling the fighter jet, gliding rapidly on the runway, then increasing their horsepower and flying into the sky.

The sound emitted was somewhat similar to that of a fighter jet. Then we flew in various poses in the air, doing front somersaults, back somersaults, and performing high difficulty flight performances. Watching the fighter jet flying rapidly in the air, it instantly soared into the sky. I am also a new gameplay project launched by Xinlian Aviation Base.

Then the other two tiers began flying, preparing for the pre takeoff debugging work. Then, the staff remotely controlled the remote control. This aircraft model was relatively large, ready to take off, and flew into the sky in just a few seconds. The speed was so fast that I was dizzy. Then, the most exciting performance in the air began, various difficult somersaults, which all depended on the skills of the operators controlling the aircraft. The staff told us that the members of the New United Airlines model fleet had won the national model performance awards multiple times, no wonder they flew so well. The wonderful performance won applause from the audience present.

Watching thrilling drifting stunts in a car park

There is a venue called Car Park right next to the model flight performance, and the entrance is a bumblebee shaped Transformers. Before arriving at the car park, I heard the sound of cars racing. As I approached, I saw a car drifting and flying by, doing various movements. The entire venue was filled with many old tires, and today there was only one car performing. I haven't really enjoyed watching it, sometimes the performance will be more exciting depending on the number of tourists coming to watch or during some activities.

Converting buses into bars, restaurants, and so on, cars have been transformed into various character graffiti, and there are several Transformers made from car parts in the car park, which still looks a bit interesting. If you travel here, you can go inside and take a look. Maybe there will be multiple car performances drifting.

The walls of the car park have also been graffiti into various portraits, which looks quite fashionable and trendy.

The former Henggang has transformed into today's aviation town

Jiande Aviation Town used to be Old Henggang, where the old factory buildings are still preserved. After renovation, it has now become an aviation town and is also the most distinctive aviation town in Zhejiang. Entering Jiande Aviation Town, the former railway station has turned into a train themed square, the cafeteria has turned into a town living room, and the cultural building has turned into an aviation themed hotel... There are hardly any new buildings in the town, and each old building presents a new and exciting experience, making "horizontal steel memories" within reach.

The aviation town is quite large, with the Xinlian Aviation Base and Xinlian Aviation Science Popularization Center all located within the aviation town. One of the planes has been converted into a restaurant, attracting some tourists to visit and dine here. There are many unique restaurants in the aviation town, and another one has converted an old train into a restaurant.

In the train square, you can see old train locomotives from the past. The green train has been converted into a train restaurant, and there are also train hotels. The train station is more suitable for taking some photos, giving a nostalgic feeling. Moreover, this kind of old train locomotive is rarely seen, and many tourists take photos here. Normally, there are fewer people, but on weekends, there will be more people here.

There are many places to visit in the entire aviation town, and some areas are not yet open. Whether it's taking children for parent-child study tours or weekend tours, this is a good niche check-in spot and worth checking in.

Jiande has a copper culture and art museum hidden deep in the tea garden

The Liu Hua Copper Culture and Art Museum, located in Qiantan, Jiande, Hangzhou, is hidden deep in a tea garden. The copper products in the museum were attracted from the moment they entered. When thousands of copper artworks appeared before my eyes, I couldn't believe they were all made of copper. The bronze sculpture at the entrance depicts a lifelike bronze lion, while the Buddha's portrait appears solemn and full of Zen meaning. Every piece of work is presented with vitality before our eyes.

As I walked into the museum, I saw thousands of copper carving crafts in front of me. In addition to copper artworks, there were also copper and wood furniture, buildings, incense burners, and so on, with a wide variety of types that dazzled me. The scene of tens of thousands of horses galloping beside the entrance has been frozen into a lifelike work. The bronze statue of Guan Gong is even more like, with a perfectly proportioned expression on his face and figure.

One by one, copper works appeared before my eyes, making me want to see every one of them again, without wanting to lose any unseen works. They were so exquisitely crafted that I couldn't forget to leave.

Furniture works are also full of new vitality, which is different from the furniture we usually see. Here, more copper art is integrated into furniture to present a different kind of furniture, which is more exquisite, beautiful, and elegant.

The Liu Huatong Cultural and Art Museum is committed to protecting, inheriting, and promoting traditional Chinese handicrafts, aiming to stimulate the cultural interest of the new generation of young people, deepen their awareness of inheritance and protection, and enable them to gain knowledge through experience. There is also a workshop next to it that produces copper artifacts on site, with many tools, where you can experience the process of making copper artworks on site. Especially for parent-child tours with children, it is an unforgettable experience for them to personally create a copper artwork that belongs to their own creations.

Jiande's authentic cuisine heals your taste buds

We often say that there are two things that cannot be let down during travel, which are food and beautiful scenery. The most unforgettable thing for me on every trip is to taste the local cuisine. It can be said that eating all of Jiande is equivalent to eating all of Hangzhou and Jiangnan. Jiangnan cuisine is of the same lineage and origin, but each has its own unique strengths. Steamed Taiwanese Meatballs, fish head in thick soup, dried duck, steamed fish... Imagine how satisfied it is to be wet and cold outside and hot inside.

This year, I came to Jiande, Hangzhou to celebrate the New Year. Every time I traveled, besides the beautiful scenery, the delicious food was unforgettable. Of course, you can't miss the cuisine here when you come to Jiande. Although it's less than an hour's drive from Hangzhou, the cuisine in Jiande is indeed different from Hangzhou. The cuisine here is more spicy. The farmhouse Rice-meat dumplings here is my favorite dish. The main ingredient is sweet potato powder. Add taro, winter melon, meat, shredded radish, etc., and knead it into a ball. Steamed, it tastes tender. It is a feast in Jiande rural area, and Taiwanese Meatballs is an indispensable food.

Jiande Xianxian rice dumpling is also the first time to eat. rice dumpling here prefers salty stuffing. The fried vegetables and meat are wrapped in glutinous rice dumpling skin, which is a circle larger than sweet rice dumpling. Palace sweat steamed chicken is also the most famous dish here. The whole chicken is very tender, and you can pick up a piece of meat with just a pinch of chopsticks. It tastes tender and smooth when eaten, and has a sweet taste.

The fragrant grass is fresh and beautiful, and the fallen leaves are colorful, living in a secluded paradise

Travel to Jiande and find a place to stay that is like a paradise in the world. Don't miss the Banmei Residence boutique homestay located on the mountaintop. Surrounded by green trees, the environment is elegant, the air is fresh, and the birds sing and the flowers are fragrant. The large floor to ceiling windows and the fresh decoration style make the visitors feel more cordial. I stayed in two places in Jiande, Hangzhou this time. The first one was a boutique homestay in Banmei Ju, and the second one was a hotel. I had booked this homestay online in advance, which surprised me a lot. The homestay is located on the mountain of the villa, with direct elevator access, which is convenient. If it is self built, there is also a convenient parking spot.

In the evening, have a cup of coffee and sit quietly on the balcony waiting for a beautiful sunset. Not far away is Xin'an River, and the homestay is very close to Meicheng Ancient Town, with convenient transportation in the surrounding area. A warm, comfortable, and spacious space is desirable.

There is another benefit to living in this homestay, the first feeling is that it is very quiet. Each room has a large balcony, and pushing open the balcony can overlook the mountain or river scenery, which is very beautiful. The design style of each room is different, ranging from classical to modern. I stayed in a room with a more classical style, elegant and atmospheric, with a large bed that was very comfortable to sleep in. The surrounding transportation is very convenient, and another advantage is that there is a restaurant in the homestay where you can enjoy authentic Jianxin cuisine.

The next day, we arrived at Jianxin Qiantan Town and stayed at Xi'an Hotel, which is located in New Century Square. This is a hotel that young people love, and it is also a women's themed hotel. The hotel I stayed at this time surprised me a lot. Since it is a "women's themed" specialty hotel, the design style from the lobby color to the hotel room color is light blue.

The room is spacious, and the design takes into account some details of women's daily lives. For example, the dressing table is also equipped with chairs, and the room design is relatively small and fresh, looking very comfortable. There are small sofas, desks, and a large flat screen TV. Moreover, the hotel's location is quite good, and there are many snack shops just a few steps away. Quiet at night, the bed in the room is very comfortable to sleep on. The first time I checked in felt good.

When taking a shower in the bathroom of this hotel, as long as you turn on the shower, the sound system will automatically play beautiful music, which I never expected. This is the first time I have ever encountered such a thing in so many hotels. There is a sign on the door that says "Open your concert venue", and it turns out to be like this. Enjoying beautiful music while taking a pleasant shower. Just think about it and you'll know how romantic it is.

Write at the end

Having come to Hangzhou so many times and never experienced this unique niche tourist experience, the Jiande niche check-in spot, which is only 40 kilometers away from Hangzhou, is worth checking in. Especially, taking your child on a plane study tour is a very good choice. Learning about airplanes while traveling, including aviation knowledge, creating aviation models, and watching aircraft model performances, will bring children a brand new and different experience.