preface

Although the COVID-19 epidemic is relatively stable in China now, one or two outbreaks still occur everywhere from time to time, which makes me a little scary thinking about it. Even if he has a desire to travel, he does not dare to go out casually and can only stay in Xiamen obediently. Then why not pick a weekend to visit Xiamen Island? I learned about Dazhai Village in Xiang 'an District, Xiamen from the circle of fat friends. This Dazhai Village is really famous. It was once shortlisted as the "2019 Most Beautiful Village in Fujian." Moreover, the biggest feature there is the dragon fruit all over the mountains and plains. It is the picking season, and there are many activities. So why not drive there and take a look and join in the fun?

Xiang 'an is a land that is both familiar and unfamiliar to me. Although I am in Xiamen, I rarely come to Xiang' an. Fortunately, I follow the map navigation to get there smoothly and pass through the big wooden house door. Enter the world of dragon fruit!

On both sides of the road, everywhere you can see, there are all kinds of dragon fruit trees, blooming and bearing fruits, and it feels like they are competing for each other. We parked our car on the side of the road, got off the bus and walked, and chatted with local farmers picking dragon fruit in the fields. This year's dragon fruit harvest is another bumper harvest.

The fruit farmers were very happy to pick up a few dragon fruits and give them to us on the spot, saying that they would invite us to eat the dragon fruits they cultivated by themselves. They were sweet! Although I wasn't very embarrassed, I still took the dragon fruit handed over by the fruit farmer after some shirk, tore the peel directly with my hands, and started eating it on the spot! It's really sweet, fresh and delicious! This is the real way to make a difference without middlemen, haha. Before leaving, we spent some money and bought a few to show our gratitude.

On the left side of the road, there is a highland in the middle of the dragon fruit field. It has been arranged locally as a check-in ground. It is colorful and beautiful. Young ladies and brothers who like to take selfies must come and see it.

After a short stay, we continued driving and headed directly to the first stop of our trip, which was naturally the B & B we were going to stay at tonight! Because the dragon fruit flowers and our common epiphyllum are "relatives", they both secretly bloom at night, so you have to stay overnight to see the moment when the dragon fruit flowers bloom.

The B & B that received us was the most beautiful "Xiaohonglou" in the village. It was called Xiangyu Xiangyuan B & B. It was close to two lakes and occupied the location of the village! At first, I thought we would stay in this building for the night, but later I realized that I was too young too simple, but this is also a later story. What is more interesting place in the village? Just check in with me! Let's enjoy the beautiful and delicious dragon fruit together and check in the beautiful scenery of the village.

In addition to the highland platform check-in point on the left side of the big house gate just now, the check-in point closest to the B & B has a large landscape box. You can stand, sit and lean in the landscape box, and take beautiful pictures in various postures. Scenic photos, the background is the endless Fire Dragon Orchard.

Although the glass greenhouse may not be a check-in point, I still suggest visiting it. However, there are still some dragon fruit seedlings in the research and development stage growing inside. Let's see if we can go there and touch it without touching it!

Not far from the entrance of the glass greenhouse is a very magical mirror maze check-in point. Here you can experience a full sense of science fiction. You can not only help friends take photos, but also take selfies. It is said that when the surroundings of the mirror light up at night, the effect will be more psychedelic and beautiful.

The bird's nest stool next to the mirror maze is also a good place to take photos. Unfortunately, such a beautiful scenery. If a beautiful woman with a fluttering long skirt sat there, it would be beautiful!

Moving forward is Tinghua Station. This is not only a check-in point, but also a play point and rest point. It also has a place to eat and the most important toilet for tourism. Hahaha.

One of the more interesting games here is Shout Spring. While shouting at the loudspeaker to release the pressure, the louder the sound, the longer it lasts, the higher the water column in the pond will spray. It is quite interesting.

As time slowly passed by, more and more tourists came to the big houses and countryside. Many young people dressed in Han costumes were taking photos and checking in the dragon fruit fields. We passed by and took a few photos. Did they have a different kind of beauty?

As night fell, the pastoral starry sky music party in the mansion officially opened. The stage lights were dazzling, and the people under the stage became impatient. The atmosphere at the scene was very lively. Performances on the stage, concerts in the fields, online dragon fruit live broadcasts in the open space, and various activities exploded in this small village!

Xiang 'an Dazhai's 2nd Dragon Fruit Culture Tourism Festival series activities--lighting pitaya! The pastoral starry sky music party in the mansion is in full swing. Fluorescent Internet celebrity check-in points, suitcase markets, Minnan children's playgrounds, rock music parties... On midsummer night, gorgeous fireworks bloom in the night sky of this 1400-acre dragon fruit garden. The youthful music makes people immerse themselves in this grand summer carnival.

This Dragon Fruit Culture and Tourism Festival will truly give villagers a greater sense of participation and gain. These art decoration and Internet celebrity check-in spots will not be removed until the end of the event. Driven by this Dragon Fruit Culture and Tourism Festival, villagers taught themselves to live broadcast sales, spontaneously donated old things to beautify the mansion, and spontaneously participated in the epidemic prevention, cleaning, and maintenance procedures of the event. Their sense of ownership has been greatly improved.

On this charming night, the most beautiful ones are these silently blooming dragon fruit flowers. Dragon fruit is a plant of the genus Trigonium in the cactus family and has high economic value. It integrates "fruits","flowers","vegetables","health care" and "medicine" and is called a priceless treasure.

Let's take a look at the beautiful dragon fruit flowers from a microscopic perspective. Are they beautiful at 360 degrees without dead corners? Moreover, such a beautiful flower can not only be viewed, but can also be made into food! Isn't it amazing!

Dazhai Ancient Cuo B & B

As the night became full and deepened, the activity ended, and the excitement subsided, leaving only some staff members to maintain order on the scene. We slowly exited the lively center area of the stage. While looking at the Thousand Acres Starry Dragon Fruit Garden, he slowly walked towards the B & B.

On the return journey, I also passed a dragon fruit distribution center. The dragon fruit was covered with frames and looked beautiful. The room was filled with the smell of dragon fruit and a good harvest. Dragon fruit can also be regarded as leading the villagers on the road to wealth!

Only when we arrived at the real B & Bs did we realize that the Xiangyuan B & Bs that we went to register earlier was actually just the "manager" of these B & Bs. We needed to register there and then spread them out among several different ancient B & Bs. The B & Bs are self-service, and it is more comfortable without anyone staring at them!

Although the B & B is transformed from an ancient house, it achieves a perfect integration of modernity and the ancient house. It not only retains the original appearance of the ancient house, but also adds modern convenience and intelligence. The comfortable queen bed, simple and clean sink, smart toilet, etc. all reflect the modern atmosphere everywhere.

It is worth mentioning that there is a "small" smart slightly in every room. You can not only use it to listen to songs, but also use it to control the lights in the entire room. It is really very convenient!

It was a very comfortable night until dawn. After leaving the door of the room, you could look up and see the sky. This experience is really beyond what a hotel in the city can compare! Blue sky, white clouds, sunshine, dragon fruit! Another new day!

There are many ancient houses preserved in the village, which are typical Minnan style buildings, with granite stone walls and red tile roofs, which are durable and beautiful in one house. Think about how great it would be if there were such a house today with a simple appearance and modern intelligence inside!

Xiangshan Ancient Temple Climb and look far away

Breakfast was eaten at Xiangyuan Book Bar, another B & B. This is not only a reading base that villagers can share, but also provides tourists with a good place to rest and read. A simple dragon fruit breakfast is also a surprise. We were a little surprised.

After breakfast, we stayed in the village for a while, visited the houses and B & Bs that we hadn't looked carefully at yesterday, and also saw some things that we hadn't noticed yesterday. After making some adjustments, we decided to go to our next stop, which is only two kilometers away from the mansion. Let's climb high and look into the distance together!

Xiangshan Scenic Area is located in the east of Xiang 'an District, close to Nan' an, surrounded by Jiuxi in the west, facing Hongjian Mountain in the north, and the sea in the south. It is located in the center of the "Southern Fujian Golden Triangle" of Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quan. It is also surrounded by water from Jinmen Island, with beautiful scenery and pleasant scenery.

The main temple Xiangshan Rock Temple. Xiangshan Rock Temple is located in the center of the scenic area and is dedicated to the ancestor of the black face and clear water. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the founder of Qingshui traveled and lived in Xi. After his death, the villagers worshipped the statue of the founder in Xiangshan Rock in the fourth year of Daguan of the Song Dynasty. Xiangshan Rock Temple is backed by green mountains and sits east and west. The front hall is low and the rear hall is high. There is a patio between the front and rear halls. The patio is very large, with nine stone steps connecting the back hall.

From the right hand side of the temple, you can pass through a small mountain gate and enter the hiking plank road. You can walk about one kilometer around the temple, and you can overlook Kinmen Island at the top of the mountain. Although the distance is not too far, it is really necessary to prevent heatstroke in such hot weather!

After circling around, we arrive at the square in front of the main entrance of Xiangshan Rock Temple. On one side of the square is a huge censer shaped landscape. The giant censer sculpture is made of green cloud red stone. The censer has a total height of 6 meters. The furnace body, furnace ears and furnace feet are carved with dragon shapes.

In fact, the Xiangshan Scenic Area is full of historical relics and the cultural landscape is profound and profound. There are not only the thousand-year-old temples Xiangshan Rock Temple and Huiguo Wengong Temple; there are sites such as "Le Guwo","Nine Chariots and Eighteen Donkeys and Camels" story stone carvings, and "East and West Yuting Ancient Road"; there are also the legendary "Niangzi Tomb","Lady One" ancient tomb and other monuments; There are Jiuxi "Zhuangyuan Bridge", Xilin "Eunuch Stele","Wangyangqian" stone carvings, Lion Ball Stone Carvings, etc. These scenic spots are spreading many beautiful and moving folklore, which contain rich information on southern Fujian folk culture, and also reflect the profound cultural heritage of Xiangshan Scenic Area.

PostScript

Soon, the day and night tour in Xiang 'an, Xiamen (from the afternoon of the first day to the afternoon of the next day) ended. Although it was only a short day, it felt like a long time had passed. Every time I came out, I felt very fulfilled. It was much better than spending two days at home.

Although I came here with my friends first to explore the way, the overall effect was great. Picking dragon fruit on site, viewing dragon fruit flowers, starry dragon fruit, etc. are all good games. Next time, you can bring your family over for the weekend. Take a vacation! Enjoy the pastoral fun and long-lost comfort!

TIPS

Transportation methods from Xiamen Island to Xiang 'an Mansion and Xiangshan Rock:

You can take bus No. 753 from the railway station to Xindian Station, and then change to bus No. 714 at the opposite direction.

Get off at Lutang Station and walk in to the mansion where you can pick dragon fruit and more

Get off at Chenban Station, and walk another two to three kilometers to Xiangshan (there are no buses on this section of the road)

It is recommended to travel by car. You can go everywhere by yourself

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Photo/Wen @ Shadow King Kiro