Write it in front:

Xiamen is a popular tourist city, with beautiful flowers and beautiful scenery. So are there any niche attractions here?

Of course there is.

By a very accidental opportunity, I discovered these few niche attractions amidst the hustle and bustle. There were no crowded crowds, and it was even a little deserted, with a touch of elegance and romance. If you are also in Xiamen, you might as well go here for a walk and have a look. They are really worth a visit.

Don't say much and get straight to the point.

The first attraction: Zhaizaiweili (known as Mogan Mountain in Xiamen)

By chance, I discovered this place.

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This place is called: Zhaiziweili, a bit awkward name. This is an ancient village. Its location is in Damao Mountain in Xiang 'an District, Xiamen.

When talking about Damao Mountain, we must talk about Xiang 'an District first.

Xiang 'an is a peninsula with three sides of the peninsula and only one side is land. On this small piece of land, there are many fishermen living. They have built many fishing villages in scattered areas.

In an era when no one cared about Xiamen, fishermen on the island lived here for a hundred years.

So in my impression, southern Fujian people are very good at building stone houses. They used local materials and built the stones on the island into a home, making it warm in winter and cool in summer to protect against the wind and rain.

Later, as the popularity of tourism in Xiamen gradually increased, people's lives in fishing villages became better and better. In order to see the outside world, people gradually walked out of the mountains and no longer made a living by fishing.

Over time, some villages became abandoned.

Damao Mountain Area. Zhaizaiweili is one of them.

Zhaiziwei was abandoned for a long time. There was almost no one living here, leaving only a few indigenous families guarding their homes and living in seclusion.

Even now, it has been developed into a tourist village like a fairy tale dream. The seven old residents here can live in high-rise buildings in the city and live a better life, but they decided to stay here.

This is their home.

My home is so beautiful that I won't go anywhere.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the old man's persistence that even if this village was once abandoned, it still has a "living" atmosphere.

There is no trace of the flow of time. The simple and mellow red brick ancient house in Zhaizaiwei is covered with green vines and wild flowers. Looking from a distance, it floats in the mountains of Dafao, like a dream of a banana deer.

I don't know when it started, but this place gradually became lively.

It is said that a small group of travelers who like to explore discovered the place at first, but immediately, it attracted the attention of Xiang 'an District.

So I rested, tidied up, rebuilt, and dressed up... At the end of the village, it was like a Cinderella with powder makeup on, and it looked like it is today.

Today's Zhaizaiweili is a tourist shooting check-in resort that is deeply loved by young ladies with literary and artistic style;

It is an ancient village with plantains hanging on the roadside and no one cares about it;

It is a small tourist destination hidden in eastern Fujian;

The thousand-year-old camphor tree here reaches straight into the sky. When you are tired, you will take a nap under the tree. Even if you have a pillow, you will have no trace of your spring dream.

When the sun sets, the street lights on the round dundun will catch a touch of light. When viewed from a distance, it will look like a movie from the old times.

When I looked back at the stone house again, in the stunning afterglow, it was like a mirage, half hidden in the trees.

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Speaking of which, this is my first time in Xiamen.

Like many people, when the word "Xiamen" is mentioned, the first attractions that come to mind are Gulangyu Island, Zengcuo 'an, Wanshi Botanical Garden...

For several years, people's impression of this famous tourist city seems to stop here.

After getting used to the large number of people here, the lively scene here, and all the things passed down by people, over time, few people wanted to spend their time exploring Xiamen's "niche secret areas" and unpopular travel destinations.

But when I really arrived in Xiamen, I discovered that consumption here was not as high as I imagined.

It took an hour to take a taxi from the airport to Zhaizaiweili, and it cost 130 yuan for four people. On average, each person only costs just over 30 yuan.

The master driver told us: Very few people come here, and very few foreign tourists come straight here as soon as they arrive in Xiamen.

Of course, I am a big sister who focuses on niche travel destinations, so Zhaizaiweili was my first stop in Xiamen.

If we summarize today's Zhaiziweili, one of the most remarkable characteristics here is that there are many ancient buildings but few tourists. Most of the people who come here to play nowadays are still local people in Fujian. Like us, the first thing they do when they get off the bus is to raise their cameras to take pictures.

Most of the old buildings in this village are red brick ancient houses with a strong southern Fujian style. The sewed corners on the roof are like the tails of swallows, naturally blending with the surrounding flowers and plants.

Old brick walls and stone roads occasionally stretch with moss, and stories are full of cracks. They tell people about the vicissitudes of thousands of years, as well as the beautiful scenery and fireworks at the end of the village in the past.

Even what comes from the clouds is like fireworks.

There will also be iron fences around these endangered ancient houses, but the wild flowers will not be willing to be lonely and stick out their heads and feet from the grass.

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Walking down the mountain road, I saw many parents coming here with their children. Adults and children love this village very much.

In the past few days, the village has held a "village run" activity to welcome these children. Therefore, among the flowers, a group of figures competing to each other appeared.

There is also a Shanjing Academy here. Seeing young parents sign in and receive gifts with their children at the entrance of the academy, it is like an autumn camp in childhood.

Looking from a distance, I thought I had entered the Children's Palace in a small town by mistake.

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Since it is an ancient village, you must experience the village flavor here.

I have also been to many other ancient villages, each village has its own unique flavor. The meal I ate in this village of Zhaizaiweili is called "Xiang 'an 12 Village Flavors".

It can be seen literally that this dish should be a specialty of Xiang 'an District. There are many ancient villages in Xiang' an. Except Zhaizaiweili, other ancient villages should also be eaten.

Recommend some of the ones I personally think are the best.

Wanzai cake

It also has a name called Youchiao Barley, which originally originated on the street of Ma Lane in Xiang 'an. On the surface, it looks like it is just a white bowl cake, but once it is poked open, it is found that there are many shrimp, meat, shellfish, eggs and other ingredients inside. The sweet and salty flavors are mixed together, and the waxy aroma is very strong.

Pan-fried Charbdis

This is a type of blue crab that likes to live in the sand by the sea. This autumn, it is the fattest, most beautiful and most delicious time. This dish can be said to be the signature of Xiang 'an District. Just frying it with sesame oil over low heat, and every bite will be full of crab roe flavor.

pancakes

The way this cake is made is a bit like the habit of northerners eating pancakes. It is a special food that is only eaten during the New Year in Xiang 'an District. Cut various vegetables into strips, cut various meats into small pieces, roll them into cakes, and you will have all the nutrients.

Eating is a custom and a continuation of a living habit.

seaweed pot

This dish can be said to be one of the favorite foods of Xiang 'an people. Relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, relying on the sea to eat the sea, such a large "water farm" is famous for the laver it grows.

Seaweed can be said to be a very versatile dish. It can be the main course on a table or a side dish for any dish. No matter which way to eat, it will not disappoint.

fried oyster

This time when I arrived in Xiang 'an, Fujian, I understood what "abundant production" means. It is very common for women here to sit in front of their homes and peel off sea turtles. Shell the oysters, wrap them with special powder, and squeeze them into a crispy and delicious appearance. They can be used as both a staple food and a side dish. You really have to order this.

Of course, during this trip to Zhaizaiwei, the Xiang 'an specialties we ate were far more than these. There were also a few dishes. Let's post a picture here and not discuss them one by one.

If you have the opportunity to travel to Zhaizaiwei, remember to order one or two dishes you are interested in.

For a beautiful trip, you must first eat well before you can be in the mood to have fun and have a good sleep.

5

The last thing I want to talk about is the place where I can "sleep well" in Zhaizaiwei this time, as well as some of the facilities that I personally think are more humane in this scenic spot.

The hotel is located close to the inner side of the village, and the road from the entrance to the hotel is uphill.

While climbing the mountain, I saw the beautiful scenery at the foot of the mountain emerging little by little in front of me, and I forgot to be tired.

There is a balcony in the lobby of the hotel. The view is already very beautiful when standing at the door before you even walk out.

The balcony has a wide view and you can see half of Tai Mo Mountain. Every small attraction here has road signs and shuttle buses running and going.

The hotel rooms have a fresh, simple yet stylish style, with a small courtyard in the back.

There are soft chairs in the yard, where you can enjoy the shade at night, light a mosquito-repellent incense stick, light a small lamp, and just sit quietly. It is a very comfortable life.

I found that in Fujian, for all scenic spots renovated in ancient villages, although the landscape in the village is ancient, the creators usually put a lot of thought into it.

The corridor of this hotel is very designed, and even this corridor is a photo check-in point.

Walking in any corner of the hotel, you can take a beautiful photo with a casual photo.

The entire village is dotted with several restaurants, all of which were also transformed from ancient houses.

Fujian people call houses, and ancient houses ancient houses. These houses give the renovated restaurant a unique taste, and sitting in and eating seems to have some unique atmosphere.

In addition, there are vending machines in the village. I took a rough look at the price. Mineral water costs 3 yuan a bottle, which is not expensive. As I mentioned at the beginning, consumption in Xiamen is actually not very high.

The hotel has a shuttle bus running up and down.

The cleaning aunt will also bring a plate of fruit in the afternoon.

Writing here, this travel note is nearing its end, but I am still reluctant to close it, just like I was reluctant to leave the two days I lived in Zhaizaiwei.

I don't even want to use such vulgar words as "Wonderland on Earth" to describe this place. If I have time to go to Xiamen, I must go and experience it.

I am Sister Dahong. Having said the first attraction, let's continue to talk about the second one.

By the way, there is a specialty in Zhaizaiwei Li, which is sweet potatoes. You can buy them and try them. They are quite delicious and the price is not expensive. I used to think that sweet potatoes were a specialty of the north, but I didn't expect that the sweet potatoes in Xiamen were more delicious.

I also ate another snack called "fried dates", which is also made of sweet potato flour and is very sweet and fragrant.

The second attraction: 50 acres of purple flowers hidden on the mountain.

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This place is called Xiangshan, Xiamen's Xiangshan.

Previously, I only knew that there was a Fragrant Mountain in Beijing, which was a must-check place for Beijing people to see red leaves every November. Few people know that there is also a Fragrant Mountain in Xiamen's Xiang 'an District. In addition to two temples full of incense, there is also a 50-acre purple sea of flowers, which was booming during the National Day holiday.

Many people don't like to travel on holidays and don't want to be in a crowded mess, but what can we do? Working people often only have the opportunity to travel during this time. How to avoid the flow of people and enjoy the feeling of booking the venue?

I have a little experience to share with you.

If you want to avoid scenes surrounded by mountains and seas in your own shots, you can choose attractions like Xiangshan. Although there are not few tourists here as the "Big Garden of Xiang 'an District," due to the large area of the entire sea of flowers, everyone has enough "per capita land area" to relax and enjoy the scenery and take photos.

The ancients regarded purple as a noble color, and they even used idioms such as gold seal purple ribbon, purple gas coming from the east, and purple eyebrows to highlight the status of high officials, the atmosphere of wealth and peace, and the virtue of noble and holy. So when people stand in this purple sea of flowers, they feel a sense of happiness.

These flowers are called verbena. They are very adaptable and last for a long time.

During the National Day holiday, this sea of flowers became a must-visit place for many local young ladies in Xiamen to take photos and check in.

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On the "bank" of this sea of flowers, there is also a small teahouse. When you are tired from shopping, you can sip tea in this teahouse. The Tieguanyin here is very delicious, and a sip is refreshing.

Sitting by the fence, with purple lights shining in front of your eyes, and with your family around you, even if you are in a bustling crowd, the noise is just the accompaniment of family happiness.

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There is a small scenic spot in the Xiangshan Scenic Area with a high view.

It is at the end of an artificial wooden plank road and can easily miss it if you look casually.

There were no signs pointing to this high platform. So I specifically asked the staff in the scenic area, what is the name of this platform? The answer I got was that there was no name here. If I had to give it a logo, then people used to call it: Gaoshengtai. Here you can see a close-up of half of Xiamen's Xiang 'an District.

Xiang 'an, overlooking from high altitude, is very peaceful and green, making people feel that Xiamen is a romantic and happy city.

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The temple in Xiangshan is worth a visit.

The entire temple is symmetrical on both sides, and the unique architectural style of southern Fujian is vividly reflected in this temple.

Just like the emblem style buildings have horse-head walls, swallow-tail corners often appear on old buildings in southern Fujian. They are very beautiful, very cute, and very lively.

The square in front of the temple is called Xianglu Square, where there is a huge statue of an incense burner.

We all know that in addition to being ornamental, sculptures in urban parks usually represent a "sense of ceremony". In Xiangshan, I also learned that two-thirds of the world's tribute incense currently comes from Xiang 'an. The "fragrance" industry occupies an important place in Xiang 'an's economic development.

In addition, the incense of Xiangshan Rock Temple has always been very strong, so this is also a mountain with good signs of luck and peace.

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Walking down the trail along Xiangshan Mountain, you will pass several stone tables and stools where you can see the scenery, as well as small pavilions.

Xiamen people really know how to enjoy the breeze and relax.

When I left the Xiangshan Scenic Area, I saw a special door. There was a couplet on the door that could be read correctly and reversely.

Positive: The fragrance of ancient mountains is accompanied by sweet springs and beautiful stones

Anti: Shi Xiuquan is willing to accompany the Xiangshan Ancient Road

Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. On the way to travel, let's not miss these interesting little scenery!

The third attraction: Aotou Village (the "798" art district renovated by the old village)

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Aotou Village is located in Xiang 'an District in Xiamen. On the south side of it is a winding bay. Ships can park in the bay and there is a small dock. People who went to sea in the old days liked to leave the port and sail against it.

Over time, this small bay became an excellent safe haven with beautiful scenery and suitable for living. Gradually, people were gathered as a village to stabilize the living and clothing industry.

In this small village, beautiful small buildings can be seen everywhere. Behind the buildings are scattered small fishing boats and blue lake water.

The house was built on the water. I watched a big brother walk out of his house, calmly take out a fishing rod, and stand in front of his house fishing.

Not far from home is an old stone bridge with a history of more than 300 years bent over the quiet water.

He fished a small fish, picked it off, looked at it, and threw the fish back into the water.

The seafood in Aotou Village is delicious and diverse. Women sit in front of their homes, peeling oysters.

The oysters were thrown on the roadside, scattered in large bundles, which was quite tempting.

At the Village History Museum in Aotou, I saw a hand-painted picture of the old Aotou Village. The entire village is shaped like an Aotou, which is one of the reasons why Aotou Village got its name.

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Aotou is beautiful, and one after another, many quiet artists and craftsmen have discovered and lived here.

This Aotou Village History Museum was personally built by a famous local artist in Fujian.

I met him here, a gentleman who was aloof and did not eat fireworks. Talk to him and you will immediately calm down. He is like a pot of tea, you will feel that life is so delicious.

This is a unique little world. At first glance, it looks like a teahouse, but at closer inspection it is a small museum, a wonderful exhibition tube, and a museum of life aesthetics.

In this century-old house, every small corner is a place to enjoy peace of mind.

Even a simple stone tea table, just putting a pot of old tea on it will give off a unique aura.

Many old objects are collected here, adding southern Fujian's unique humanistic and historical feelings to this space.

This is an elegant space. The plants seem to have spirituality and naturally blend into those ancient decorations.

Animals also have spirituality.

When Teacher Yi Xuan brought this little cat back from outside, it was only a little cat old for a month or two. When we gathered around the tea table and chatted softly, it was rubbing people's feet next to it and was still acting coquettishly.

The fine meowing sound resounded in the small courtyard and folded on people's bodies. It was the warm temperature.

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The village of Aotou was a poor place many years ago. Due to its relatively small cultivated area and large sea areas, the villagers often had little food to eat.

Relying on the sea to eat the sea, the people of Macau had no choice but to make a living on the sea. Men who go fishing may not have imagined that seafood will become an important industry in the future 21st century and will cultivate a large number of foodies.

In order to eat seafood, even small restaurants hidden in corners can be found by these gourmets.

I followed the local people in Aotou and ate an extremely delicious seafood meal and opened it in a century-old house.

The seafood in Aotou has its unique method. It is either steamed, stewed, and then dipped in seasoning to eat, so that the food is "pure" and "fresh";

Or use a particularly delicate method to chop the meat, wrap it in layers of powder, and fry it into a soft shape.

This dish is called Oyster Fried, which can be used as both a staple food and a snack. At the same time, it is also a dish.

The sea carp we mentioned in the previous paragraph peeled by the women in front of their homes was here to make this dish.

After I had a full meal and drink, I had time to enjoy the old objects in the room.

Give yourself some time to look at the exquisite carvings, read the century-old history hanging on the wall, and carefully taste this ancient house that has experienced many vicissitudes.

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Xiamen people call houses "cuos" and ancient houses "ancient houses". In Aotou Village, the ancient houses in southern Fujian are a beautiful scenery. What is more beautiful than the scenery is their stories.

At the Minqiao History Museum in Aotou, I heard historical stories that were either interesting or made people cry.

Back in the 16th century, people in Australia once lived in poverty and poverty. The only way out for people was to get out of this sea and live.

As a result, many Australians traveled across the ocean from here to Singapore and several surrounding countries.

At that time, Britain had not yet risen, the United States had not yet been established, and only two countries in the world, Portugal and Spain, were equally divided. The Australian people crossed this sea and first started business with the Spaniards.

In addition to making money, this earliest group of overseas Chinese in Macau also brought Spanish architectural characteristics back to China, and then integrated the folk elements of southern Fujian to build unique red brick ancient houses.

You must know that in ancient China, the imperial court did not allow people to build red brick houses without permission. However, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the sky was high and the emperor was far away, and in a troubled world, the rules and regulations were like restoving bubbles. In addition, the people of Australia were exposed to openness. The consciousness was relatively early, so red brick "small foreign-style buildings" sprang up one after another here.

In addition to being beautiful, these ancient houses also have their unique little scenery. For example, these swallowtail ridges on the sharp corners of the roof represent the eagerness of women at that time to look forward to their husbands returning from the sea like swallows in spring;

Another example is those saddle-shaped roofs, which symbolize people's good hope: to be officials from generation to generation, and to be granted marquises from generation to generation.

During the war period of the last century, most of the red brick and ancient houses in Aotou were damaged. What remains today are very valuable historical relics, which are invisible to those urban houses with blue bricks and white tiles.

The most famous of them are the two "family temples" in the village.

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In the history of Aotou, there were two large families. One of them was surnamed Jiang and the other was surnamed Su.

The family temples of the Jiang and Su families are connected by only a small alley, which is very close. Everyone here knows that Jiang and Su are one family.

The Jiang family and the Su family are of equal origin, and the sons and daughters of the two families also get to know each other. The architectural styles of the two families are similar. Today, their temples have become two small attractions.

Here, we can see the home style of southern Fujian people. The murals on the wall are brightly colored, depicting the story of Mu Guiying's leadership and the Water Margin, and lamenting the upper-class family tradition of a red-door embroidered household.

On the street outside the two houses of Jiang and Su, there is also a small scenery of two stone lions. The villagers said that these two lions have been standing here for hundreds of years, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. As for what significance they represent? There are different opinions.

Lions have the effect of guarding houses and evil spirits. Perhaps Aotou has become better and better in recent years, and they also have their "credit".

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On the road leaving Aotou, a quiet park path winds around the sparkling lake.

Whose house has a small flower sticking out of it, and there is also a beautiful figure of small flower passing by hurriedly.

An exhibition hall was found on the roadside. It was not very eye-catching. I thought it was a library, but I was glad I walked in.

Various paintings and art exhibitions are held in the museum, which are very popular with foreign friends.

There is also a "Sea World" here, which displays a variety of fish and shells and houses a group of children. Of course, it also opens my eyes as a "big friend".

The article was approaching the end of it when I suddenly discovered that Xiamen, a popular tourist destination, actually has many niche attractions worth checking in. Regarding my trip to Xiamen, I think Aotou Village is just the beginning.

The scenery and stories during this journey cannot be counted in a few words, and they are all poems back and forth.

I am Sister Dahong, a travel FM anchor, and a global travel experiencer. I focus on niche destinations and share unpopular secrets. Travel is not an attitude, but life itself.