(1) Preparing to travel

When chatting with fellow Anhui villagers in Shanghai, I heard that there are many scenic spots near Xuancheng. I checked the relevant guides online and found that it is indeed possible to travel. Spring is warm and flowers bloom, so it is not too late.

After comparing the busy schedule, I made my own strategy; Choose scenic spots in Jing County, Jixi County, and Shexian County, and then travel to three counties for about four days.

I originally wanted to find a companion, but after careful consideration, due to the unfamiliar nature of independent travel, transportation, distance, food and accommodation can sometimes inadvertently cause inconvenience and even discomfort,

It's better to discuss with oneself to feel refreshed and decide to walk alone freely.

I had another interview with myself (after all, I am 75 years old, although I have regular table tennis activities every day), and after taking a day trip to Kanazawa and Oriental Green Boat, I planned to travel on April 15th. During the waiting days, I would simulate the entire journey in my mind multiple times, eager to try it out.

(2) Jing County - Chaji Ancient Village

Let's go.

On the morning of the 15th, I took a long-distance bus to Jingxian at Shanghai Bus Terminal and informed the driver that this trip was for Chaji. I arrived at Jingxian around 3 pm in the afternoon, and the driver at Luluo informed me to get off and instructed me to turn right at the station and transfer to the Chaji bus.

While waiting for the bus, there were two young people next to me. As I asked some questions, I found out that they had all been to Shanghai before and were familiar with each other from afar. We quickly got to know each other very well. One of them said that if they didn't live far away from Zha Jiyuan, they could stay at his house for one night tonight. Their simplicity is evident.

The car is coming, with the words "to Chaji" marked on the front window. The fare is about ten yuan per hour.

Around four o'clock, the car stopped at Chaji Village

I seem to be the only tourist among those who got off the bus, which immediately attracted attention: the store owner who was soliciting customers, and the security guard at the entrance.

My ID card can already be used as a ticket in many scenic spots. After presenting it, I can directly enter the long old street of Chaji. The landlady used electricity and took me to her inn on the roadside for 80 yuan per night.

The sun was still shining brightly, and filming still needed to be done quickly. I hurriedly walked out of the shop and walked deeper along the old street, gradually narrowing the road. Turning along the small path on the left, I saw the small river winding around the village.

The small river attracted me;

In the riverbed, there is a shallow water, clear and slightly rippling, with fine waves shimmering, and the road flows away.

Along the river, one can see scattered old houses, residential buildings on the banks, ancient trees crossing arms, and stone slabs stretching along the edges

The small river bends, and there are various small bridges and waters, trees, villages, and stones that complement each other, creating a beautiful scenery and shining together.

Taking a photo of the road, the sky gradually darkened and there were fewer houses. I noticed that the river was extending towards the mountains, and the water was flowing downwards. However, unconsciously, I was walking towards the mountains. So, I identified the direction of the old street and asked passersby to take my way back.

The sun has already set, and the houses in front and behind are faintly visible, afraid of walking into a fork in the road, occasionally seeking guidance on the way.

Suddenly, a fully loaded motorcycle passed by me, and I shouted 'Shifu!' I stopped in front of him and asked as I approached. He told me how to get there, and before I could send my thanks, he said, 'I'll take you down.' Behind the car were three big, bulging bags. Seeing me hesitate, I squeezed out of his back and between the tea leaves, saying, 'It's okay.' I drove down the mountain road, and the night was dim, sometimes steep and sometimes turning. After nearly ten minutes, I finally arrived at the old street, and after walking for less than half an hour, I couldn't walk back.

So I know he runs a tea shop on the street, and today he went up the mountain to collect tea.

I broke up with him on the roadside, asked for the store address and name (Qingshan Yunwu Tea), and thanked him repeatedly.

I was already hungry. In the morning, I took a long-distance bus here to catch up with the sunset shooting. At noon, I hurriedly ate two steamed buns and milk that I brought with me on the bus.

There is a food shop next to me. I went in and ordered a bowl of big pork chops. When I waited, I chatted with the boss, who guessed that I was from Nanjing and didn't speak Shanghainese. It turned out that my husband and wife had stayed in Shanghai before. Currently, during the off-season, business was not as good as before. When they were busy, they hired four helpers and later pointed me to the general location of my residence. I said goodbye and made an appointment to come for breakfast tomorrow morning (but the shop didn't open in the morning)

On the way back to the inn, I found that Qingyun Tea Shop was right next to my hotel, separated by a storefront.

After organizing, before 8 o'clock, I went to the tea shop with gratitude. The owner was busy making tea by the stove, and two neighbors were there. We exchanged favors, took photos as a souvenir, and agreed to meet later.

After waking up at around 6am on the 16th day, I went out of the shop. There were many breakfast shops on the street, and after filling my stomach, I went to the small river around the village and continued my sightseeing along the river in the opposite direction from yesterday. There were not many tourists, and I heard familiar Shanghai dialect from time to time until I saw the road in the distance, ending my trip to the ancient village of Chaji.

At 9:30, board the bus back to Jing County.

3) Jixi Longchuan Ancient Village

The bus stop is not far from the high-speed railway station, and the journey to Jixi takes about an hour, 32 yuan, and takes about ten minutes to arrive.

At around ten minutes, Jixi arrived and turned left about a hundred meters from the station. There is a bus terminal with buses heading to Shexian. The bus stop for bus route 6 to Longchuan is outside the terminal and departs in an hour. Longchuan is the final destination and there are more than ten stops along the way. The fare is Ni yuan, and there are seats on the long corridor at the waiting place.

Around midnight, the car arrived at Longchuan Scenic Area and parked in front of the empty space. The scenic area buildings, advertisements, guides, restaurants, accommodations... gradually became visible.

I recently found a small restaurant with accommodation, which costs 60 yuan per night. For lunch, I ordered a stir fried dish called Di'er scrambled eggs (30 yuan). Around 3 o'clock, I headed straight to the scenic area.

With the age on your ID card, you can enter a courtyard like house free of charge. When you leave the hospital, you will see the village's river. There are several bridges along the river, many small shops on both sides, and various supplies. On the right side, you will see a small alley. When you enter the gate, you will see an exhibition introduction by a former leader. Outside the gate, you will see the ancestral home of his ancestors. There is also an ancient village temple building by the river. You can either walk along the river or go back and forth on the bridge until the red bridge crosses the river, which is the end of the ancient village. From the bridge, you can overlook the distant mountains, farmland, farmhouses, roads, paths, and look back at the ancient village

Separate from the ancient village and return to the accommodation in the evening.

(4) Shendu from Shexian to Huizhou Ancient City

After breakfast, I took the No. 6 bus back to Jixi at around 9 o'clock, directly to the bus terminal, and transferred to a bus to Shexian. I told the driver to transfer to Shendu and charged a fare of ten yuan. After more than half an hour, the driver informed me to get off and wait for the bus to Shendu across the road.

Every morning at 7:30, a boat departs from Shendu and takes five hours to arrive at the Qiandao Lake pier before returning to Shanghai by high-speed rail. This will be the last leg of the trip. Thinking about the upcoming end of the independent tour, I couldn't help but check the station signs carefully and slowly. I hope there will be a new attraction to enrich this trip right now. Scenic spots are sometimes just station names (I once discovered an ancient village on a bus stop in Xikou, Ningbo, and added two days of sightseeing).

I found the words "government office" and "ancient city" on the 702 bus stop sign. After consulting with the waiting passengers next to me, it was uplifting. There is an ancient city, four stops away. At this time, it was over ten o'clock. When another 702 bus arrived at the stop, I got on the bus. This unplanned addition of scenic spots will not be regretted, only happy. When paying the fare of one yuan, I am grateful that I found a "wallet".

The ancient city also offers free admission based on age.

Entering the ancient city gate of Huizhou, looking left and right, climbing up the city tower, taking photos of the ancient bell, and walking down the city wall, the freshness gradually fades away. It feels a bit like coming to the Shanghai City God Temple, until visiting the ancient yamen feels new. The public hall is grand and imposing, but there are shortcomings. The yamen is shining brightly, brand new and spacious, without any antique flavor.

After spending over an hour here, I came here to take a walk and have a look.

Take bus 702 back to the original station, and soon a bus to Shendu will arrive. After 10 pm, I arrived at Shendu Pier and stayed at a house on the opposite side of the pier for 60 yuan per night.

 

（5） Shendu Xin'an River Cruise Home

I packed my luggage and went out to find a place to have lunch. It was already past midnight, but I couldn't help but walk to the opposite dock to find out about tomorrow morning's ferry schedule. The five hour journey between mountains and rivers has its own irresistible charm.

When I inquired at the ticket office, I found out that there is also a Xin'an River boat tour in the afternoon, which takes about three hours and is in my mind. The ticket is 140 yuan, and if it's over 70 yuan, it's 68 yuan. The boat will depart in just over ten minutes.

Hurry up and go to the small supermarket across the dock to buy bread and water. When you arrive on the boat, there are not many people, but three people are still eating. The tourists organized by the travel agency have arrived, and soon they are fully seated. The ship has departed.

The weather is clear and the breeze is gentle. The mountains and waters on both banks of the Xin'an River are crowded with homes and boats, leaving one after another, making it difficult to catch up.

Docking at several scenic spots such as Miantan and Zhangtan, watching folk song and dance performances by the thousand year old camphor trees, and conducting grand fishing ceremonies according to ancient rural customs. When returning to the dock, the sky was still bright.

For dinner, I ordered a pickled Chinese cabbage fish fillet at a local house for 58 yuan, and the rice bowl was almost empty.

The next table is a retired couple who have been on a self driving trip for several months now. After listening to my story, they told me when they returned to their room that they had decided to change their itinerary and go to Chajiyou tomorrow.

They once asked the boss for packaging boxes, leftover food to eat on the way tomorrow, flowers to be spent if necessary, and travel couples to save if possible. I introduced the idea of how to evade tickets, but sometimes it's a matter of fate. The two of them can save more than a hundred yuan in tickets, and the road is more spacious. Isn't it great!

The boss hopes to help me buy a ticket for tomorrow's flight, so that I can establish a good relationship with the shipping company. The view of the building will be increased by 10 yuan, which will add an extra 70 yuan for the ticket when I pay the bill.

   

At 7:00 on the the fourth day (the 18th day), we got on the boat and started the return journey.

The two banks of Xin'an River slowly passed by in the morning light. The boat was smaller than yesterday's cruise ship, with half of the seats empty. Looking at the scenery, I thought about what I had seen and encountered in the past few days. Originally worried and worried, it turned into a sense of comfort and ease, without fatigue. People wrote about themselves with various experiences, page after page

Recorded on May 19th, 2021

Zhou Bingwei (75 years old)