Top off your list before 50: hidden gem destinations with low prices and a slow pace

🌄 1. Weishan | The vibrant life of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom, a healing slow life with daily costs around 100+ 💰Budget reference: • Stay: Ancient town homestays 80~150 RMB/night (Mingbang Inn, Puyue Liangshe) • Eat: 30 RMB per person/day (snacks to fill you up!) • Transport: Dali → Weishan high-speed train 22 minutes/20 RMB, walk and electric scooters within the ancient town 🌟Must-visit spots: • Weishan Ancient Town free: 600-year chessboard layout, morning light at Xinggong Tower, tea house roasted tea 5 RMB with unlimited refills • Weibao Mountain 40 RMB: Famous Taoist mountain, see 400-year-old camellias, check in at the Prince’s Hall from "Heaven Official’s Blessing" • Jiama Printing/Wama Cat DIY: 5 RMB for block printing, make your own lucky Wama Cat (mailed to your home!) 🍜Food highlights: • Lao Wang Guojiang Rice Noodles: soft and glutinous noodles with braised meat soup, 10 RMB fragrant delight • Nanzhao Zhuji One Noodle: Guinness record! Adding egg is the soul • Street stalls: corn cakes 2 RMB, papaya vinegar jelly 5 RMB, sour and spicy appetite boosters 📌Heartfelt summary: 80% fewer people than Dali! Relax for three days on a budget, the smiles of Bai grandmas are more healing than sunshine～ 🌿 2. Lichuan | Hubei’s secret “cool city,” escape into a natural 23℃ air-conditioned room 💰Budget reference: • Stay: Summer resort homestays 120~200 RMB/night (Sumadang, Baiqueshan) • Eat: Tujia cuisine 40 RMB per person, generous portions and affordable • Transport: Wuhan → Lichuan high-speed train 2.5h, car rental between attractions 60 RMB/day ⛰️Cool activities: • Tenglong Cave free: Asia’s largest dry cave, laser show + Tujia folk songs and dances (don’t forget a jacket!) • Enshi Grand Canyon 150 RMB: hike Yunlong Rift, breathtaking cliff plank road • Qiyue Mountain free: windmill grassland camping, watch sunset and starry sky 🔥Tujia flavor feast: • Smoked pork trotters hotpot: smoky aroma + sticky potatoes, 30 RMB per person to fill up • Baiyang dried tofu: intangible cultural heritage bean fragrance! 5 RMB/bag as snack • Hezha mixed rice: soybean residue + minced meat, rice lovers rejoice 📌Heartfelt summary: A divine place to sleep under a quilt in summer! Prices like 10 years ago, the top choice for retirement-style travel～ 🏮 3. Fenghuang Ancient Town | Avoid the crowds! Unlock the ink painting-like mornings 💰Budget reference: • Stay: Riverside rooms downstream of Tuojiang River 100~150 RMB (Jinjiayuan Inn) • Eat: Snacks 15 RMB to fill you up, main meals 40 RMB per person • Transport: High-speed train to “Fenghuang Ancient Town Station,” shuttle bus 7 RMB to the ancient town 📸Photo guide: • 6:00 Tuojiang River rock jump: morning mist + empty stilt houses, wear a white dress for ethereal shots • Hongqiao Teahouse 2nd floor: order a cup of Guzhang Maojian tea 15 RMB, panoramic view • Nanhua Mountain 40 RMB: April rhododendron sea, climb to shoot scenes like "Spirited Away" 🍲Xiangxi must-try: • Cuicui Miao pancakes: small cart under Hongqiao, wild vegetables + egg batter fried fragrant, 8 RMB • Private kitchen: blood rice duck + sour radish, 45 RMB per person, sweat-inducing deliciousness • Master Huang’s BBQ: local night snack spot, grilled beef fat bursts with juice 📌Heartfelt summary: Don’t believe “Fenghuang is too commercial”! Rent the empty town at 7 AM, the romance of river lights at dusk is worth the ticket～ 🍵 4. Yixing | Tea and pottery paradise next to Suzhou and Hangzhou, hot springs to heal the working crowd 💰Budget reference: • Stay: Bamboo forest homestays 200~300 RMB (Jiangzuo Fenghuang, Xingxiang Zhuyuan) • Eat: Snacks from 10 RMB, main meals 50 RMB per person • Transport: Hangzhou → Yixing high-speed train 40 minutes, taxi 30 RMB per trip between attractions 🎋Hidden experiences: • Bamboo Sea 80 RMB: cable car to the top, ten thousand acres of bamboo waves refresh your eyes • Shushan Ancient South Street free: touch thousand-year-old purple clay, watch grandpas make teapots • Yangxian Hot Springs 150 RMB: soak under the starry sky, relieve muscle soreness 💥Carb happiness: • Zhou Zhen wontons: thin skin, big filling + shrimp soup, 10 RMB fresh to the core • Wumi rice: glutinous rice dyed with Nan Zhu leaves, eat with sugar! 5 RMB/bowl • Heqiao dried tofu: intangible cultural heritage marinated flavor, 10 RMB/bag to take away 📌Heartfelt summary: Hot springs + tea fields + purple clay = healing trio! Prices comparable to small counties, perfect for weekend recharging～ 💡Low price tips: These places have many hostels/homestays, off-peak (non-holiday) room rates are 30% off! Snacks are concentrated in old streets and alleys, follow the local elders’ queues for sure success～