Spent two days in Chizhou, and my spending philosophy collapsed

🌿 ​​Chizhou June Walking Guide: Mountains and waters in one hand, poetry and painting in the other, a 21℃ summer paradise that feels amazing!​​ Located in southwestern Anhui, Chizhou is Li Bai’s “land of poets through the ages” that he visited five times! In June, Jiuhua Mountain’s sea of clouds roils, lotus flowers bloom at Pingtian Lake, and even the breeze carries the scent of tea~ A 1.5-hour high-speed train ride directly to Nanjing, proving it’s a top-tier reverse travel destination! ​​🚀 Two-day itinerary to the point of exhaustion​​ ​​⛰️ Day 1: From the Buddhist fairyland to poetic lakes​​ ​​Morning​​: Rush into ​​Jiuhua Mountain​​ (ticket 160 RMB), head straight to ​​Tiantai Temple​​ to see the sea of clouds, take the cable car through the mist like cultivating immortality, touch the “One Line Sky” cliff for good luck. ​​Noon​​: At the foot of the mountain, eat stinky mandarin fish at ​​Zeng Fuxing Restaurant​​ (88 RMB), the fish meat soaks up the sauce like garlic cloves, paired with Jiuhua Buddhist tea to cut the grease perfectly. ​​Afternoon​​: Power walk around ​​Pingtian Lake​​ (free 🆓), rent a bike to circle the lake and chase the wind (30 RMB/hour), shoot “water and sky as one” masterpieces at Lotus Terrace, and encounter egrets skimming the water. ​​Evening​​: Stay at ​​Jiuhua Mountain Hanyue Building​​ (600 RMB/night), listen to the bell sounds in the Zen courtyard, soak in the hot spring and count stars for maximum healing! ​​🌊 Day 2: From underground labyrinth to ancient village life​​ ​​Morning​​: Explore ​​Dawang Cave​​ (ticket 80 RMB), a karst cave with a constant temperature of 18℃, stalactites under colored lights look like an alien battlefield, remember to wear non-slip shoes. ​​Noon​​: Eat small rice cakes at ​​Xinghua Village​​ (2 RMB each), fried with vermicelli filling to a golden crisp bottom, paired with sweet and fragrant rice wine that’s intoxicating. ​​Afternoon​​: Stroll through ​​Xiaokeng Canyon​​ (free 🆓), hike through the bamboo sea and wade upstream, soaking your feet in the pools cools you to the core. ​​Evening​​: Stay at ​​Pingtian Lake Peninsula Hotel​​ (400 RMB/night), watch the lake sunset through floor-to-ceiling windows, late-night slurp of Qiupu flower mandarin fish rice noodles so fresh you’ll stomp your feet! ​​🔥 Must-visit checklist​​ ​​Guniujiang​​: Primitive forest waterfall cluster (ticket 100 RMB), Longmen Pool’s emerald water is like a natural filter for photos, a 3-hour hike that’s incredibly refreshing. ​​Xiushanmen Museum​​: Free 🆓! A 4A-level ancient architecture museum, Hui-style wood carvings so detailed you can count the Bodhisattva’s eyelashes. ​​Qiupu River Rafting​​: Bamboo raft slow drift (80 RMB/person), the green mountains on both sides retreat like traveling through an ink painting. ​​Luocheng Village​​: Free 🆓! The birthplace of intangible cultural heritage folk songs, a thousand-mu pear orchard perfect for pastoral photo shoots. ​​🚌 Transportation Guide​​ ​​Major transport​​: Nanjing South → Chizhou high-speed train 1.5h (120 RMB), take bus No. 18 from the station directly to Pingtian Lake. ​​Local transport​​: Jiuhua Mountain scenic area shuttle bus 50 RMB/person, but queues start at 1 hour… enough to make you question life. ​​Bitter lesson​​: Don’t wear Hanfu to enter Dawang Cave! Water droplets ruined my makeup into “cave stalactites” 😭 ​​💡 Tips​​ ​​Highly recommend​​: Few people and wild scenery in June, no queues at Jiuhua Mountain, homestay prices half of Huangshan! ​​Not recommended​​: Afraid of wet? Rainy season with sudden downpours, bring raincoat + waterproof shoe covers. ​​🍽️ Food Highlights​​ ​​Stinky mandarin fish​​: Top Anhui dish! Fermented fish meat is as creamy as cheese, garlic spicy sauce mixed with rice can finish three bowls. ​​Mountain tapioca balls​​: Sweet potato starch wrapped meat filling, chewy enough to play ping pong, thick sauce clings to the spoon. ​​Qiupu flower mandarin fish​​: Freshly caught river fish steamed, fish meat so tender chopsticks can’t hold it, freshness beats seafood. ​​Dongzhi rice dumplings​​: Thin skin wrapped with bamboo shoots and cured meat, steamed to crystal translucence, bursting with juice in one bite. ​​Frozen rice candy​​: Intangible cultural heritage dessert! Puffed glutinous rice crispy as snow, sesame aroma conquers your taste buds. ​​💰 Two-day expense list​​ ​​Accommodation​​: Hanyue Building 600 RMB + Peninsula 400 RMB = 1000 RMB (lake view + hot spring worth every penny!). ​​Food​​: Stinky mandarin fish 88 RMB + snacks 50 RMB + rice noodles 30 RMB = 168 RMB (tongue dancing wildly). ​​Activities​​: Jiuhua Mountain 160 RMB + Dawang Cave 80 RMB + rafting 80 RMB = 320 RMB (all the screams and poetry included). ​​Total spending 1488 RMB​​, but every cent shouts “Chizhou forever”! Chizhou is a three-dimensional poetic painting for literary youth​​, come in June to be a mountain and water hero by day, munch rice dumplings at Pingtian Lake at dusk, listen to rain hitting banana leaves in the homestay at night, the nine-grid posts on social media are never enough! Like this guide, next time let’s team up to “follow Li Bai’s footsteps”~ 📸✨