2025 Zhangqiu District Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in April)

Since they were first discovered by farmers in 1974, the life-size, terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shihuang has become the defining attraction of Xi’an, a historic northwestern city boasting pagodas, towers and fortification walls from several eras. Although the huge Qin mausoleum site, located about an hour outside of town, requires decades more excavation, more than 2,000 perfectly restored chariots, horses and individual warriors now stand in proud formation, guarding the passage of China’s first emperor from life to death. #themeparks#nationalpark

Ink spring. Well, the name could make you think the water is colored or even has some impurities. No, this is just because of big black stone laying above the spring flow on the surface. Water is going up and creates image of something mysterious producing this disturbance and radiating some power. Water cold and clean and it could be felt when you are approaching to well. This Spring could be found in Baimai Park, Jinan City, Shandong province. #springblossoms#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

Baimai Spring Park or 百脉泉公园, which means "white artery"(bai mai). This park is big and cover territory included gardens, temple, lake and numerous springs. Park is located is far away from the city center, actually it is almost outside of Jinan city, but I think it should be included in the scenic spot list if you are in Jinan City. Public transportation takes about two and a half hour to get there from Jinan city center. There are many springs in a park, some of them having wells and adorned with stoned plates. The big lake offers good recreational zone. #springblossoms#roadtrip#urbanexplorer

#discoverchina "Do you know? Should it not be lush green and fading red?" Just 1.5 hours from Tianjin, I found myself in Zhangqiu, the hometown of poet Li Qingzhao, walking into the very verses of springtime poetry. 🌿🪷 📍 Trip Summary: 2 Days 1 Night | Mingshui Ancient City Spring Escape 💡 Complete guide with travel, itinerary, photo spots & food recs! 🚄 Transportation Tianjin → Zhangqiu: 08:10 - 09:46 Zhangqiu → Tianjin: 16:42 - 18:33 From Zhangqiu train station, it’s a quick 10-minute ride by taxi to the scenic area. 🌟 Highlights Traditional Chinese architecture with flowing water everywhere Intangible heritage workshops Early morning local market Immersive poetry performances Spring scenery straight out of an ink painting Local food galore Epic nighttime fountain show 🧭 Itinerary Overview Day 1 Visitor Center → City Wall → Hongsheng Cloth Workshop Huxian Street → Meihua Spring → Li Qingzhao Former Residence Longquan Temple → Moquan (Ink Spring) Drone Light Show → Fountain “Spring Elegance” Performance Day 2 Morning Market by the Springs (Zaojiu Ji) Mingshui Main Street → Yian Poetry Show Mengjia Opera House (local theater) Braised Pork Restaurant → Lotus Banquet Dock → Boat Ride 🧱 City Wall Views From the top, the view is vast—I felt power and peace all at once. Don’t miss the poetry kite exhibition and even try your hand at DIY kite-making at the academy nearby. “Seize the east wind and fly your dreams.” 🎏 ☀️ Zaojiu Ji: Morning Market by the Water Open 7:00–9:00am. Sit beside the springs, sip tea, eat breakfast, and watch traditional performances. I devoured pancakes, tofu pudding, lamb soup, and mini dumplings—ate like a local, loved every bite! 🥣 🎭 Mingshui Main Street A lively street full of handicraft shops and NPC interactions—you never know when a costumed character will show up! 📜 Li Qingzhao’s Residence A must-visit for poetry lovers. She was not just a literary genius but also a bold and passionate soul. Her old home sits beside Shuyu Spring and Meihua Spring, and you might even run into an NPC version of her reciting poetry. 🖤 Moquan (Ink Spring) This spring literally looks like ink—deep, dark, and flowing strong. There’s a spot nearby to sip tea made from the spring water. 🌊🍵 🎤 Yian Poetry Show Live poetry slam, Chinese style. Hear ancient verses come to life with elegance and emotion. 🚣 Boat Ride Classic Jiangnan-style paddle boat, floating under stone bridges and past willows and peach blossoms—this is what spring dreams look like. 🌸🏞️ 🎨 Intangible Heritage Experiences Try your hand at leaf carving, hairpin-making, lacquer fans, archery, and pitch-pot games. 🌟 Spring Elegance Show A 20-minute sound, light, and water spectacle with fire effects, immersive music, and live dance. One word: epic. Hotel guests get access to a private viewing area. #thingstodo #travel

Northern Wuzhen‼️ More stunning than Baotu Spring In this colorful autumn 🍂, I found a rarely visited but beautiful water town around Beijing. This is the hometown of Li Qingzhao, with a rich history and culture. You don't need to go to Wuzhen to experience the lively atmosphere of the morning wine market. During the day, enjoy the beauty of the water town, with free performances all day long, including Zhangqiu Bangzi Opera, Qing Sheng Ming Ge, Mingshui Di Yu, and ancient city acrobatics. The immersive spring show at night is even more fascinating. If you don't know where to go on an autumn weekend, this beautiful and quiet northern water town is a great choice. 🍂[Transportation Guide] Visitors from other places can take the high-speed train to "Zhangqiu" Station. The scenic area is only 3 km from the station, about a 10-minute taxi ride. 🍂[Accommodation Recommendations] There are inns and hotels in the scenic area. We stayed at Shuangquan, which is only 50 meters from the pier. There are electric cars downstairs to take you to various stations in the scenic area, which is very convenient. 🍂[Travel Route Planning] Starting from the gate of the scenic area, pass through Confucian Business Street, Cloth Workshop, Mengjia Theater, and Mingshui Street, then climb the city wall to visit Li Qingzhao's Former Residence, Shuyu Spring, Meihua Spring, Baimai Spring, Mo Spring, Longquan Temple, Jinjing Spring, Yefang, and Dengfang. 🍂[Nine Things Not to Miss in Mingshui Ancient City] ① Morning Wine Market: Steaming buns, fragrant lamb soup, delicious braised pork... Enjoy the strong atmosphere of the ancient town. ② Wear Hanfu: Hanfu matches the ancient city very well. I chose a flower hairpin and Hanfu to travel around the ancient city, as if I had traveled back in time. ③ Baimai Spring: Take an electric car to the entrance, with Li Qingzhao's Former Residence on the left and Longquan Temple on the right. ④ Li Qingzhao's Former Residence: The spring water of Shuyu Spring is gurgling, and the water is as green as jade. ⑤ Mo Spring: The Mo Spring outside Longquan Temple is like Baotu Spring, with gushing water. ⑥ Performances: From afternoon to evening, there are continuous performances (Zhangqiu Bangzi Opera, Song Dynasty Music Banquet, Pipa Performance, etc.). The night spring show is shocking, with immersive live performances and wonderful drone shows. ⑦ Take a boat: CNY 60 for a one-way trip, CNY 100 for a round trip. "Sitting on a boat and enjoying the scenery" is the right way to visit the water town. ⑧ Enjoy the night view: You can climb the city wall at night and overlook the beautiful night view of the ancient city. ⑨ Taste food: Zhangqiu green onions, hanging stove biscuits, and "Jiangxiang Courtyard" featuring Zhangqiu's local home-cooked dishes with "sauce" culture. After tasting the food, you can also visit the sauce garden next door.

This place is perfect for a relaxing day off, very pleasant and relaxing~ I really like the home-cooked dishes here, and my family doesn't want to leave! ✨The experience is fantastic~ The breakfast variety is dazzling, and there's always a surprise every time😮 The portions are large and delicious, I really like the chicken soup here~ The public area also has guzheng, guqin, and Go You can showcase your talents in the mountains🎹 ✨Staying here feels like entering a slow-paced life The environment is deeply to my liking, the forest homestay is really beautiful~ The room decoration is also very thoughtful, and the details here are exquisite It's especially suitable for a leisurely vacation or a romantic couple's trip🥰

Interesting old town

Hidden in the mountains, how long have you not escaped from the city, how long have you not seen the stars in the sky for your ideal mountain life. Another weekend escaped from the city, this time I want to take the children around for a tour, the choice of difficulty syndrome turned over a night of homestay, did some homework, finally comprehensive distance, environment, diet set the flower building's mountain lodge, take him to visit the mountains, experience the morning to see the mountains surrounded, night with the breeze to sleep. This is a Zen courtyard hidden in the grass and trees, built in the national forest park, After entering the door, you have to drive a few kilometers up the mountain road, unique mountain tree stone forest landscape, Every turn has a different view. The homestay has 9 rooms, Each one has a nice name, with a special tea room, Forming a small world. The chef of the homestay is a chef from Shaanxi, a table of good dishes let us reminisce, the price is also very moderate. Every mouthful of firewood stewed chicken soup is satisfying, But remember to tell the boss three hours in advance. The chicken eggs produced by their own chickens are so fragrant, and we bought two boxes to take home when we left. We booked a terrace room, the room has a super large bathtub, the children play very happily. Aunt sent the first meal to the room Paired with nutrition, the millet porridge is particularly good. The terrace leads directly to the mountain path behind, winding and deep, very artistic. The road is very narrow, small children need to pay attention to safety, You can choose to go out from the main entrance of the homestay, go up the mountain along the road, walk a few minutes will see a large reservoir under a cliff, follow the stone steps up. There are few people, full of green trees, in the morning you can harvest beautiful joy, As night falls, The small lights in the yard light up a piece of heaven and earth, the family sit leisurely, drink a few cups, drink a bowl of thick chicken soup to warm up, the children run around, it is the perfect spring. Location: Hu Mountain Provincial Forest Park, Zhangqiu District Transportation: It is recommended to drive by yourself, Jing Shi Road can be reached directly, free parking around the homestay. Dress: The temperature difference between morning and evening in the mountains is large, you need to add clothes when you go out at night, especially children. Surroundings: The homestay is very close to Jinan Wildlife World, Zhujiayu, Hundred Pulse Spring, you can also go to Overseas Chinese Town to play for half a day.

According to statistics, 900,000 villages in China have disappeared in just ten years, and Zhujiatun is the only Chinese historical and cultural village in Shandong Province. The temples, pavilions, ancient bridges and ancient cultural sites are scattered. The first door through the village - Limen, is the ancient road that was built in the Ming Dynasty. There are two large blocks of bluestone embedded in the center of the road. The villagers call it the double track ancient road. Zhu Jiayu became famous overnight, or because of the TV series "Zhang Guandong", the story of the protagonist Zhu Kaishan in the play was also taken from here. Zhujiatun has nearly 200 large and small ancient buildings, 99 large and small stone bridges, 66 well springs, and more than 100 natural landscapes. The long history and culture, and the colorful scenic resources attract a large number of Chinese and foreign tourists and scholars to visit Zhujiatun.