Shitan Village

Shitan Village

Shitan is located in Xiakeng Town, She County, Anhui Province, adjacent to Lin'an City of Zhejiang Province and Qiandao Lake in Chun'an County. Though geographically and administratively part of ancient Huizhou, Shitan Village is somewhat of an outlier in the so-called Huizhou tourism circle. In fact, most travelers wouldn’t even notice this barely visible place on the map, let alone find it featured in travel agency itineraries or guidebooks. In truth, “Shitan” enjoys near-legendary status in photography circles. Every spring and autumn, flocks of photographers arrive like clockwork, ready to indulge in a visual spectacle of sea of clouds and fields of blossoms.

Spring in Shitan belongs to rapeseed flowers, peach blossoms, and pear blossoms. On the hillsides, in the valleys, and beside ancient houses, colors and lines abound. The golden rapeseed flowers dominate this palette. On a misty morning after spring rain, before the sun has even risen, the sea of clouds rushes in. Ancient villages atop the mountains emerge and vanish amid the rolling mist, creating a truly heavenly scene. Come late autumn in November, all you need to do upon reaching the hilltop is take a deep breath—as deeply as a stranded fish gasping for air... The mountain breeze carries the faint fragrance of chrysanthemums. From your feet to the nearby and distant peaks, fields of snow-white chrysanthemums stretch out as far as the eye can see. It’s the season for harvesting Gongju (tribute chrysanthemums), and the entire mountain becomes an ocean of blooms. From afar, it looks like a blanket of snow, truly a majestic sight. Indeed, these unassuming hills and the small mountain villages scattered across the valleys are the birthplace of Huizhou Tribute Chrysanthemums. In fact, as early as the Song Dynasty, the air here was infused with the scent of chrysanthemums. By the time of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, when a pink eye epidemic swept through the capital, the Huizhou prefect had chrysanthemums from Jinzhuling Village delivered overnight to Beijing, curing many locals of their eye ailments. The emperor granted an imperial decree for annual tribute, and from then on, Huizhou chrysanthemums earned the title “Gong” (tribute), making the humble village flowers famous far and wide. Nearly every household on the mountains grows tribute chrysanthemums. Growing chrysanthemums, raising silkworms, and making tea are the three main sources of income for villagers, with chrysanthemum cultivation being the most significant.