On the morning of April 11, our group of 12 set off cycling toward Anhui. The oldest member of our team was “Car Lover” Lao Ge, who had just turned 70. He’s a role model among us cyclists. Just think about what we’ll be doing when we’re 70—will we still have his energy and spirit? We should learn from this elder brother and embrace life positively. So, I’ve put together a simple cycling journal to share with everyone. While enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way with you all, I also hope to offer some inspiration for improving the quality of life.
The cycling route went like this: we started from Jingdezhen, passing through Yaoli — Youlong — Hecity — Liukou — Yuting, and finally arrived in Hongcun, Anhui. The one-way ride covered approximately 170 km, during which we passed by the source of the Xin’an River, said to be the water source of Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang. On the return route: we departed from Hongcun, passed through Yuting in Anhui to Qimen, stayed overnight, and then the next day passed through Luxi Township in Anhui, continued via County Road 025 to Xingtian Township in Fuliang, Jiangxi, passing through Kmtan Township, Raoling, Fugang, the Ancient County Yamen of Fuliang — and finally back to Jingdezhen. The entire route was full of stunning scenery: green mountains, clear waters, little bridges, and charming villages. The total distance cycled was around 400 km.
On the first day, we started cycling at 7 a.m. from Jingdezhen and didn’t arrive at the Yaoli Scenic Area — the border between Jiangxi and Anhui at Wanghu — until 12 p.m.
After climbing over hills and ascending for nearly 20 km, we reached the top, where we looked down at Youlong Village below.
Then we climbed even higher, and once we reached the mountaintop, it was all downhill from there.
We arrived at another typical Jiangnan town — a place with small rivers, flowing water, and quaint houses.
After lunch, we pressed on and arrived in Yixian County, Anhui by 4 p.m.
As it was getting dark, just before reaching our destination, we were stopped by two girls whose bikes had broken down. We stopped to help them fix their bicycles.
We arrived smoothly at our destination at 6 p.m. — the famous Huangshan Scenic Area, Hongcun in Anhui. It’s a relatively well-preserved ancient village featuring Ming and Qing architectural styles (it’s also a filming location for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
After having dinner at a small restaurant in Hongcun, arranging our accommodation, we all went out to stroll through the night market. Compared to when I visited a few years ago, the night market here is much more bustling now.