Zhaoqing is home to some of the most amazing canyons, waterfalls, caves, wetlands and thousand-year-old history. The city is just a one-hour drive from the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and about 30 minutes by high-speed train from the Guangzhou South Railway Station.
Xinghu Scenic Area and Seven Star Crags
How about a long, peaceful walk all within the city, with crags to climb, lakes to cross, and caves to discover? The Seven Star Crags is such a place that can be accessed from the city, and you don't want to miss it.
Here, the city surrounds the park, and there are three gates on different sides you can access. Named after the seven cracks around which the park is built, the eight square kilometers comprise small strips of land linked by walkways across five lakes.
It has beautifully manicured gardens, classical bridges, and trees that grow out of the water. The gardens are immaculately kept and extensive, given that you walk there from the center of the city. Standing at the tallest point of the Seven Star Crags, you can see fantastic views all around.
The night at the Seven Star Crags is even more gorgeous, with road lamps, colored floodlights, and neon tubing around the six islets and seven crags, and along the eight-kilometer-long embankment in the Seven Star Crags scenic area.
The Xinghu Scenic Area consists of two scenic spots centered around the Seven Star Crags and Dinghu Mountain. Covering an area of nearly 20 square kilometers and with mesmerizing scenery, it has long been a calling card of the province to the world.
The area of the Seven Star Crags, covering 8.23 sq km, consists of seven limestone peaks arranged like the "big dipper", as well as Xinghu National Wetland Park and the Xinghu Tour-lake Greenway. Boasting a karst topography, the area has established its reputation with peak forests, caves, lakes, stone steles and Taoist temples, and has been a place of interest since the sixth century.
The Xinghu National Wetland Park consists of karst caves, lakes, and shoals, and is known as the "kidney of Zhaoqing". It has Fairy Lake at its center, and over 20 small islands scattered on the clear water like pearls, including Flamingo Island, Red-Crowned Crane Island and Wild Egret Island. It is the habitat of 163 species of birds, such as flamingo and egret.
The Dinghu Mountain area is slightly larger, with an area of 11.3 sq km. It is a lush secondary forest featuring woodland and waterfalls. Since it rests on the Tropic of Cancer, the Dinghu Mountain area became the first natural reserve of China in 1979 and was included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Where to go: No. 1 Wenming North Road, Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing (肇庆市端州区文明北路1号)
Duan Inkstone
The Duan Inkstone is a traditional handicraft from Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, in South China, and is considered the foremost among the "Four Famous Inkstones of China," with a history of over 1,300 years.
The Duan Inkstone was already a precious gift in the early Tang Dynasty and was listed as a tribute item during the Song Dynasty. The finest Duan Inkstones are characterized by their purple-blue stone color with circular greenish-blue stone eyes.
The craftsmanship involved in making Duan Inkstones is a national intangible cultural heritage. The production process of Duan Inkstones is very intricate, including the following steps: stone mining, material selection, rough shaping, design, carving, box matching, polishing, and waxing.
Where to go: Duan Inkstone Museum, No. 112, Duanzhou 1st Road, Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing (肇庆市端州区端州一路112号端砚博物馆)
Incense burning and brewing tea
Burning incense, brewing tea, hanging paintings, and arranging flowers are known as the Four Elegances of the Song Dynasty. Burning incense originally stemmed from sacrificial activities and gradually separated from ceremonial activities during the Han Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, the practice of making and refining incense in civilian life flourished.
Fragrances, with their different scents, have various effects. They can repel insects and mosquitoes, calm the spirit, aid sleep, purify the air indoors, and perfume clothing and bedding.
The method of brewing tea in the Song Dynasty differs from our modern tea ceremony. The Song people would first fry tea cakes over a gentle fire until they turned into a powder. Then, they would pour boiling water over it and vigorously stir with a tea whisk until foam appeared, a process known as "whisking."
Due to the thick consistency of the tea, which clung together and did not disperse, the tea foam would stick to the walls of the tea bowl without drying; hence the term "clinging to the bowl."
Additionally, the practice of tea dueling was prevalent during the Song Dynasty, using the method of brewing tea. The competition focuses on two aspects: the color of the tea soup and the traces of water.
The purest white tea soup is considered the best, with the tea foam being even and fine, tightly clinging to the edge of the bowl and lasting without dispersing, indicating victory.
Where to go: Xinghu Lanyue Song Culture Homestay, Baohuan Avenue, Yanqian Village, Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing (肇庆市端州区岩前村宝环大道18号星湖揽月宋文化民宿)
Ink-stained paper fans
Zhaoqing ink-stained paper fans are traditional handicrafts with regional characteristics. The design of Zhaoqing ink-stained paper fans ingeniously incorporates elements of the Eight Sights of Zhaoqing, condensing picturesque scenery into a small space and showcasing the unique charm of Zhaoqing.
These fans are not only works of art but also a continuation of Zhaoqing's culture, allowing people to appreciate the beauty of art while also feeling the impact and beauty brought by the Eight Sights of Zhaoqing.
The photos show people make ink-stained paper fans at a residential hostel featuring Song Dynasty culture in the Seven Star Crags scenic area in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province.
Where to go: Xinghu Lanyue Song Culture Homestay, Baohuan Avenue, Yanqian Village, Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing (肇庆市端州区岩前村宝环大道18号星湖揽月宋文化民宿)
Author | Wang Yulin (intern), Liu Lingzhi
Photo | Liu Lingzhi
Editor | James, Shen He
