Conghua

Guangzhou's green backyard to the north, where Conghua Hot Springs – billed as 'the finest spring in Lingnan' – sit alongside the Liuxi River and Shimen National Forest Park; plum blossoms in winter, flowers in spring and lychees in summer.

Conghua is Guangzhou's northernmost district, on the upper reaches of the Liuxi River. Its north is forested mountain country on the fringes of the Nanling Mountains, while the south is hills and plains, earning it the nickname of Guangzhou's 'back garden'. The climate is southern subtropical: hot, humid and rainy in summer, mild in winter. Winter is the most popular season: from December to January the plum trees of Liuxi Xiangxue and Shimen Xiangxue are in full bloom and Shimen's Red Maple Lake turns crimson, just in time for a hot-spring soak. Cherry blossoms follow in Feb–Mar, May–Jun is lychee season (Taiping Town's lychees are the most famous), and in summer people head to the stream valleys to cool off in the water.

Areas to explore: ① Wenquan Town – Conghua Hot Springs Scenic Area and Shimen National Forest Park; ② the Liangkou northern route – Liuxi River National Forest Park, Liuxi Xiangxue, Bishuiwan Hot Spring, Xitou Village and the Qianlonggou Waterfall, with Lianma Town in Lütian further north; ③ the outskirts of town – Baoqu Rose World, Xihe Flower Garden, Tianshi Cherry Blossom Park and, at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain, the Guangzhou branch of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture (Wenqin Pavilion; reservation required); ④ Taiping Town in the south – Guangyu Ancestral Hall in Qiangang Ancient Village, the Tropic of Cancer Marker Tower and Tianren Shanshui.

Getting there: about 1–1.5 hours' drive from central Guangzhou; Metro Line 14 reaches the edge of Conghua's urban area (Dongfeng Station), from where you can take a bus or taxi. Sights are spread out, so driving is best. Allow 2–3 days: one day for the hot springs and Shimen, another for the Liangkou northern route with a night in Xitou Village. Local food includes Conghua lychees, Liuxi juan fish, free-range chicken and rice wine. Note: roads on the northern route get congested on public holidays, and watch out for flash floods in the mountains during the rainy season.

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