Jiande

Jiande's Xin'anjiang urban area sits beside emerald river water that stays around 17°C year-round, with mist rising off the river at dawn; Meicheng Ancient Town, the Hanging Temple of Daciyan, Xinye Ancient Village and Lingqi Cave lie nearby.

Jiande is a county-level city under Hangzhou, located on the middle and upper reaches of the Qiantang River where the Xin'an, Lan and Fuchun rivers meet. Its urban core, Xin'anjiang Subdistrict, sits just downstream of the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station dam. Because cold water from the depths of Qiandao Lake is released downstream, the river through town stays at about 17°C all year. In summer you can wade along the riverbank to cool off, and in spring and autumn, when days are warm and nights are cool, thick "white mist" rises over the water. The area around Baisha Bridge is the prime spot for watching and photographing the mist, which has become hugely popular on social media in recent years. Sightseeing falls into three areas: the Xin'anjiang urban area (river mist, riverside night views and Yanzhou cuisine); Meicheng Ancient Town about 30 km northeast, the old prefectural seat of Yanzhou, where the highlights are the city walls, the North and South Pagodas and sunset over the confluence of three rivers, and where the Qili Yangfan boat cruises on the Fuchun River also depart nearby; and to the southwest, the Hanging Temple of Daciyan, Xinye Ancient Village, Lingqi Cave and Shouchang Ancient Town, which can be linked into a one-day driving loop. The Xin'anjiang dam and the Qiandao Lake area are covered under the Qiandao Lake destination, 30 minutes to an hour's drive from Jiande. The best seasons are spring, summer and autumn: rapeseed blossoms at Xinye in March–April, water play in June–September, and the most frequent river mist in October–November. Getting there: Jiande Station on the Hangzhou–Huangshan high-speed railway and Jiande Station on the Hangzhou–Quzhou high-speed railway both connect to Hangzhou in about 40 minutes; buses between town and the sights are infrequent, so driving or hiring a car with driver is recommended. Allow 2 days: day one for the river mist in town and Meicheng, day two for Daciyan, Xinye and Lingqi Cave.

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