Jinhua City & Lanxi

The old central Zhejiang city of Wuzhou: Bayong Tower and Prince Shi's Mansion embody a thousand years of culture, you can lie in a boat to enter Shuanglong Cave on North Mountain, and Lanxi's Zhuge Bagua Village, Wuyi's Yuyuan Star Village and Pujiang's Zhengyimen village each have their own character.

Jinhua lies in the Jinqu Basin in central Zhejiang Province. Known in ancient times as Wuzhou, it is bisected by the Wujiang (Jinhua River) and backed by Jinhua Mountain (North Mountain), making it a historic and cultural city of central Zhejiang. About 30 km to the northwest, Lanxi sits where the Lanjiang, Qujiang and Wujiang rivers meet and has been a river-trade port since ancient times. This destination covers the urban area of Jinhua, Lanxi, Wuyi and Pujiang (Hengdian in Dongyang, Yiwu and Fangyan in Yongkang are covered separately under "Hengdian & Yiwu"). Sights fall into several groups. First, the city: on the north bank of the Wujiang, the old Ancient Citadel has Bayong Tower, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Prince Shi's Mansion, the City God Temple and an old street, while Yanweizhou Park at the three-river confluence and the China Wu Opera Theater are new landmarks. Second, North Mountain: Shuanglong Cave, where you lie in a boat to enter the cave, Binghúdong (Ice Pot Cave) with its underground waterfall, the Chisong Huang Daxian Temple and Zhizhe Temple, plus the Xianyuan Lake resort area on the north side of the mountain. Third, Lanxi: Zhuge Bagua Village, Zhiyan ancient village, the Liudongshan underground river, morning tea in the ancient town of Youbu, and Lanxi's old city along the Lanjiang. Fourth, the two counties to the south and north: Wuyi has Yuyuan Taiji Star Village, Guodong ancient village and hot springs, and Pujiang has Xianhua Mountain and Zhengyimen, "the First Family South of the Yangtze." The climate is subtropical monsoon, and spring and autumn are the best seasons: March–April brings mountain flowers on North Mountain and rapeseed blossoms in the old villages, and October–November is the season of autumn harvest displays with dry, crisp air; in the hot summer you can cool off in the caves, and in winter you can soak in Wuyi's hot springs. Getting there: Jinhua Station and Jinhua South Station are junctions of the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed line and the Hangzhou–Changsha and Hangzhou–Ningbo–Jinhua lines, about 50 minutes from Hangzhou East; Lanxi, Wuyi and Pujiang all have high-speed or intercity rail; there is a public bus from the city to Shuanglong Cave, but most old villages require a hired car or self-driving. We suggest 2–3 days. Local foods include Jinhua ham, Jinhua shortbread, Tangxi meatballs, Lanxi egg dumplings and Youbu morning tea.

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Itineraries