During this special summer vacation in the third year of middle school, I traveled to Hunan with my grandparents, embarking on an interesting journey.
Day 1#
On the first day, we set off from home to Guangzhou South Station, where we spent two very boring hours. Then we took the high-speed train to Changsha and settled down. We stayed at the "Kanglai Hotel," and that night, I felt that the portion sizes of the food in Changsha were quite generous (in stark contrast to the small dishes favored in Guangzhou).
Day 2#
Early the next morning, we boarded the tour bus with the breakfast we received, officially starting our journey in Hunan.
On the bus, the tour guide informed us about many customs and historical sites in Hunan. After a continuous input of knowledge, we arrived at the place where the red sun rises—Shaoshan. When it comes to Shaoshan, everyone thinks of that person—the great leader Mao Zedong. We visited Mao Zedong's former residence, learned about his family background and the feng shui in front of his house, and enjoyed a meal called "Mao's Family Meal," where we also presented a wreath.
After finishing our meal, we returned to the bus and headed to Xiangxi. Listening to the tour guide's introduction and enjoying the beautiful scenery outside the window was probably the best part of traveling.
I must say, the sunsets in Hunan during summer are really late. When we arrived at Furong Town at 8 PM, it had just gotten dark. Furong Town is a small town built on a waterfall, and the scenery is beautiful.
Day 3#
The highlight of the third day was the visit to Tianmen Mountain.
Tianmen Mountain (English: Tianmen Mountain) is located in the Yongding District of Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China. It is named after the natural wonder Tianmen Cave and is renowned worldwide, being hailed as "the first divine mountain in Xiangxi," "the soul of Wuling," and "the soul of Zhangjiajie."
Along the way, we saw the magnificent scenery of Tianmen Mountain. The tour guide mentioned the unsolved mystery of "Tianmen Turn."
Upon reaching the base of Tianmen Mountain, we took the B-line cable car up to the mountainside.
Continuing forward, we reached the entrance of Tianmen Cave.
Going further up, we reached the top of Tianmen Mountain and walked across the glass walkway (heights warning ⚠️).
After exploring Tianmen Mountain, we took the A-line cable car down to the city (yes, that cable car ride takes more than 20 minutes). Then we drove to Huangshizhai in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, where we watched the sunset.
Day 4#
Early on the fourth day, we took a bus to the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, where we saw a large reservoir (it was beautiful, but unfortunately I didn't take a picture 🤤🤤🤤). Then we began a more than three-hour hike.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Huanglong Cave, but since we had already visited many caves before, it wasn't very surprising.
Day 5#
On the fifth day, we visited the Tusi City and learned about the history of the Tujia ethnic group.
In the afternoon, we took a bus to Fenghuang Ancient Town.
Day 6#
This was the last day of the trip, and the itinerary was very relaxed. In the morning, we visited a local cultural center in Fenghuang Ancient Town, where I met a designer named Sister An (she is really super nice, and I wish her success in opening her own studio). Then we went to the Miao village of Teacher Song Zuying's grandmother.
In the afternoon, we took a bus back to Changsha, where we saw the "Supermoon" from the bus, passed by "National Defense Science and Technology University," and returned to the hotel where we stayed on the first day.
Day 7#
On the seventh day, we took the high-speed train back to Guangzhou.
Behind the Scenes#
This trip took place before the results of the high school entrance examination were released. Originally, the education bureau said the results would be released on the 18th, but suddenly on the fifth day, they announced it would be moved up to the 15th. By the sixth day, they even said it would be moved up to 2 PM on the 14th (which is the seventh day), making me a bit anxious in the last two days and unable to return to school on time to collect my graduation certificate (truly unreasonable).
This trip was a chance for me to take my grandparents out to have fun. Since they are older, I had to take care of everything, which made me unusually tired during these days (it felt like I was back in the final sprint phase for the entrance exam). However, I believe this trip was very worthwhile for several reasons:
- I took my grandfather to visit the former residence of Chairman Mao, which he had always wanted to see but never had the chance.
- I showed my grandmother the beautiful landscapes she had not seen before.
- I learned about the underdevelopment in Xiangxi and how tourism can drive economic development.
- …
Finally, I hope everyone can also travel to Hunan, see the beautiful mountains and rivers of our motherland, and help boost the local economy. I also hope the pandemic will pass soon so that we can travel without restrictions 💪💪💪.