Chengkan Summer Lotus Chronicle: Living with a Thousand Years of Time Among the Lotus in Huizhou’s Bagua Village

> When the white geese glide through the emerald pond and the horse-head walls reflect in the water, I finally understand what it means to be "madly in love for a lifetime." At 7 a.m. at Yongxing Lake, the dewdrops on the lotus leaves have yet to fall. A bamboo raft parts the lotus cluster, and the boatman startles two white egrets, whose wingtips brush past the flying eaves of the Song Dynasty’s Changchun Society, shattering their reflections in the shimmering waves. At this moment, Chengkan is a meticulous painting soaked in morning mist—this ancient Huizhou village, laid out according to the Bagua pattern, weaves a dream of Chinese aesthetics for travelers with its full pond of lotus flowers and thousand-year-old white walls. --- ### **🚣 Yongxing Lake: A Jiangnan Dream from Elementary School Textbooks** **Travel Key**: 20-minute taxi ride from Huangshan North Station to the southwest gate of the scenic area; ticket price 107 RMB includes all village attractions (half price for students) The moment you step over the stone bridge at the main entrance, time suddenly slows down. Yongxing Lake is like a piece of jade embedded in the village, with lotus leaves standing tall like umbrellas in summer, pink lotuses scattered among them, white geese curving their necks and calling, harmonizing with the Huangmei opera tunes drifting from the bamboo raft in the lake’s center. Photographer Lao Chen sets up his tripod and whispers, “To capture reflections, you must shoot before **9 a.m.**—the wind hasn’t risen yet, and the water surface is a natural glass mirror.” **Photography Tips**: - **Overhead Panorama**: The viewing platform 100 meters west of the ticket office captures the double-arched stone bridge, lotus pond, and the continuous horse-head walls in one frame. - **Low-Angle Close-Up**: Kneel on the lakeside boardwalk on the east shore, with a wide-angle lens close to the water surface to capture ripples stirred by the bamboo raft and startled white egrets taking flight. - **Cultural Moments**: At dusk, focus on the women washing clothes; their figures beating garments fall into the water with the sunset, stirring ripples that have lasted a thousand years. --- ### **🏯 Ancient Architecture Tour: Touching the Fingerprints of Time in a Maze** Passing through the willow shade along the lakeshore, the true secret of Bagua Village slowly unfolds. The Luo ancestors built the **Three Streets and Ninety-Nine Alleys** based on the "unity of yin and yang" from the I Ching, resembling a three-dimensional maze. Running your fingers over the iron-studded door of the Ming Dynasty Yan Yi Hall, the creaking of the three-story wooden building echoes—the childhood home of Luo Pin, one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. **Three Must-See Highlights**: 1. **The Nanmu Splendor of Baolun Pavilion** At the third courtyard of the Luo Dongshu Ancestral Hall, looking up takes your breath away—the painted beams flow with the talent of Ming Dynasty craftsmen, four golden-thread nanmu wood pillars each 1.1 meters in diameter, with a plaque hand-written by Dong Qichang hanging high; the scent of wood and history swirl together inside the hall. 2. **The Yuan Opera Charm of Huanxiu Bridge** In the Huanxiu Pavilion by the stone bridge, a century-old Huizhou wood carving whispers inside glass cases: the qilin auspicious beast raises its head, fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, and scholars come alive, and the best part is the window lattice carved with scenes from "The Peony Pavilion," where Du Liniang’s water sleeves seem to brush your face. 3. **The Philosophy of Humility Stone** At the corner of a narrow alley, a Ming Dynasty bluestone platform hides wisdom. When two people meet on the narrow "One-Person Alley," stepping onto the stone platform and yielding to each other completes the inheritance of an ancient ritual. --- ### **📸 Photography Secrets: Decoding the Morse Code of Huizhou Light and Shadow** **Golden Hours**: - **Morning (7-9 a.m.)**: Morning mist over Yongxing Lake has not yet dispersed, soft light penetrates the veins of lotus leaves. - **Afternoon (4-6 p.m.)**: The setting sun gilds the horse-head walls, alleys split into light and shadow like yin and yang. **Composition Principles**: - **Framing Narrative**: Use the hexagonal flower window of Yan Yi Hall to frame the flying eaves of Baolun Pavilion, condensing six hundred years of depth. - **Dynamic and Static Symphony**: Long exposure of the stream under Huanxiu Bridge captures silky flowing waves conversing with the still stone bridge over time. - **Life Accents**: Snap the moment a tortoiseshell cat darts over the drying chili baskets on the wall, bringing the ancient village to life in an instant. --- ### **🌌 Nighttime Surprise: When Stars Fall into the Bagua Formation** Returning to Yongxing Lake at dusk, you unexpectedly encounter a magical night—the drying autumn plaza across the lake lights up with lanterns, corn and red peppers float like stars in the warm light; deeper inside, the paper lanterns of Shude Tang Hotel light up one by one, turning the Ming and Qing old houses into a museum of light and shadow. The steward brings lotus flower tea and whispers, “Guests staying at the hotel can tour the ancestral hall at night; under the moonlight, the golden-thread nanmu pillars tell stories.” --- ### ❗️Pitfall Avoidance Guide 1. **Tour Guide Traps**: Avoid “wild guides” at the village entrance (their prices are chaotic and they cannot enter Baolun Pavilion). The official scenic area guide costs 30 RMB per session and will help you understand the secrets of Bagua. 2. **Ticket Details**: Don’t lose your paper ticket! Secondary ticket checks are required at the Lower House and Baolun Pavilion. Online tickets must be booked one hour in advance. 3. **Taste Mission**: Try the old lady’s fermented tofu (5 RMB per serving) at the head of Huanxiu Bridge, paired with lotus leaf bamboo tube rice from “Kanshang Tea Shop” on the east shore of Yongxing Lake—a salty and fragrant clash with sweet freshness. > White geese curve their necks toward the blue sky, > Lotus leaves lift eight hundred years of cooking smoke. > When the bamboo raft pushes open the ripples of the Bagua formation, > We finally understand— > True Jiangnan is never in the bustling crowds, > But in the silent folds of time. --- **Practical Information** ⌛️Opening Hours: Summer 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last entry at 5:30 p.m.) 🚌 Return Tips: Last bus Huizhou Line 1 departs at 6:00 p.m.; allow 30 minutes for taxi to the high-speed rail station 🌿 In-Depth Experience: Stay at Shude Tang Hotel with free tickets + exclusive night tours, fall asleep to the scent of lotus (around 600 RMB per person)