4 Lesser-Known Low-Cost Cities for Reverse Budget Travel in August

Longboat Water Town Travel Guide Boat into the cave, accidentally enter a fairyland 📍Lichuan, Hubei is a magical place! Perfect for summer vacation and deep travel! Here, not only are homestays everywhere, but there are also many scenic spots, making it convenient to travel from the city center. Today, join me to explore Longboat Water Town. This is a place where you don’t need a travel plan, and not retracing your steps is its feature. 📍Adult tickets are 120 yuan, children 70 yuan. Boat tickets cost an additional 30 yuan. 📍Longboat Water Town Scenic Area is a national 4A-level tourist attraction, close to Lichuan city, located at Sanduxia on the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River. The mountains are clear and the water is beautiful. Here, natural karst caves and underground rivers merge into one, like a landscape painting, fully showcasing the customs and folk culture of the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups. 📍When entering the scenic area, pay attention to the schedule of various performances and choose to watch. There are two ways to tour: first take a small boat to visit the "world’s number one cave," with the boatman rowing and enjoy the Tujia girls’ mountain folk songs, which is truly delightful! There is a food street inside the scenic area, convenient for eating and drinking, then take a large boat to the scenic area exit. You can also do it in reverse, first the large boat then the small boat. 📍As the saying goes: mountains come alive because of water, and water is beautiful because of mountains. The best combination of mountains and water is perfectly reflected here. The air is fresh and oxygen-rich. The banks of the Qingjiang River are lush with vegetation and natural ecology, peaks rise steeply, the river surface reflects shimmering peaks, and the water is green as silk, full of poetic charm. 📍Recommended tour time is 3-4 hours. It’s a great place for traveling with kids, with fresh air, suitable temperature, moderate walking, easy and pleasant~ One of the Eight Great Grottoes — Yungang Grottoes 📍Address: South foot of Wuzhou (Zhou) Mountain, Datong City, Shanxi Province, north bank of Wuzhou River ⏰Opening hours: 9:00—17:00 (ticket sales stop at 16:30) 🚎Electric shuttle in the scenic area costs 15 yuan round trip, 10 yuan one way 🚢Boat ride 20 yuan per person 🎧It is recommended to hire a guide, preferably a shared one for cost-effectiveness. Passing through the Buddha worship avenue is where the guide starts. 🚶🏻‍♀️It is recommended to walk inside the park. The walking distance is not much, no backtracking, and you can visit attractions along the way. The entrance and exit are on two different roads. If you want to visit the audio-visual hall and art gallery, see them before entering. ⚠️The caves are numbered 1-45 from east to west. Early period (16-20): Also called "Tan Yao Five Caves," the five large Buddhas respectively symbolize five Northern Wei emperors, representing the unity of Buddha and emperor. Middle period (5-14): Built after the Tan Yao Five Caves and before the Northern Wei capital moved to Luoyang, the statues and caves shifted to a palace style, bright, gorgeous, and exquisitely detailed. Late period (remaining caves): Built after the Northern Wei capital moved to Luoyang, mostly folk grottoes, honeycomb-shaped embedded in cliffs, carved according to terrain, simple and clear. Travel to the Summer Capital ~ Rainbow Tribe Tuzu Garden If you’re tempted, take action and let’s visit the Tuzu Homeland Garden to personally experience the warm hospitality of the Tuzu people. Step into the hometown of the Rainbow — Huzhu 😊😊 Every attraction will leave you unforgettable memories, every scene is like a highland landscape poem, letting you linger and never want to leave. The scenic area has large Tuzu folk cultural ancient buildings such as Shibadonggou Old Oil Mill, Living Buddha Temple, Anzhao Square, Tusi Mansion, Zhuangkuo Courtyard, and Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Protection Center 👊👊, showcasing the history, folk culture, intangible cultural heritage, ancient residential buildings, and production and living customs of the Tuzu people. It has developed a series of tourism projects related to Tuzu folk customs and local culture, with high viewing, entertainment, and participation value. Old Oil Mill 👈👈 The oil mill reproduces the traditional oil pressing process. Highlanders mainly consume rapeseed oil, which is made in the oil mill 👌👌 Anzhao Square 👈👈 With first-class lighting and sound equipment, here you can fully enjoy Tuzu cuisine and watch performances full of ethnic characteristics. Tusi Mansion 👈👈 The mansion is the residence of the Tusi lord. Upon entering the courtyard is the lord’s office area. It displays the lord’s main seat, weapon racks, and prison torture tools. You can also enjoy a Tusi lord’s court case drama performed in Qinghai dialect, humorous and witty, leaving a deep impression on many visitors. Zhuangkuo Courtyard 👈👈 The Tuzu Zhuangkuo Courtyard is a traditional Tuzu residence. The main door is a single door. Because the Tuzu believe in Tibetan Buddhism, there is a small door tower on top of the door, usually for worshiping Buddha statues. Women generally cannot go up there. Living Buddha Temple 👈👈 The Tuzu believe in Tibetan Buddhism and have unique Buddhist rituals, such as placing scriptures in prayer wheels. Each turn of the wheel equals reciting the scriptures once. The prayer wheel should be turned clockwise three times with a sincere heart to pray for blessings. Costume Hall 👈👈 Costumes are the external symbol of an ethnic group. Tuzu costumes are loved worldwide for their bright colors, unique styles, and exquisite embroidery skills. Tuzu women wear colorful embroidered shirts with red, yellow, green, black, and white sleeves representing the colors of the rainbow. The Tuzu homeland is called the hometown of the rainbow 👏👏 Chaozhou, This Beautiful City! ✨Chaozhou 3 Days 2 Nights Nanny-Level Guide｜The Correct Way to Explore and Eat in the Ancient City in August‼️ 【Main Text】 All-inclusive for about 600 yuan per person for food, accommodation, and transportation Keep this exclusive June pit-avoidance guide Includes comprehensive photo spots/food map/accommodation guide 📅【Itinerary】 🏮DAY1: Ancient Charm Stroll ⏰9:00 Arrive at Chaoshan Station 👉🏻Take high-speed rail line K2 directly to the ancient city (40-minute ride) ⏰11:00 Check in at "Fangju Hotel," an ancient-style homestay 📍5-minute walk to Paifang Street, smart home + free Hanfu experience ⏰12:00 Food crawl on West Horse Road ✅Shibaq Qu Old Tail Fish Dumpling Shop: triple fish cake + fish dumplings ✅Wu Jinping Snack Shop: freshly fried spring rolls, super crispy ✅Licorice Family: green mango with southern ginger is a must ⏰15:00 Time travel check-in 🗺️Route: Kaiyuan Temple (please take a blessing bag) → Xu Prince’s Mansion → Jiadi Alley → Zhenhai Tower 📸Photo spots: red walls, black tiles with oil-paper umbrellas, recommended to wear new Chinese style ⏰19:00 Guangji Bridge Light Show 🌉19:30/21:30 two shows (reserve front seats early) After watching, go to "Qicongsong" to eat licorice fruit to refresh 🏮DAY2: Cultural Deep Tour ⏰8:30 Han Shanglou morning tea Shrimp dumplings and red rice sausage are must-orders, window seats with river view are stunning ⏰10:00 Photo shoot at Thai Buddha Hall 🎫Free! Rent Dai costume at the door for 30 yuan (with mosquito repellent) 👉🏻Next door is "Huiru Park" with a Ferris wheel ⏰14:00 Intangible cultural heritage experience 📍Licuoci: make Chao embroidery bookmarks by hand 📍Jilue Huanggongci: see gold lacquer wood-carved ceiling ⏰17:00 Guantang Brothers Beef Hotpot 🚗20-minute taxi ride, must order hanging dragon and chest oil ‼️Arrive before 5 pm to avoid queues 🏮DAY3: Secret Realm Exploration ⏰9:00 Longhu Ancient Village 🎋Millennium water town, navigate to "Apo Temple" for hidden photo spots ⏰12:00 Xikou Liu Bu Goose Meat Restaurant 👑Locals certify the braised goose, goose liver dipped in garlic vinegar is legendary ⏰14:00 Danfuyuan 📿Jiangnan garden style, feed koi with biscuits, super healing ⏰16:00 Must-buy before returning 🛍️Quanji Pastry (fermented bean curd cake) / Lao Weiji (almond tea) 🏨【Accommodation Suggestions】 ▫️Prefer homestays within 1 km of Paifang Street (see photo 9) ▫️Highly recommend "Fangju" floating bathtub room, about 80+ yuan per person ▫️Book 2 weeks in advance for holidays! ⚠️【Pit-Avoidance Tips】 1️⃣Guangji Bridge stops admission at 17:00, closed on Mondays 2️⃣Negotiate tricycle prices by half! Walking is more cost-effective 3️⃣Buy souvenirs on West Horse Road, half the price of Paifang Street 4️⃣August has frequent showers, carry an umbrella 🍃The beauty of Chaozhou is hidden in the folds of the bluestone roads Bring a 256G stomach and a photo-savvy bestie Let’s plan it!