Wuyuan Huangling: A Mountain Village Born for Perfect Photos

It must be admitted that turning an ancient village into a popular internet-famous scenic spot is a success in both design and promotion for Huangling. From the moment you enter the scenic area, you will find countless photo-perfect angles, camera spots, corridors, flower walls, suspended corridors, glass platforms... like a pre-arranged visual feast. Those popular photo spots have lines almost all day long, with visitors from all over the country, carefully dressed and with exquisite makeup, all to capture the "most Huangling" photo in this valley. Huangling has limited accommodation, with only three hotels scattered in different corners of the scenic area—no matter which one, prices are over a thousand yuan even in the off-season, and the peak season prices are unimaginable. But there is one benefit to staying inside the scenic area that makes people willingly pay: you can be the true owner of the scenic area in the early morning. When the night visitors have left and the daytime noise sinks into the valley, the entire Huangling returns to a real ancient village. Taking advantage of the emptiness in the early morning, I flew my drone and captured the quiet side of Huangling. No lines, no noise, no backs of tourists—only layers of Huizhou eaves, black tiles and white walls, light valley mist, and soft morning light in the distance. Huangling Scenic Area: Exists for Photography, and Thus Controversial It must be said, Huangling’s fees are indeed not low. Tickets are expensive, the cable car is expensive, and hotels are even more expensive. If you just want to casually stroll, the scenic area is not large and can be covered in one or two hours. So there are many online complaints about the "low cost performance." But Huangling has never been a "sightseeing-type scenic spot"; its positioning is very clear— it is a place created for photography, for perfect shots, for visual effects. There are even many makeup artists and photographers stationed inside the scenic area, and visitors dressed in Hanfu, qipao, or light wedding dresses are everywhere. With a DSLR or a phone and a photographer, you can shoot all day long. If you are not here for photography, if you don’t want to queue for popular photo spots, if you don’t have a friend who can take photos— then Huangling is indeed unnecessary for you. But if you come for photos, or for the autumn drying or rapeseed flower shooting seasons, then Huangling will definitely not disappoint you. Huangling: No Off-Season, Only Peak and Super Peak Seasons Huangling’s scenery changes with the seasons but is never short of people. Spring: rapeseed flowers bloom, covering the valley in gold, the most beautiful and also the most crowded season. Autumn: the drying scenes are bright red and orange, Huangling’s most famous traditional scene, also packed with people. Summer and winter: fewer tourists, but popular photo spots still require queuing. Huangling is not a quiet Huizhou ancient village; it is a blend of lively human activity and commercial atmosphere, a scenic spot like a stage. If you like photography, enjoy a sense of ceremony, and appreciate scenery that has been carefully designed, then Huangling is very suitable for you. If you prefer a primitive, quiet trip undisturbed by commerce, then it may not become your favorite.