Autumn in Hongcun: 24 Hours Stepping into a Painting

Autumn in Hongcun: 24 Hours Stepping into a Painting Hongcun in autumn is like an ink painting specially color-tuned by God—morning mist, red leaves, drying harvests, every frame is unrealistically beautiful. Sneaking into the scenic area at six in the morning, the surface of Moon Pond is as still as glass, reflecting the horse-head walls dyed red by the Chinese tallow trees. Steam rises from the breakfast stall at the alley entrance; I spend three yuan to buy a preserved vegetable biscuit, nibbling it while watching students sketch how they transfer the scenery before them onto their canvases. At noon, by the old house next to Nanhu Academy, I ran into an aunt drying chili peppers and corn. After helping pass her two baskets of corn cobs, she handed me a freshly made fermented rice cake. Standing under a century-old ginkgo tree eating the warm cake, golden leaves fall softly on my shoulders—this is not tourism, it’s like stepping into a movie scene. Autumn Tips: · 🌅 Must-shoot: Moon Pond morning scene from 6:30-8:00, sunset at Nanhu Painted Bridge · 🍁 Best time: Late October to mid-November, when the Chinese tallow trees are reddest · 🏡 Accommodation: Homestays inside the scenic area, convenient for night and morning strolls · 💰 Cost: Ticket 94 yuan (valid for three days), fermented rice cake 5 yuan each When the sunset bathes the entire village in golden light, sitting at the lakeside pavilion watching villagers row boats home, I suddenly understand—the most beautiful thing in Hongcun is not the architecture, but the perfect blend of vibrant everyday life and millennia-old poetic charm.