May Day Reverse Travel | 5 Lesser-Known Cities Perfect for Budget Travel

May Day Reverse Travel | Fewer Crowds, Beautiful Scenery 🔹 5️⃣ Budget-Friendly Hidden Cities ✔ Worried about the massive crowds and high costs at popular destinations during the May Day holiday? Don't worry! Here are 5 carefully selected lesser-known cities with fewer tourists, beautiful scenery, and affordable prices to help you enjoy your holiday with ease! 🌍 🌄 Jiayuguan: Historical Echoes in the Vast Desert As the "Western Gateway" of the Great Wall, Jiayuguan naturally exudes a magnificent heroic spirit! 🌅 Must-visit attractions: 🔹 Jiayuguan Fortress Climb this "iron beast of the Gobi Desert" where rammed earth walls glisten golden in the sunlight. Among the flying eaves and bracket sets of the fortress, you can almost hear the clashing armor of frontier soldiers. Standing on the wall looking out, the distant Qilian Mountains lie like a giant dragon, while the Gobi Desert below flows like a river of stars, instantly transporting you back to an era of war horses and iron weapons! 🏯 🔹 Suspended Great Wall Ascending the nearly vertical cliff step by step, this "dragon on the precipice" tells the story of a thousand years of weathering with its broken bricks and stones. From the top, the clear boundary between the oasis and desert at the foot of the mountain forms a stunning panorama with the lonely smoke of the desert and setting sun over the long river! 🌇 🔹 First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall At the "World's First Beacon Tower" along the Taolai River, touch the weathered bricks of the Ming Dynasty watchtower and watch the rushing river flow like the river of time. At sunset, the tower and its reflection in the water connect, creating the miraculous illusion of "heaven and earth as one"! 🌅 Local delicacies: 🔸 Jiayuguan Barbecue—A sizzling symphony on charcoal! Tender lamb wrapped in secret spices, grilled on iron skewers until golden and juicy, sprinkled with chili powder. One bite releases an explosion of flavors that makes even the desert sand feel gentle! 🍖 🔸 Lamb Offal Soup—Start your morning with a steaming bowl of lamb offal soup with its rich, savory broth and tender, flavorful offal. Pair it with freshly baked flatbread for a meal that warms both stomach and heart! 🍲 🔸 Oil Pancake with Rice Cake—Crispy oil pancake wrapped around sweet glutinous rice cake, with brown sugar syrup melting on your tongue, instantly transporting you to the smoky kitchens of northwestern China! 🍯 🏮 Quanzhou: Ancient Port City of Half Earthly Bustle, Half Heavenly Charm This low-profile UNESCO World Heritage city hides the international flavor of the "Maritime Silk Road"! Must-visit attractions: 🔹 Kaiyuan Temple Stroll between the red walls of this thousand-year-old temple, where the east and west pagodas stand majestically against the blue sky, and sandalwood and bodhi trees sway in the Buddha's light. Turn a corner to find the Arab-style Qingjing Mosque, and you'll feel like you've stepped into "One Thousand and One Nights"! 🌙 🔹 Cupu Fishing Village Put on a flower hairpin and experience the "garden on the head" style of Cupu women. In front of houses built with oyster shells, listen to the intertwining of waves and fishing songs, experiencing the most authentic Minnan lifestyle! 🌊 🔹 West Street Ancient stone-paved roads connect century-old shops, traditional pastry stores, Iron Goddess tea fragrance, and the lingering sounds of Nanyin music... every alley hides surprises! 🌼 Local delicacies: 🔸 Mian Xian Hu—Hair-thin noodles dancing in thick broth, topped with vinegared meat and oysters, savory and warming, the "soul breakfast" of Minnan people! 🍜 🔸 Tu Sun Dong—Translucent jelly containing delicious marine worms, dipped in soy sauce and vinegar, with a unique chewy and refreshing taste! 🍮 🔸 Ginger Mother Duck—Duck simmered in a clay pot with abundant ginger, the meat tender and flavorful, leaving your whole body warm after eating! 🦆 🏞️ Huzhou: A Hidden Paradise in Jiangnan's Ink Painting This small city surrounded by tea mountains and bamboo forests has air infused with sweetness! Must-visit attractions: 🔹 Nanxun Ancient Town Without the hustle and bustle of Wuzhen, the bridges and flowing water here are more serene. Hundreds of buildings line the river with white walls and dark tiles reflected in the water. When a rowing boat passes by, ripples shatter the starlight across the river! 🌌 🔹 Moganshan Stay a night at Naked Castle deep in the bamboo forest. In the morning, open your window to see mist rising from the valley, as if you're sleeping in the clouds! ☁️ 🔹 Yishang Street Traditional pastry shops, tea houses, handmade bamboo craft stores... stroll and eat at a leisurely pace, encountering the slow life of Jiangnan! 🍵 Local delicacies: 🔸 Qianzhang Bao—Paper-thin bean curd sheets wrapped around fresh bamboo shoots and meat filling, with sweet broth. You can't stop at just one! 🍥 🔸 Dingsheng Cake—Soft, glutinous cake with rose fragrance, symbolizing good fortune, a "favorite" of Jiangnan women! 🌸 🌿 Yangzhou: The Grand Canal Pearl of Slow-Cooked Time "Water in skin in the morning, skin in water in the evening," this city has leisure ingrained in its bones! Must-visit attractions: 🔹 Slender West Lake Ride a painted boat through the scenery of "Twenty-four Bridges under the Moonlight," with weeping willows swaying on both banks and sparkling water surfaces. Even the wind carries poetic charm! 🌿 🔹 Ge Garden The exquisite artificial mountains representing four seasons: spring bamboo-shoot stones, summer lake stones, autumn yellow stones, and winter Xuanshi stones. Every step reveals a new artistic conception! 🌳 🔹 Dongguan Street On this old street of blue bricks and gray tiles, traditional tea houses, guqin chambers, and Yangzhou paper-cutting shops stand in rows, hiding craftsmanship among everyday life! 🎨 Local delicacies: 🔸 Yangzhou Fried Rice—Distinct grains of rice stir-fried with shrimp, ham, and eggs create a golden "legend of the culinary world," bringing immense satisfaction to your taste buds! 🍚 🔸 Three Dices Bun—The savory flavors of diced chicken, meat, and bamboo shoots burst open in the thin wrapper. Take a bite and the soup flows out—the "perfect ideal" of the bun world! 🍘 🏮 Chaozhou: The Living Heritage in Ancient Alleys This "living ancient city" breathes the flavor of Chaoshan culture! Must-visit attractions: 🔹 Guangji Bridge One of China's four famous ancient bridges, with eighteen boats connecting both banks. During the day it's a "floating bridge," and at night it transforms into a "corridor of light and shadow" when illuminated—breathtakingly beautiful! 🌉 🔹 Paifang Street Twenty-two Ming and Qing dynasty memorial arches stand tall, with workshops for Chaozhou embroidery, wood carving, and kung fu tea hidden under the arcade buildings. Walk, explore, and learn, experiencing traditional crafts! 🎭 🔹 Kaiyuan Temple A thousand-year-old temple filled with incense smoke, intertwined with the aroma from beef hotpot restaurants—a perfect blend of Zen and everyday life! ✨ Local delicacies: 🔸 Chaoshan Beef Hotpot—Freshly slaughtered yellow beef, swished in the pot for just 8 seconds, dipped in satay sauce, tender and sweet, instantly captivating your taste buds! 🍲 🔸 Chaozhou Rice Noodle Rolls—Rice batter spread thin as cicada wings, wrapped around fresh shrimp, oysters, meat, and eggs, drizzled with special sauce, instantly transporting you to a Chaoshan breakfast stall! 🍜 🔸 Licorice Fruits—Sour green mangoes dipped in licorice powder, tangy and refreshing, opening a new world of flavors! 🍉 Reverse travel tips: 📌 Transportation: Take high-speed trains/bullet trains directly, avoiding congestion on popular routes 📌 Accommodation: Choose guesthouses in ancient towns or homestays on old streets, 100+ yuan per person for a great experience 📌 Activities: Avoid core scenic areas, deeply experience local morning markets, intangible cultural heritage workshops, and tea house culture 📌 Money-saving tips: Try street food for authentic flavors instead of internet-famous restaurants! This May Day holiday, choose these lesser-known cities to avoid crowded popular attractions while enjoying the tranquility and beauty of places with fewer tourists. Add these destinations to your travel list now! 🌍✈️