Lingnan Water Town | Small Bridges and Flowing Water | Gentle Embrace of Surrounding Peaks | A Thousand-Year-Old Town Amid the Mountains and Rivers of Northern Guangxi

“Huangyao Ancient Town | Step into the ‘Dreamlike Border City,’ Rediscover Slow Time Between Bluestone and Lanterns”--- > “It’s not in Jiangnan, yet it has small bridges and flowing water; > It’s not near famous mountains, yet it is gently embraced by surrounding peaks; > This is **Huangyao Ancient Town** — > a thousand-year-old town hidden among the mountains and rivers of northern Guangxi, > known as the ‘**Dream Home of Lingnan**,’ > and one of China’s top ten ancient towns worth slowing down for.”--- Huangyao - ✅ Location: Zhaoping County, Hezhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region - ✅ Town History: **Nearly a thousand years** (started in the Song Dynasty, flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties) - ✅ Core Area: About 3.6 square kilometers (well-preserved ancient streets and alleys) - ✅ Best Tags: **Lingnan Water Town | Bluestone Alleys | Lantern Ancient Town | Film Location | Cultural Heritage** This is a living ancient town with a “**Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams layout, three rivers flowing around the town, and seventy-two temple ruins**” — without excessive commercialization, only peaceful time.--- Four Core Attractions | Detailed Explanation 1. 【Dailong Bridge | Ancient Town Landmark · Eye of the Galaxy】 - Built in the Ming Dynasty, a single-arch stone bridge spanning the Yao River - The best spot to enjoy **night views, starry skies, and lantern reflections** - The movie "The Painted Veil" was filmed here. The shop owner often says: “Those who cross Dailong Bridge always come back.”--- 2. 【Bluestone Streets and Alleys | Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Maze】 - The entire town is made up of **alleys paved with bluestones**, crisscrossing like a maze - Main streets include: Yingxiu Street, Anle Street, Jinde Street, etc. - Along the way, you can see century-old houses, carved gate towers, and weathered brick walls --- 3. 【Wu Clan Ancestral Hall | A Microcosm of Lingnan Clan Culture】 - Built in the Qing Dynasty, a well-preserved family ancestral hall - Carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and upturned corners, highly artistic - Inside are a courtyard, opera stage, and ancestral shrine, reflecting the tradition of “respecting ancestors and harmonizing clans” --- 4. 【Xianren Ancient Well | Seven Connected Wells, Source of Life】 - Seven round ancient wells lined up by the mountain, never drying up - Once the center of drinking water, vegetable washing, and laundry for the whole town - Even now, some still draw water for tea; the water is clear, cool, and sweet --- Special Experiences | Five Irreplaceable Slow Life Activities 1. 【Stay One Night in an Old House Inn | Moonlight Through the Window】 - Recommended accommodations: - “**Guiyue Homestay**”: renovated from a century-old house, quiet courtyard - “**Xipan Mountain Residence**”: built by the river, fall asleep to the sound of water at night - “**Huangyao Academy Inn**”: rich in literary atmosphere, perfect for artistic youth --- 2. 【Shoot a Set of “Chinese Style” Photos】 - Use lanterns, oil-paper umbrellas, stone bridges, and dark green river water for composition - Recommended outfits: Hanfu, plain long dresses, bamboo hats, cloth shoes --- 3. 【Wait for a Misty Rainy Dusk】 - In spring, when fine rain drizzles, the whole ancient town is shrouded in mist - Lanterns softly illuminate the wet stone slabs, like an ink painting scroll - The favorite moment for photographers and poets --- 4. 【Join a Handicraft Workshop】 - Available projects: - Tie-dye fabric (using natural plant dyes) - Bamboo lantern weaving (take home as a souvenir) - Calligraphy and sutra copying (write peacefully in the academy) 📅 Locations: Huangyao Cultural and Creative Workshop, Guiyuan Tianju Workshop --- 5. 【Stop by the Karst Secret Realm】 - Name: **Karst Landform Pastoral Scenic Area** (5 km from the ancient town) - Features: rice fields, solitary peaks, streams, shepherd boys, like a real-life “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” painting - You can cycle or hike to explore nearby villages (such as Jietang Village, Baishan Village) --- Food Recommendations | Taste of Northern Guangxi on Your Tongue | **Stuffed Tofu** | Tofu wrapped with meat filling and steamed, savory broth, the best local delicacy || **Huangyao Fermented Black Beans** | Made by traditional fermentation of black soybeans, enhances flavor in cooking, a must-buy souvenir || **Bamboo Tube Rice** | Glutinous rice with cured meat stuffed in bamboo tubes and roasted, fragrant and soft || **Water Chestnut Cake** | Made from local water chestnuts, chewy and sweet || **Hakka Rice Wine Chicken** | Chicken stewed with rice wine, warms the stomach and dispels cold, a great tonic for women |--- > When you are on Dailong Bridge late at night, > watching the last lantern reflected on the Yao River, > the whole world is so quiet that only the sound of flowing water remains, > at that moment, > you know — > this is not an ordinary ancient town, > it is a soul’s homecoming path for city dwellers, > a place where we are willing to put down the hustle and bustle, > just to exchange for > that one second of walking side by side with time in peace.--- May you, on some morning, stand beside Xianren Ancient Well, listening to the echo of the wooden bucket drawing water, and at that moment, you finally understand: the so-called poetry is nothing more than — our willingness to walk into an ancient alley, just to exchange for that instant of heart settling peacefully with the passage of time.