Qidong Black Sand Beach welcomes you, Black Sand Beach, here I come.
Stay in a seaside sunset room for 4000 RMB! I found a "cosmic fragment" at Qidong Black Sand Beach, went tide hunting, chased blue tears, and photographed the starry Milky Way—this hidden gem is breathtakingly beautiful!”---
Are you tired of the crowds in Sanya or the “sea of people” at the Qingdao Beer Festival? Then I strongly recommend you come to Qidong! This "China’s first sunrise spot" tucked away at the easternmost tip of Jiangsu features a rare black sand beach, volcanic rock coastlines comparable to Jeju Island, opportunities to hunt for mud snails at low tide, chase blue tears at night, and stay in designer guesthouses with ocean views right outside your window... The best part—few people! Wild scenery! Incredible photo opportunities! As a travel blogger just back from Qidong, with a budget of 4000 RMB per person for four days and three nights, I’ll help you unlock this seriously underrated “hidden treasure of the Yangtze River Delta”!---
Itinerary Overview: Qidong 4 Days 3 Nights · Black Sand Beach × Coastal Secret × First Sunrise Spot | Day | Theme | Highlights ||------|------|------|| Day 1 | Arrive in Qidong, first encounter with Black Sand Beach | Yuantuo Cape + Two-colored Sea wonder || Day 2 | Tide hunting and treasure digging + volcanic rock coast hike | Collect “cosmic fragments” obsidian || Day 3 | Stay in seaside guesthouse + chase blue tears | Starry Milky Way photography || Day 4 | Beach sunrise + return | Check in at China’s first ray of sunlight |---
Total Budget: 3980 RMB (per person) | Item | Cost ||------|------|| Round-trip high-speed train (from Shanghai/Hangzhou) | Shanghai → Qidong: 54 RMB × 2 = 108 RMB (super convenient transport!) || Accommodation (3 nights, including 2 nights seaside guesthouse) | City hotel 200 RMB × 1 night = 200 RMB; popular seaside guesthouses (e.g., “Sunset Wilds,” “Sea Breeze Cottage”) 700 RMB/night × 2 = 1400 RMB → Subtotal 1600 RMB || Meals (150 RMB/day) | 600 RMB (including seafood feast + café visits) || Attractions + transport | 672 RMB (Yuantuo Cape ticket 30 RMB + tide hunting tool rental 50 RMB + car hire/taxi 300 RMB + photography lighting/starry sky shooting service 200 RMB + other small tickets 92 RMB) || Souvenirs + experiences | 500 RMB (handmade shell paintings, sea salt soap, black sand stone ornaments, tide hunting finds) |✅ Total: about 3980 RMB ---
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Day 1: China’s Easternmost Point, encounter the two-colored sea - Arrive by high-speed train at [Qidong Station], taxi to [Yuantuo Cape Tourist Resort] (about 40 minutes, 100 RMB) - Check in at [Yuantuo Cape] — the confluence of the Yangtze River, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea, creating the rare “two-colored sea” phenomenon - Stroll along [Golden Beach] (now called the “Black Sand Beach” area), feel the fine black sand underfoot, and shoot “post-apocalyptic wasteland” style photos - Evening check-in at [seaside designer guesthouse] (recommended: “Sunset Wilds,” “Sea Breeze Cottage”), with ocean views right outside your window - Dinner: local fisherman's home cooking with [mud snail steamed egg + steamed swimming crab + clam soup], about 80 RMB per person ---
Day 2: Tide hunting and treasure digging, collect “cosmic fragments” - Check tide tables in the morning, head to [Lianxing Port tide hunting area] at low tide - Tools: small bucket, shovel, gloves (rent on site, 50 RMB/set) - Finds: mud snails, clams, small crabs, sea anemones, and even black volcanic rock fragments (locally called “stones”) - Afternoon hike along [Evergrande Venice Coastline] - volcanic rock reefs + black sand beach, perfect for “alien landscape” style photos - Wear a dark long dress for “dark aesthetic” portraits, Vlog soundtrack: “Aesthetic” - Evening on the guesthouse terrace stargazing, use phone + tripod to shoot the [Milky Way arch] (very low light pollution) ---
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Day 3: Chase blue tears, be a “seaside poet” for a night - Monitor “blue tears” alerts in advance (sporadic in spring-summer transition, high chance April-June) - At night, go to [North Wing Dam] or [Yuantuo Cape dark beach] to wait - Blue tears are bioluminescent algae that glow when waves hit, like an “underwater star river” - Rent professional photography lights (200 RMB/night) for long exposure shots - Return to guesthouse for tea and chat, write travel diary: “I’m in Qidong, listening to the breath of the sea.” ---
Day 4: China’s first ray of sunlight, perfect finale - Wake up at 5 AM, head to [Yuantuo Cape Lighthouse] to wait for sunrise - Qidong is one of the earliest places in China to see the sunrise, known as “First Light of the Eastern Frontier” - Drone shoot the moment “sun leaps from the sea horizon,” caption: “A new day begins in Qidong” - Morning visit [Lüsi Fishing Port] to buy dried goods: - squid strips, dried shrimp, dried yellow croaker, seaweed cakes, about 200 RMB per person for souvenirs - Before leaving, post on social media: “Stop squeezing into Sanya, this black sand beach in Jiangsu is the Yangtze River Delta’s ‘secret island’.” ---
Blogger’s viral content suggestions - Titles: “I found a black sand beach in Jiangsu that glows at night, it’s as beautiful as an alien world!” “Tide hunting found ‘cosmic black stones,’ this place is wilder than Jeju Island!” - Tags: `---
Qidong, quietly stunning and breathtaking. It doesn’t have Sanya’s luxury or Qingdao’s bustle, but with a stretch of black sand, a sunrise, and a tide hunt, it tells you: true seaside romance is quiet, wild, and for the few. 🌌🐚🌅 Come to Qidong and be the first to see the sunrise.