Zhangzhou, Fujian | Plank roads, old banyan trees and earthen buildings compose a song of Nanjing Clouds and Waters

A caring aunt came to me and handed me her cell phone, asking me to take a picture of her. Then they squeezed to the stone monument of Yunshuiyao and drove away the little girl who was posing for a photo.

"Okay, okay, I want to take pictures too. Please give in."

Then the aunt herself changed the pose for me to take pictures, while asking if it was too close or too far. Slowly began to occupy there, regardless of whether there are many people around.

I didn't have much interest in taking pictures of her, so I took a few pictures and then returned the phone to her. I didn’t wait for her to tell me whether she was satisfied or dissatisfied, and I didn’t even care if she asked me if I wanted to take the photo behind me. I just left.

The tourist flow that has flourished as a scenic spot has also driven a small number of food and accommodation industries here. From the town center to along the river, there are many snack bars, vendors and B&Bs.

The most common ones are small pineapples that are as big as apples, and they are spread with grass jelly or sea stone flowers (this is a very southern Fujian food, common in Chaoshan and Hailufeng areas).

Shops with shops will extend bamboo tables and chairs to the river bank, and then set out a full set of tea sets and kettles. Everything is kept simple and homely. It's just that tourists come and go in a hurry, so few have time to enjoy tea by the river.

In addition to accommodation and catering, there are also grocery stores selling local specialties, local or non-local snacks. Some people even installed a peacock cage in their backyard, with three or four blue peacocks in it.

Hanging next to it is "Please consciously scan the code for 1 yuan to watch".

Oh, I forgot to mention that although the locals don’t seem to be happy with this kind of cashless circulation, basically every household here has posted a QR code for Alipay and WeChat payment. I almost never paid cash here.

A thoughtful family planted a lotus garden in front of Huaiyuan Tower. Looking at the sunset, it is very beautiful. But when I took a closer look, I still had to pay.

But you can choose to spend 5 to 8 yuan to buy a cup of their coconut juice or lotus seed juice, or you can pay 5 yuan directly. I chose the latter because juicing machines are still a bit intimidating to me.

I was also impatient, so I took a few pictures of little flower buds near the door and left in a hurry. Maybe I was thinking that I still had to walk almost 2 kilometers to Hegui Lou. I missed the beautiful lotus flowers blooming deep in the pond.

I regretted it after seeing someone posting it at the same time.

But the one below is one of my favorites.

From Yunshuiyao to Huaiyuan Tower, there is a cobblestone road only two or three people wide. From time to time, there will be a fork in the fence on the side for pedestrians to walk along to get close to the water source.

So some people brought small stools over to fish, and some girls sat on the edge of the water to take pictures. When I got excited, I simply took off my shoes and splashed around with the water.

People keep reminding me not to wear high heels here. Cobblestone roads with large gaps can be difficult to navigate.

In fact, let alone shoes with heels, my flat sneakers often get wet. So if you come wearing high heels, you might as well buy a pair of slippers in the town. Even if you want to play in the water, it is very convenient.

When we came out of Huaiyuan Tower and started walking towards Hegui Tower, the sun had already set. The brightness of the entire ancient town began to dim very quickly at an accelerated rate.

Tourists gradually retreated from the river with their children. After all, the water flow here is low and it doesn't look very deep, but since there is no night light, it is also very dangerous.

But the children were still unwilling to do so. They took the fishing nets bought from the merchants and tried to fish something out of the river.

After I came out of Hegui Building, I could still see tourists working with flashlights in the completely dark sky, and I was convinced.

We arrived on the first day without much food and then walked for four to five kilometers carrying several machines on our backs. Even though there were many people, I felt very happy to have photographed the wonderful building of Huaiyuan Tower and the timing of the setting sun.

As a result, I discovered that my wide-angle camera did not have a memory card inserted.

Every click of the shutter made me think that I had successfully recorded it, and I never failed to review the entire process, so I never discovered it. I quickly checked whether this model had a survival function, but was disappointed.

So that the whole night, I felt sad and regretful.

My friend kept comforting me by saying that if I had seen the scenery, I would just record it in my heart. I also think it makes sense, but I still feel regret.

In addition to feeling sad and sorry, I am also worried that there is no place in town that sells memory cards, because this place is really out of the world.

But I also thought that if I really couldn't buy one, I would take out the memory card of the fixed-focus camera and switch between the two cameras. Although it is clumsy and time-consuming, it is the most helpless and effective way to record.

Walking up and down the street, I didn't see any digital or electronic product stores. Fortunately, I had sharp eyesight and saw a small shop selling sockets and wires, so I went in with the intention of asking.

But I didn’t think that memory cards were actually sold. It's not easy. My sad heart felt a little better now, and I decided to walk the four to five kilometers again tomorrow and take photos of what I could.

- 2 -

After checking the sunrise time, I wanted to go out and walk around the ancient town during the sunrise.

In the end, I couldn't fight off the fatigue, and it was already after sunrise when I woke up again. But luckily it wasn't too late, and I went out around 6:30.

Coming out of the inn door, the refreshing temperature and blue sky suddenly dispelled all the fatigue and the bad mood from yesterday.

In the midsummer, you can still feel this The cool breeze with a hint of early spring makes me feel so great that I can’t express it in words.

Yunshui Yao is still yesterday's Yunshui Yao.

The appearance is quite different.

There are no noisy vehicles, noisy markets, and no pedestrians vying to take photos. Quiet, so quiet! Birds are chirping in the morning, the cold fog left over from last night is still on the river, and the sun is shining through the clouds on the small town.

The sky is blue, the clouds are wide, the branches are green, and the water is clear.

At this moment, I even felt that if it hadn't been for yesterday's little recklessness, I might not have gotten up early to reshoot today, and I would have missed this wonderful scene.

Suddenly I realized that people who live in scenic spots like this should go out for a walk early in the morning. I made an observation: the morning is the concentrated time for tour groups, with groups of people coming and going.

In the afternoon, it is time for individual tourists. After a long journey, we come here, rest for a while, and start to have fun at four or five o'clock in the evening when the heat begins to dissipate.

At night, it's pitch dark and there are no street lights, so it's still quite dangerous.

Most people only gather in the town for activities or have a drink (there are many small bars here that emphasize art).

The best time to visit is early morning.

At this time, I was a little bit complaining about being lazy and not being able to get up earlier.

Most stores have not yet opened for business, but there are always hard-working ones.

For example, last night I passed a noodle stall under the big banyan tree. The bone and medicinal soup cooked in the big iron pot was so fragrant that I remembered that I had only eaten some bread for breakfast all day. Quickly ask the boss lady to pack a bowl.

My mother was very quick in cooking the raw beef and then the noodles in water, and then blanched two pieces of green vegetables. Finally, several tablespoons of hot soup were poured into the big iron pot, which made me very hungry. I ate it all as soon as I got back to the inn.

This morning I saw the proprietress setting up a stall again. I praised her noodles for being very delicious and told her that I would buy another bowl when I get back. When I went back after shopping, the lady boss was no longer there, and the boss came out to take charge.

The big tree has grown vigorously, and I don’t know if it is a hundred years or a thousand years old.

The horizontal growth trend does not make it unattainable, but the solid branches make people feel at ease. I thought the children must have climbed here a lot, and I was ready to do it.

The fence cannot stop its roots. The lines from life continue to spread out and are embedded in the cracks of the stone, and no one can move them.

When passing by the river bank, I also noticed a large bamboo forest on the opposite bank. The morning light concentrated through the gap, forming a large area of ​​Tyndall.

Although the water surface formed some small bubbles due to the fault drop in front, it could also reflect and copy another piece of Tyndall. The magic in front of me was simply amazing.

Additionally, there are gourds hanging from vines overhead. I always feel like I will suddenly move and call grandpa grandpa.

There is also the cultivation of small pineapples. Merchants like to promote the sales of derivative products (juice, pulp, etc.) by displaying their orchards or fruit sheds for communication, science popularization and other interactions. They are also very smart.

– 3 –

Because I stayed in the inn here for one night, I was lucky enough to see Yunshuiyao's appearance at night. It was just dark around 7pm, and when you looked up, you could see a small crescent moon just emerging from the top of the mountain.

If you look carefully, you can also see the outline of a small crescent moon and a full moon shape. And above it, there is a dazzling Venus.

I was also very excited when I saw vendors selling river lanterns on the roadside. Since I have only watched TVB’s palace dramas, I should be able to make wishes and stuff (but now I can make wishes for anything)

It's 3 yuan each, just for fun.

It is quite dangerous to touch the rocks to the edge in the dark, but many river lanterns have been released. Therefore, the river surface is also glowing with little fires.

Putting up lights also depends on the mood of the river water.

Some passengers were more aggressive and knocked the lamp over in the water. Some of them got stuck in the cracks of rocks after only a few steps. Some go with the current, while others drift farther and farther toward the other side.

It only took a few seconds to turn on the light, and there was no one to take pictures for me.

The surrounding area is really dark. I saw two girls taking a few photos of each other with their mobile phones and then gave up. I also wanted to take pictures of the lake, but I kept having trouble focusing. It forms a small spot like the picture below.

However, precisely because there is not enough lighting like in big cities, the shops along the river here will lead the light strips to the roofs and fences.

Just in time for the World Cup, they also kept pace with the times and moved the projections and screens outside the courtyard or onto the large balcony. In this way, hotels from all over the world can stay together in the evening to make skewers, drink beer and watch football.

It's an ideal little vacation.

/ Later words /

Get a full day's sleep on weekends

Go out for another jog

Find some more convenience stores

But you can't buy that

"As a non-drinker, I wanted to drink after seeing the commercial."

Rio tipsy

The clerk gave me a pack of edible ice cubes

I'll have plum wine and soda when I get back.

Feeling captured in summer

Someone who hasn’t had a drink in more than 20 years

This year, I suddenly became very fond of Bingbing’s low alcohol content.

Maybe it’s because afternoon coffee is no longer as good as a glass of wine

Make the atmosphere of thoughtful chat more exciting

Cheers

🍺