July 23-25, 2021, a two-day check-in tour in Jiangsu.
I have visited Jiangsu three times this year and visited 5 5A scenic spots. This time in Shanghai, it is a weekend after official business, so I plan to visit two more 5A scenic spots, namely the Chinese Elk Park in Dafeng, Yancheng and the Huaguo Mountain Scenic Spot in Lianyungang City.
Typhoon "Firework" is expected to land on the coast of Zhejiang on the 25th, and is expected to have a relatively large impact on Shanghai. There will be heavy rain or heavy rain in Shanghai by then. The flight we booked for the afternoon of the 25th has been cancelled. We were forced to change our itinerary. The original plan was to go to Lianyungang to visit Huaguo Mountain on the 24th, and then return and visit the Chinese Elk Park. But due to changes in the itinerary, we changed to visit the Chinese Elk Park first.
DAY1
At 10:30 am on July 24, we took the high-speed rail to Yancheng Station. After picking up the car, we went directly to the Chinese Elk Park, 92 kilometers away.
The predecessor of the Chinese Elk Park is the Jiangsu Dafeng Elk National Nature Reserve. It is located on the Yellow Sea beach in Jiangsu. It is the largest wetland in eastern Asia and the semi-primitive wetland with the best paleontological environment protection on the west coast of the Pacific. It has been included in the list of internationally important wetlands by the United Nations as a permanent protected area. With a total area of ??78,000 hectares, the Chinese Elk Park is the world's only national 5A-level tourist attraction with the theme of "Wetland Ecology and Elk Protection". It is also the world's largest wild elk park with the largest population. Talking about the origin of the Chinese Elk Park, it comes from the 1960s. Elk antlers and elk bone fossils were unearthed in Xintuan, Dalong, Sanwei, Liuzhuang and other places in Dafeng District, Yancheng. From the aspects of historical documents and unearthed cultural relics, All prove that Dafeng was once the hometown of elk. Accordingly, with the approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Forestry and Jiangsu Province began to build an elk sanctuary in Dafeng, Yancheng. After 39 elk were introduced from the United Kingdom in August 1986, they began to be stocked and bred. During this period, they were also stocked in the wild. Up to now, the total number has grown to about 6,000, of which the wild elk population has reached 1,350, making it the largest elk in the world. gene pool. In addition to elk, the Elk Park also inhabits more than 400 animal families such as red-crowned cranes, oriental white storks, white-tailed sea eagles, musk deer, ocelots, and nearly 500 species of seaside plants. It is a natural seaside animal and plant museum.
The entrance fee to Elk Park is 45 yuan. After entering the scenic spot, the building on the left side of the entrance is the Yancheng Yellow Sea Wetland Natural Heritage Exhibition Center. Inside the exhibition hall, the formation of Yancheng wetland, species protection, ecological research and other aspects of knowledge are introduced to promote the knowledge of wildlife protection to the public and guide everyone to establish the concept of ecological civilization of respecting nature, complying with nature and protecting nature. The hall of the exhibition center is a simulated wetland sand table model, which makes the visitors' eyes shine: herds of elk are leisurely on the grass, snow-white herons are constantly pecking at insects around them, long-necked herons Quietly waiting for fish by the gurgling water, the tall-legged gray-headed pheasant dances on the salt-alkali land, gray hares and brown weasels often inadvertently shuttle through the pennisetum...
After visiting the exhibition center, we started to tour the scenic spots. The Chinese Elk Park consists of three major parks: "Elk Viewing Area", "Natural Ecological Area" and "Elk Cultural Area". Patriotic tourism, popular science tourism, cultural tourism and ecological tourism run through the entire scenic area. You can visit by boat, car, or rent a bicycle. The sightseeing ticket is 15 yuan, the boat ride is 35 yuan, and the bicycle rental is 30 yuan. Seeing the cruise ship slowly moving forward on the lake in the distance, we were afraid that we were short of time, so we chose a sightseeing car tour. After going through it, I felt that choosing a cruise ship was the most appropriate option. Because both car and boat rides allow you to visit the "natural ecological area" and watch free-range elk up close. The boat ride has plenty of time, while the car ride ends as quickly as a dragonfly touching the water.
After driving into the free-range area, we soon saw a few motionless elk on the shore of the lake in the distance. We thought they were specimen models, but when the sightseeing bus approached, they all started to move. got up. The sightseeing car travels along the winding scenic road. On every lakeshore and every open space, there are groups of elk resting, foraging or walking around. However, the largest group only has 50 animals. We watched a large number of elk in Qinhu Wetland Park in Taizhou in April, and the sight and scale were much more spectacular than here.
After talking to the driver of the sightseeing bus, he was quite unconvinced. Until we showed him the photos, he still proudly told us that no matter how many elk there are in other places, they are all transferred from Dafeng Elk Park. The elk here are Accounting for 40% of the world and 60% of China. The free-range area is not large, and it only took more than ten minutes to complete the tour and enter the viewing area. In order to protect the elk, the scenic area uses mobile doors to isolate the free-range areas. The elk in the viewing area are all kept in fences made of barbed wire. It is noon, and most of the elk are lying down and resting. Only a few greedy elk interact with tourists across the fence, greedily grabbing special food from the hands of tourists. Feeding carrots.
After visiting the Deer Viewing Platform, Fengshen Platform, Taigong Pavilion, Immortal Bridge and other landscapes, and visiting the Parrot Garden, Peacock Garden and Crane Garden, we came to the Elk Cultural Park to learn more about the historical origins of the elk. The cultural park introduces and expresses our country's development and protection of elk in various forms such as sculptures, stone carvings, and rock paintings. Elk is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla, Cervidae, and Elkidae. It is a rare animal in the world and belongs to the Cervidae family. Because it has a head and face like a horse, antlers like a deer, hooves like a cow, and a tail like a donkey, it is named Si unlike. Elk are mainly distributed in 23 countries in the five continents of Asia, Europe, and North America. There are 209 breeding sites in the world, with the largest number of breeding sites in China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The number of elk in China accounts for 60% of the world's total, making it the country with the largest number of elk in the world. China's elk are distributed in 18 provinces and cities, with 56 breeding sites in the country. Among them, Dafeng in Jiangsu, Shishou in Hubei and Nanhaizi in Beijing account for the most. Dafeng elk account for 60% of the national total. All this originated from the 39 elk shipped back from the United Kingdom on August 13, 1986. After more than thirty years of development and protection, the elk were able to return to their hometown to multiply and thrive, and eventually flourished in our country, making our country once again become the world's most endangered species after the disappearance of the elk. The largest country with elk. This is the natural result of our country attaching great importance to natural ecological protection and using all means to rescue endangered species of animals and plants. It is the truest manifestation of respect for nature and reverence for life.
After about 3 hours, we ended our scenic tour. When we got out of the scenic spot, we found that opposite the gate of the scenic spot was a water surface called "Juxian Lake". There were green trees on the small island in the lake, and the lake light reflected it. A white fairy sculpture stood in the center of the island, and the grass beside the lake Above, there were actually a few elk looking down for food, and some looking up. Looking further into the distance, there were many free-range elk in the woods. It seems that the rare elk are so common here that they are not surprising. They have become a natural ecology of Dafeng and a beautiful business card of Dafeng.
Return to Yancheng at 16:10, take the high-speed train to Lianyungang, and visit the Huaguo Mountain Scenic Area tomorrow.
DAY2
Due to the cancellation of the return flight, we adjusted our itinerary in order to return to Yinchuan that day. Among the cities close to Shanghai, only Huai'an has evening return flights, so we decided to return from Huai'an. This leaves a lot of time for the return trip, and another city is added to the itinerary. When we visited Huai'an in April, we visited the former residence of Premier Zhou Li, but due to time constraints, we did not visit Hexia Ancient Town, which is also part of the scenic spot of Premier Zhou's former residence. This time we visited Huai'an again, it was a good time to visit Make up for the shortcomings, that’s right!
Set off for the scenic spot at 8:20 in the morning on July 25th, and enjoy the city appearance of Haizhou District, Lianyungang along the way. I saw blue sky and white clouds in the urban area, fresh air; row upon row of high-rise buildings; wide, clean and orderly streets; colorful flowers and green willows, beautiful greenery; and urban architecture with extraordinary magnificence. As a city in northern Jiangsu, Lianyungang's economic strength is far inferior to that of Jiangsu, Xi, Chang, Nantong and other places. However, despite this, it also has such modern and grand urban construction. This level is also very advanced among prefecture-level cities in our country. , so Jiangsu’s strength as China’s second strongest province can be seen from this.
Huaguoshan Scenic Area is located at the middle foot of Nanyuntai Mountain in Haizhou District, Lianyungang City. Lianyungang City is located in the middle of my country's thousands of miles of maritime territory, in the northeast of Jiangsu Province, bordering the Yellow Sea to the east, the Central Plains to the west, Qilu to the north, Jianghuai to the south, and facing Japan and the Korean Peninsula across the sea. Lianyungang was called Haizhou in ancient times, and it borders Haizhou Bay to the east. The "sea" of the Longhai Railway and the "sea" of the Huaihai Battle both come from here. The Huaguo Mountain Scenic Area covers an area of ??75.39 square kilometers and has 136 peaks. Huaguo Mountain is famous for the classical masterpiece "Journey to the West", which is well-known at home and abroad.
Temples and pagodas were built here successively in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Thousands of years of ancient buildings, ancient ruins, ancient stone carvings, and the travel traces of literati from past dynasties are scattered throughout the mountains.
We arrived at the scenic spot at about 8:30. The ticket to the scenic spot in peak season is 90 yuan. After reading the guide before, most netizens suggested taking a sightseeing bus from the entrance directly to the top of the mountain, Yunu Peak, and then walking down the mountain. We bought tickets to go up the mountain and took the sightseeing bus to the peak parking lot for about 15 minutes. The most eye-catching sight on the peak is the bronze statue of the Auspicious Jade Girl. This is also the elevation measurement point of the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, indicating that the altitude here is 624.4 meters. This height is naturally not worth mentioning for some famous mountains, but for Jiangsu Province, it is extraordinary. On the left side of the Jade Girl statue, there is a stone carving with the inscription "The highest peak in Jiangsu", which proves the uniqueness of this place. Climbing up the stairs and passing Yingshu Pavilion, you only need to walk dozens of steps to reach the top of Jade Girl Peak. The so-called peak here is only a few meters high, like a rockery made of jagged rocks. Despite this, Many tourists climbed to the top of the mountain with great interest to have a panoramic view of the surrounding Lianyungang city. Looking down the mountain from Yunu Peak, you can have a panoramic view of the infinite scenery of Huaguo Mountain. The vast green fields in the distance extend to the sky like a tapestry, while the dotted buildings nearby highlight the modern flavor of the city. On the cliff on one side of the peak, there is a stone that protrudes like an eagle. The tour guide vividly introduced that this was the stone that Sun Wukong jumped out of, which made all the tourists burst into laughter. The peak of the mountain on the right is also crowded with tourists, and the cliff carving of "Yao Zhen Hongliu" is clearly visible on the cliff. This is the imperial inscription of Emperor Kang/Xi, and it is said to express respect for the gods of Huaguo Mountain.
After visiting Jade Girl Peak, we went down the mountain towards Shuiliandong. There is a zipline leading to Shuiliandong, but we were not interested. The cableway is currently out of service, so we had to walk down the mountain. After passing the hometown of the Great Sage and the Jade Emperor Pavilion, street vendors were selling bags of monkey food, saying that there were wild monkeys down there. After turning a few corners, I saw a group of tourists stopping to watch a macaque on the tree on the roadside. There were even groups of small macaques on the hillside on the left. The tourists took out the food they had prepared and threw it in. Hey, the monkeys also started fighting for it without any hesitation. After grabbing it, they climbed up the treetops to enjoy it. This interesting scene of harmonious coexistence between humans and animals is very healing.
The Water Curtain Cave is the most desirable place for tourists. It is said that Wu Cheng'en was inspired by this Water Curtain Cave and provided it to the early Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West". An event venue with a very rich mythology. I just visited Chaya Mountain in Suiping, Henan Province at the beginning of this month. Legend has it that Wu Chengen was inspired by the strange rocks and strange scenery in Chaya Mountain to create "Journey to the West", and the filming of "Journey to the West" in 1986 was done there. But the Water Curtain Cave here is more in line with the story of Journey to the West, and Wu Cheng’en’s hometown is in Huai’an, more than 140 kilometers away from Lianyungang. From this point of view, the birthplace of Journey to the West is more appropriate in Lianyungang. There are many water curtain caves across the country, but they were all named after "Journey to the West" became popular. Only the water curtain cave here existed before "Journey to the West" became popular. Zhang Chao Rui, a native of Haizhou in the Ming Dynasty, wrote an inscription for the Sanyuan Palace Temple, which recorded that Shuilian Cave was a must-visit place for pilgrims. Shuiliandong is a natural fissure cave with an artificial tunnel leading to the lower platform. There are many precious inscriptions in front of the cave door. "Yinxin Stone House" was written in the handwriting of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, and was given to Prince Shaobao, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Governor Tao Shu of Liangjiang. In 1832, Tao Shu was ordered to come to Haizhou to reform the salt policy. He achieved outstanding results, turning the Qing government's treasury from losses to profits, and a short-term resurgence emerged. Therefore, the emperor gave him the honor of having the title of personal scholar. Three years later, Tao Shu came to Haizhou again as an imperial envoy to inspect the results of the salt policy reform, and initiated the repair work of the Yuntai Mountain temple and extensive construction work, which suddenly gave the scenic area a completely new look. In order to commemorate his achievements, the local people engraved the imperial book "Yinxin Stone House" next to Shuiliandong. The four characters "High Mountains and Flowing Waters" on the cliff were inscribed by the then Zhizhou King Tong in the 23rd year of Ming Dynasty (Jia Jing Dynasty) (1544). At that time, "Journey to the West" had not yet been published. The word "Lingquan" next to the three words "Shuilian Cave" is the handiwork of Zhizhoushi Liangcai during the Jiaqing period. "Lingquan" refers to the small square well in the cave. Although the well is not big, it is perennial. If there is water, it will not dry up even in severe droughts. According to folklore, the eye of the sea leading to the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea refers to it.
The water curtain cave is winding and neon flashing, and the background music of the theme song of "Journey to the West" is playing in the cave. On a platform, Sun Dasheng, played by someone, is doing various monkey king actions. Unfortunately, there is no such thing in the cave. Surrounded by monkeys, Sun Dasheng lacked the feeling of being the king of the mountain.
Further down from the Shuiliandong Scenic Area is the Sanyuan Palace Scenic Area, which is a famous ancient temple complex with a history of more than 1,300 years. According to research, as early as the 30th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yijun issued an edict to confer this place as a famous mountain temple in the world, so the plaque of Sanyuan Palace reads "Edict to protect the country Sanyuan Palace". A couplet further demonstrates Huaguoshan's pride in the source of Journey to the West: "A Journey to the West has not left this mountain, and the spread of Xuanzang to the East is not what the novel says." Continuing downward, we passed Duobao Pagoda, Kowloon Bridge and other scenic spots. There is a sightseeing bus that goes down the mountain from Jiulong Bridge. There is no more scenery worth admiring on foot, so we took the bus down the mountain to the gate of Huaguo Mountain.
The tour of Huaguo Mountain lasted 3 hours. When we got out of the scenic spot, we saw an ancient gray pagoda hidden among the lush green trees about one kilometer to the right of the scenic spot, so we went to take a look. This is where Haiqing Temple is located, also known as Ashoka Pagoda. The gray ancient pagoda is Haiqing Temple Pagoda, also known as Ashoka Pagoda. According to reports, the Haiqing Temple Pagoda was built in the first year of Tian/Sheng in the Northern Song Dynasty. It has a history of nearly a thousand years. It is the earliest and tallest ancient pagoda in northern Jiangsu. The Haiqing Temple Pagoda has survived for thousands of years. From site selection to the design and construction of the foundation and the tower body, many scientific methods were adopted that can still be used for reference. After visiting Haiqing Temple and Haiqing Temple Tower, what surprised us was that the Haiqing Temple Tower had a stone tablet inlaid on the tower, which was actually made by the Lianyungang Revolutionary Committee in 1976. This is something we have never seen in many years of travel. seen. The inscription states: Ashoka Pagoda is a product of Buddhism and was used by the feudal ruling class to propagate feudal superstition in an attempt to consolidate their reactionary rule. But as an architectural art, it also reflects the outstanding creative talents of the working people in ancient my country. In accordance with Chairman Mao's teaching of "serving the past for the present", it was listed as a first-class cultural relic and protected... During the ten years of catastrophe, while the rebels in the north recklessly destroyed a large number of ancient buildings and cultural relics, Jiangsu in the south did the opposite and used different methods to protect cultural relics and ancient buildings. The same Maoist The results of applying the guidance of the chairman's thoughts are quite different. Thinking about the current and past, the economic development of southern provinces far exceeds that of the north. This is not unrelated to the advanced thinking and flexible thinking of southerners.
At 12:30, we ended the trip and took the high-speed train to Huai'an to visit the Hexia Ancient Town Scenic Area.
Hexia Ancient Town, formerly known as "Beichen Town", is located in Hexia Street, Huai'an District, Huai'an City, and is one of Zhou Enlai's hometown scenic spots. The ancient town was formed at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and has a history of about 2,500 years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, 67 Jinshi, 123 Juren, and 12 Hanlin were produced here. It is known as the "Three Tripods Complete".
The online taxi took us directly to the archway of the "Millennium Ancient Town Hexia". It started to rain. In the pattering rain, we followed the uneven stone road into the lake mouth of the ancient town. Main street. Some of the stone slabs on the street are greenish brown, and some are yellowish brown. After thousands of years of polishing, most of the stone slabs have an undulating smooth state, while some show mottled marks. These all bear witness to the vicissitudes of the historical changes of the ancient town. Most of the shops and residences on both sides of the ancient street are two or three-story houses with blue-grey ancient brick walls, upright pillars in front of the doors, and small tiles on the roofs, which are full of antique charm. A bunch of Lingxiao flowers climb up along the wall, blooming full of bright orange-yellow flowers at high places.
Let’s first visit the former residence of Wu Cheng En. This is an independent 4A scenic spot and requires a ticket to visit. In front of the former residence is a square, surrounded by a pond filled with lotus leaves. Beside the pond is a group of stone carvings from Journey to the West, including Wu Cheng'en and Tang Monk's master and apprentice. The image is very vivid. Entering the former residence, this is a low-key and quiet courtyard. Most of the courtyards are three-bay blue brick houses, Wu Cheng En's living room and kitchen. Wu Cheng En's birthplace is located in the center of the courtyard. This should be Wu Cheng En's birthplace. En’s parents’ residence. It is said that Wu Chengen's father Wu Rui often told Wu Chengen various stories about gods and demons when he was young. This should be the fundamental reason why Wu Chengen became a great literary figure of his generation. Behind Wu Cheng'en's birthplace is the courtyard's back garden - Wu Garden. Although the garden is not large, it has rockery landscaping, pavilions and waterside pavilions, and is full of Jiangnan garden characteristics.
The "Wu Cheng'en Life Exhibition Hall", "Xuanzang Pavilion", "Monkey King Family Art Museum", "Six-year-old Children's Studio", etc. have been opened in the former residence, focusing on "Journey to the West" article. After visiting the former residence of Wu Cheng En, we returned to the direction of the ancient town. On the way, we encountered another attraction - "Shen/Kun/Zhuangyuan Mansion", which is also a paid attraction. However, because it was raining, the staff were not on duty, so we went directly to visit. Shen Kun, whose ancestral home is Kunshan, was born in the second year of Zhengde (1531) in the Ming Dynasty. He was the first scholar in the imperial examination in the 10th year of Jiajing and the number one scholar in the 20th year of Jiajing. He was also the first number one in the Huai'an imperial examination. In the 35th year of Jiajing's reign, Shen Kun went to the Imperial Academy to offer wine, and personally organized and coached the villagers to fight against the Japanese pirates. Therefore, there is a stone tablet in the Zhuangyuan Mansion with the title "Pinging Japanese Gate". Compared with the former residence of Wu Cheng En, the No. 1 Scholar's Mansion fully demonstrates the luxury and grandeur of the government official's residence at that time. The houses are tall and graceful, the gardens are exquisite and magnificent, fully reflecting the achievements of the gardening art of the Ming Dynasty. After visiting Zhuangyuan Mansion, we returned to Huzui Street in the ancient town. After walking not far, we encountered Wu Ju Tong Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic. This is also a famous attraction in the ancient town. Unfortunately, it is now closed and cannot be visited. . It is understood that Wu Jutong was a famous medical scientist in the Qing Dynasty. He devoted himself to traditional Chinese medicine, helped the world by hanging pots, was highly respected and accomplished, and left many precious traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for future generations.
Stepping out of Huzui Street, we climbed up the stairs and came to the embankment of the Li Canal outside the ancient town. Standing on the river embankment and looking back at the ancient town, the streets, alleys, plaques and doors all show us the prosperity and splendid culture of Hexia Ancient Town in the past. The ancient town of Hexia prospered in ancient times due to water and salt transportation. As early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the ancient town was an important distribution center for supplies from the north and the south. It was very prosperous with businessmen gathered there. "Ten miles of red flags and boats on both sides of the bank, how long does it take to stop singing and dancing late at night, Yangzhou's thousand-year prosperity has moved to the mouth of the West Lake." This is a true portrayal of the prosperity of the ancient town at that time. Now Hexia Ancient Town has been protected and developed by the government because of its long history and rich culture, and it has once again blossomed into its former glory.
After visiting Hexia Ancient Town, this Jiangsu card tour ends, and the flight returns to Yinchuan at 19:25 in the evening.