Shangtangcun

Day Trips

Arrive at Shangtangcun, settle into a traditional courtyard guesthouse, and meet your local host. Wander through the narrow stone lanes as a guide introduces you to the village’s history and unique waterways. Sample homemade rice cakes while learning about the daily rhythms of village life.

Enjoy a home-cooked lunch featuring seasonal vegetables from nearby fields. Visit the village community hall to see old photographs and hear stories of ancestors who built the canals. Participate in a brief bamboo-weaving workshop led by a local artisan.

Take a leisurely riverside walk at sunset to see wooden boats gliding under arched bridges. Capture golden reflections on the water and enjoy tea at a small teahouse by lamplight. Gather for a welcome dinner of freshly caught river fish accompanied by folk songs sung by villagers.

Board a wooden sampan for a guided canal cruise through quiet waterways flanked by whitewashed houses and swaying willow trees. Listen to stories about how the canals shaped village trade and traditions. Disembark near the old market square to explore by foot.

Wander the labyrinth of ancient alleys, peeking into family courtyards and centuries-old workshops. Stop at a calligraphy studio for a hands-on lesson in writing Chinese characters with a bamboo brush. Enjoy a light lunch of steamed buns filled with local mushrooms in a hidden courtyard.

Return to your guesthouse for a short rest before dusk. Head back out to join villagers in an open-air courtyard where lanterns are lit and traditional puppetry is performed. Sip sweet plum wine and mingle with residents as they share legends of the canals.

Rent a bicycle and follow scenic lanes along the riverbanks, passing rice paddies and lotus ponds. Stop at small pavilions that offer panoramic views of the village and surrounding hills. Learn about each pavilion’s historical significance from an audio guide.

Cycle to a family-run tea farm where you’ll sample freshly picked tea leaves and see traditional processing methods. Enjoy a picnic of sticky rice rolls under a centuries-old gingko tree. Return along quieter backroads, spotting water buffalo grazing in the fields.

Park your bike and stroll through the village as lanterns glow on every bridge. Join an informal tai chi session led by elders practicing beneath an ancient camphor tree. End the day with a noodle soup dinner at a riverside stall, savoring the hum of evening cicadas.

Head out at dawn with farmers to the stubbled rice fields for a harvest demonstration. Try your hand at cutting rice stalks and learn the old techniques of threshing by hand. Feel the cool morning mist on your face as you work alongside villagers.

Eat a hearty lunch of pumpkin porridge in a fieldside shelter, then help carry baskets of grain to the drying racks. Visit a nearby pigsty and feed piglets, hearing about the methods used to keep livestock healthy. Learn how leftover rice husks become fertilizer for next season’s crop.

Return to the guesthouse to wash up and change. Join a bonfire gathering on a raised platform overlooking the fields, sharing harvest stories and sipping sorghum wine. Watch as local dancers perform traditional harvest dances under starry skies.

Travel to a hillside tea plantation at sunrise to witness mist-shrouded terraces. Pluck first-flush tea leaves alongside the pickers while a tea master explains leaf grades and terroir. Warm up with a brief gongfu tea ceremony in a bamboo grove.

Enjoy lunch of tea-smoked chicken and stir-fried greens infused with fresh tea leaves. Try your hand at rolling and drying tea under expert guidance. Walk through the plantation’s stone labyrinth paths lined with blooming camellias.

Return to Shangtangcun village as twilight gathers. Attend an intimate ceremony in the courtyard where tea is prepared with musical accompaniment. Reflect on flavors and aromas while sharing stories with fellow travelers around a wooden table.

Visit a cottage workshop where artisans carve wooden seals and paint porcelain. Experiment with your own seal‐carving under patient instruction, creating a personalized keepsake. Learn how each flower or symbol carries auspicious meaning.

Walk to the bustling village market to see stalls stacked with hand‐woven baskets, dried herbs, and pickled delicacies. Taste samples of preserved plums, fermented tofu, and freshly fried rice crackers. Chat with market vendors about their family recipes and crafts.

Return to the workshop for a group demonstration on painting traditional ink landscapes. Enjoy a simple fànjiā wedding feast—dishes served in bowls shaped like lotus petals—as local musicians play bamboo flutes. End the night by lantern-lighting on the canal bank.

Join a village family in their kitchen to learn breakfast specialties like soybean milk and scallion pancakes. Follow step-by-step as you press the dough, roll it thin, and cook it to golden crispness. Share laughter and tea as you practice together.

Prepare signature Jiangsu dishes including sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed turbot with soy glaze, and stir-fried seasonal greens. Pluck fresh herbs from the family’s backyard garden and balance flavors under the guidance of your host chef. Sit down to a communal feast, exchanging tips and compliments.

Help wash up and then take a twilight walk to the village square where lanterns hang between trees. Join a spontaneous karaoke session, singing folk tunes as locals cheer you on. End with a nightcap of plum wine around a crackling hearth, swapping stories until late.

Set out early for a half-day hike through bamboo forests toward the nearby hilltop lookout. Traverse stone-paved steps and pause at shaded pavilions to learn legends of ancient hermits who once lived there. Reach the summit to gaze over terraced fields and glinting waterways.

Descend to a mountain stream where you’ll enjoy a packed lunch of cold noodles and pickled vegetables. Wade in the cool water and listen to the symphony of birds and wind. Visit a hidden waterfall and try meditation under its roaring cascade.

Return to the village for a restorative foot-soak infused with medicinal herbs. Relax in the courtyard courtyard with a warm herbal tea infusion. Wind down with a story-telling session by the hearth, hearing old myths of the hills you climbed.

Head to a secluded river bend for bamboo raft boarding with a local rafter. Glide past reeds and water lilies as he explains traditional river lore and aquatic ecology. Feel the gentle spray of water on your feet and hear the rhythmic dip of poles.

Stop at a sandbank for a picnic of smoked fish and rice, then lay out on the warm stones for an afternoon siesta. Practice writing classical Chinese poetry under the shade of a fig tree, inspired by the tranquil scenery. Your guide helps translate famous Tang dynasty verses into English.

Watch the sky turn rose and gold as the raft drifts back to shore. Gather around a low table on the sandbank for a sunset tea ceremony and recite your own poetry by lantern light. Return to the village under a canopy of fireflies and stars.

Sleep in and enjoy a late breakfast of rice porridge and pickles at your leisure. Stroll through the village one last time, capturing photos of familiar corners now bathed in morning light. Visit the small shrine where villagers pray for good harvests.

Help locals prepare colorful paper lanterns at a communal workshop, folding and painting wishes onto each one. Share a farewell lunch of sticky rice balls in sweet broth, symbolizing unity and good fortune. Reflect on your journey while you tie ribbons on the final lantern.

As dusk falls, join a riverside ceremony where dozens of lanterns are launched onto the water. Watch them drift into the night, carrying hopes and memories downstream. End with a final toast of local spirit, surrounded by new friends and the gentle murmur of the canals.