We stopped on the way to take some photos of the beautiful Chrysanthemum fields, tea plantations and bamboo forests creeping up the mountainsides.
Hongcun Village has been well-restored and has become a popular tourist attraction, even more so than Tangmo Village, which we visited earlier in the week. Xixinan, where I am staying, is still a "sleeping beauty" and not nearly as commercialized - who knows how long that's going to last? I am so happy I got to experience it in it's authentic form.
Hongcun is surrounded by a lake, and the water is an intricate part of the design of the village. It attracts lots of young art students, who were sitting along the banks of the lake, sketching the beautiful old buildings and their reflections in the water.
We found a place where we could try some tea tasting, since the area is well-known for growing very high quality teas, and we had a very pleasant day enjoying the sights, the tea and some street food.
We drove back to the hotel so I could finish packing, and enjoy a last delicious meal at Villa Lotus, before it was time for me to catch my flight back to Beijing. I will look forward to returning in the Spring with my watercolor workshop group!
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