Stay one night at Xipan Courtyard in Guangde, open the window to hear the bamboo sea rolling and the mountain spring flowing into your dreams all night long

August in the city feels like a steamer, so I chose to escape. Not the kind of escape where you rush to check in at five attractions in three cities, but the kind where you throw yourself into the mountains, turn off your alarm, and let the bamboo forest count the time for you. Guangde, southeastern Anhui, the geographic center of the Yangtze River Delta, is a seriously underrated "China bamboo hometown." This trip, I didn’t plan intensively. I just wandered slowly along the bamboo hometown gallery for two days and ended up discovering the most authentic Guangde. |Getting there| From Shanghai, take the Huyu Expressway and exit at Guangde. The whole trip takes about 2.5 hours. From Nanjing, it’s a bit closer, just over 2 hours. If you don’t want to drive, take the high-speed train to Guangde South Station. After exiting, local buses and ride-hailing services cover the main attractions. But honestly, driving offers a level of freedom that’s unmatched—many highlights along the bamboo hometown gallery are tucked around corners, and without a car, you’ll really miss out. |Luhu: a mirror surrounded by bamboo| Ten kilometers south of the city, Luhu Reservoir appears without warning. Three thousand acres of water, surrounded by mountains covered entirely in bamboo. When I arrived at 10 AM, the lake was as still as a piece of emerald glass, with the reflection of the bamboo-covered mountain on the opposite shore perfectly still. Bamboo rafts are available at the dock for 30 yuan per person. The raftman slowly poles along, the water making a "gudong gudong" sound, and when the wind blows, the bamboo leaves on the shore rustle together. No need to talk, just sit there—twenty minutes of this is more relaxing than a spa. Tips: Luhu bamboo sea scenic area is free to enter and open until 5 PM. Bamboo rafts are best in the morning; in the afternoon, the wind wrinkles the water surface, and the reflections disappear. |Ganxi Village: where time moves slowly| Turn inward from Lucun Township and navigate to "Ganxi Village." The road is good, a two-way paved road. This village gave me the feeling that it’s in no rush. The old opera stage still stands in the village center. The wood is weathered but structurally sound. Next to it is the Wang family fan-making intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall. This national-level heritage is still practiced by inheritors on site, who carve bamboo ribs one by one. Watching someone craft fan ribs can easily take half an hour. There’s a zero-carbon living hall in the village, free to enter, with bamboo weaving workshops. I made a crooked little bamboo basket to take home. It was a bit ugly, but I made it myself. |Bamboo hometown gallery: the road not rushed| On the way back, I avoided the expressway and deliberately detoured into the slow walking trail section of the bamboo hometown gallery. There are 20 featured trails, and one will always invite you. I took the Dongting section, about 3 kilometers long. Bamboo on both sides grew so tall it narrowed the sky to a slit. The ground was covered with broken bamboo leaves, and stepping on them made a "crunch crunch crunch" sound, like walking on a giant green carpet. Midway, I stopped at Daxiwuyizhan to rest. This station will be one of the most popular stops in the bamboo hometown gallery in 2026. From the viewing platform, you can see both tea gardens and the bamboo sea. There’s coffee available nearby. I sat on a bench, finished a cup of cold brew, and watched the clouds drift from left to right over the mountain opposite, thinking about nothing. |Night| Deep in the valley toward Lishan Village, several standalone courtyards with white walls and black tiles are built along the creek. Outside the courtyard are layered bamboo slopes, and inside is a private hot spring. When I arrived, it was just getting dark. The housekeeper lit the courtyard lights, warm light shining on the rammed earth walls, and the creek just three meters away babbled. After soaking in the hot spring, I sat under the eaves. Mountain mist drifted down from the bamboo tips like someone slowly pouring a pot of milk into the valley. That night, I didn’t close the window. The sound of bamboo waves and the spring mixed into natural white noise, and I slept deeply. |Practical information summary| · Jishan bamboo sea: free admission, open all day, about 40 min to the summit, no cable car, wear sneakers · Taiji Cave: ticket 80 yuan / combo ticket 90 yuan, 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, constant temperature 18–22℃ inside the cave, natural air conditioning in summer · Bamboo hometown gallery entire route: free to drive, free parking at all stations along the way · August recommendations: bring a light jacket (temperature difference about 8℃ between cave and mountain mornings and evenings), non-slip shoes, mosquito repellent, plenty of water Guangde isn’t the kind of destination that makes you say "wow." It’s the kind that makes you say "hmm… so comfortable… don’t want to leave." If you’re feeling irritated by the heat in August, try throwing yourself into this bamboo sea. Don’t think about anything. The mountain breeze will answer all your questions for you.