The ancient Yanzhou (严州) featuring a charming and poetic river used to have a glorious era with “masts standing in great numbers and thousands of sails gathering”. The current Meicheng (梅城) is still home to the views of water flowing below small bridges, and white-walled and black-tiled residential houses, and pavilions, terraces, towers, and pagodas... It, like a paradise, gathers all kinds of beautiful scenery of a Jiangnan water town. Today, let’s go to Meicheng Town with One Hundred Views to explore the beauty of this thousand-year-old town!
Looking at Ancient Pagodas in the Distance While Cruising the Rivers
Meicheng is located in the east of Jiande City, at the confluence of Fuchun River (富春江), Xin'an River (新安江) and Lanjiang River (兰江). It borders Wulong Mountain (乌龙山) in the north and Sanjiangkou (三江口) in the south, and surrounded by mountains and rivers, it boasts of picture-postcard scenery.
Qi Li Yang Fan Scenic Area
七里扬帆景区
The Qi Li Yang Fan (Sailing along Seven-li Rapids) Scenic Area, which is less than 5 kilometers away from Meicheng, is known as the “Little Three Gorges” and is the essence of Fuchun River scenery. Together with the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and the Lijiang River in Guilin, it is known as the three famous river gorges in China.
Wulong Mountain
乌龙山
If you like mountains, you must visit Wulong Mountain in Meicheng. Wulong (Black Dragon) Mountain is the town mountain of Yanzhou Prefecture. It is located to the north of the ancient town and is named for its black, towering rocks which resemble a winding dragon. In “Water Margin”, Song Jiang’s attack on Fang La took place right here on Wulong Mountain.
Sandu Fishing Village
三都渔村
If you have a soft spot for history and humanities, then you must go to Sandu Fishing Village to experience the guesthouses in this thousand-year-old fishing village. With water amusement projects and traditional wedding ceremonies of the nine-surnamed fishermen...it will definitely bring you a wonderful experience.
Meicheng Ancient Town
梅城古镇
Walking on the ancient street of Meicheng, antique shops, various snack bars, antique shops... the feel of history greets you, and it seems that you have traveled back in time to the era of ancient Yanzhou Prefecture. Walk along the ancient street and you will see the ancient city wall. There is a saying: There are two and a half plum blossoms in China, one in Beijing, one in Nanjing, and a half in Yanzhou. The “plum blossom” here refers to the plum blossom-shaped battlements. In ancient times, only the battlements on the capital city walls could be made into the shape of plum blossoms. Although the battlements of Yanzhou were shaped into half of a plum blossom, still it meant that Yanzhou Prefecture was treated as an equal to Beijing and Nanjing, the two capitals where the Emperors’ palaces were located. Therefore, Yanzhou Prefecture is also called “Half of A Plum Blossom" City.
Encounter the Thousand-Year Yanling Culture
Meicheng is the seat of the ancient Yanzhou Prefecture and has a large amount of intangible cultural heritage, which bears the long-standing culture and traditions of the Chinese nation. The long-lived Jiande folk oral literature masterpieces “Legend of Meicheng (梅城传说)” and “Legend of Wu Zixu (伍子胥传说)” have a style of their own, each with its own individuality, deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Jiande's history and culture.
Yanzhou Shrimp Lantern
严州虾灯
“Yanzhou Shrimp Lantern” is also from the thousand-year-old Meicheng. Accompanied by the big gongs and drums of Wuju Opera (婺剧) with rich regional characteristics, the shrimps dance dynamically, highlighting the fearless spirit of “the little shrimps dare to dance with the dragon”.
Lihongkeng Intangible Heritage Black Tea
里洪坑非遗红茶
Hongkeng black tea is a typical representative of Meicheng. In the past, the people in Hongkeng grew tea from generation to generation, and the fragrance of the black tea made spread wide and far. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was commended and awarded by the Beijing Exhibition and won the Gold Award of the West Lake International Fair. In 1915, it won the special award of the Panama International Commodity Fair.
Wujiapi Wine
五加皮酒
Yandongguan “Zhizhonghe” Wujiapi Wine (严东关“致中和”五加皮酒) is one of the special products of Meicheng and is well-known at home and abroad. Meicheng produces Wujiapi Wine with a long history, however, it is difficult to verify its creation time.