Off-the-beaten-path destinations you may be hearing about for the first time

With the May Day holiday approaching, if you want to avoid the crowds at popular attractions and enjoy a leisurely trip, consider these 4 lesser-known destinations. These places not only boast unique natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage but also offer mouthwatering cuisine. 🏝Xiapu, Fujian - Attractions: Beiqi Mudflats, known as "China's most beautiful mudflats," create a stunning canvas at dawn as fishermen work while light and shadow intertwine. The Sijiu Islands feature meadows, seagulls, and cliffs that make you feel like you've entered a fantasy world. You can also visit the ancient banyan tree cluster at Yangjiaoxi, where mist surrounds fishermen gently tapping bamboo poles on the water surface, resembling a traditional Chinese ink painting. - Food: Xiapu is rich in seafood resources, making seafood dishes a local specialty. You can enjoy fresh fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish and other seafood, such as steamed fish, poached shrimp, and stir-fried clams. Additionally, Xiapu offers special snacks like Fuding meat slices, fish balls, and meat swallows (rou yan), all with delicious flavors worth trying. 🏝Songyang, Zhejiang - Attractions: Songyang was named "the last hidden gem of Jiangnan" by National Geographic. It features many ancient villages such as Yangjiatang Village and Chenjiaopu Village. Yangjiatang Village has unique architecture and is known as the "Golden Potala Palace," while Chenjiaopu Village has a cliff-side avant-garde bookstore with beautiful scenery. You can also visit the Ming and Qing dynasty ancient streets, which preserve many old shops and buildings like blacksmith shops and tofu workshops, allowing you to experience a strong historical atmosphere. - Food: Songyang cuisine is known for its light and fresh flavors, including dishes like Qingming rice cakes, salt-stewed chicken, and yellow rice cakes. Qingming rice cakes are made with mugwort juice and glutinous rice flour, with a soft texture and various fillings like red bean paste or meat; salt-stewed chicken is made by marinating chicken with salt before stewing, resulting in tender, juicy meat with a wonderful aroma. 🏔Maolan, Guizhou - Attractions: Maolan is a primeval forest home to many rare animals and plants, such as the South China tiger and white-necked pheasant. You can hike through mysterious caves and underground rivers to appreciate nature's magnificent craftsmanship. Other notable attractions include Qinglong Pool and Funnel Forest, all offering beautiful scenery worth visiting. - Food: Maolan cuisine features sour and spicy flavors, such as sour soup fish and sour soup beef. Sour soup fish is cooked in a sour broth, with tender and juicy fish meat in an appetizing sour soup; sour soup beef consists of thinly sliced beef cooked in sour soup, resulting in tender meat in a refreshing broth. Maolan also offers special snacks like grilled tofu and baked potatoes, all with delicious flavors worth trying. 🏔Yubeng, Yunnan - Attractions: Yubeng is a small village at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain with many beautiful natural landscapes, such as Sacred Waterfall and Ice Lake. The Sacred Waterfall trail is suitable for beginners and offers beautiful natural scenery along the way; the Ice Lake trail is more challenging and requires good physical strength and endurance. You can also visit Yubeng Village itself, which features unique architecture and is a Tibetan settlement. - Food: Yubeng cuisine is mainly Tibetan, including butter tea, highland barley cakes, and yak meat. Butter tea is made with butter and tea leaves, with a rich taste and strong Tibetan characteristics; highland barley cakes are made from barley flour with a crispy texture and are a traditional Tibetan food; yak meat is one of Yubeng's specialties, tender and juicy with rich nutritional value.