Exclusively for Guangxi People: Altay
National Day Highlights: 80% chance of morning mist and sea of clouds ☁️, golden autumn colors on the windmill meadow 🍂, high mountain stargazing camping 🌌 (Milky Way clearly visible in early October)!
⚠️ Core Information (Must Save!)
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Transportation Options:
→ Best by self-driving: From Guilin, navigate to "Quanzhou Tianhu Scenic Area," take G72 Quannan Expressway → Quanzhou → Y314 County Road (2.5 hours drive, winding mountain roads require experienced drivers).
→ High-speed train + shuttle: Take the bullet train to Quanzhou South Station, transfer to the ski shuttle bus (departs at 9:00, ¥45/person round trip) directly to the scenic area, return at 16:30.
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Climate and Gear:
→ October average temperature on the summit is 10-18℃, near 0℃ at dawn and dusk, bring windproof jacket + light down jacket;
→ Must bring anti-slip hiking shoes (meadow is slippery) + SPF50+ sunscreen (strong UV index).
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Ticket Policy:
→ Scenic area entrance is free, but internal activities charge separately (ski resort, rafting, etc.);
→ Yunhai Tianzhou Glass Viewing Platform ¥20/person, windmill base open for free.
📅 3-Day Itinerary: From Emerald Clouds to Windmill Star River
Day 1: Prologue of the Sea of Clouds | Bihu Lake Tour × Meadow Wind Chase
▫️ 12:00 (Avoid peak time going up!)
→ Stock up in Quanzhou County: Slurp spicy red oil rice noodles (old shop on Jiefang Road ¥6/bowl), buy high mountain grapes (roadside stall ¥10/5 jin, sweet and juicy).
▫️ 14:30
→ Tianhu Main Lake Secret Spot:
✅ Climb the lakeside viewing platform for panoramic shots of 13 lakes, hike the meadow boardwalk to find wildflowers (mainly marigolds and dandelions in autumn), wide-angle shots of windmill clusters × lake reflections (best spot: east slope of main dam).
▫️ 18:00
→ Fisherman’s Wharf Sunset:
→ Capture the rare spectacle of the sun swallowed by Zhenbao Peak (18:20-18:40), telephoto silhouette of windmills × golden lake surface (200mm lens + tripod).
▫️ Overnight at Tianhu Resort (¥280/night), or camp by the lake (bring your own gear, camp near Zhulongdong for wind shelter).
Day 2: Windmill Rhapsody | Yunhai Tianzhou × Dark River Exploration
▫️ 5:30 (Race against time!)
→ Yunhai Tianzhou Showdown:
✅ Rush to the glass viewing platform (altitude 1680m), if morning mist appears, capture cloud waterfalls flowing over peaks (ISO 400 + shutter 1/1000s), overlook 613m deep sinkhole cluster.
▫️ 9:00
→ Windmill Base Power Walk:
→ Close-up shots of 100-meter-high wind turbines (no entry within rotating zone!), run on the meadow to capture autumn oil painting vibes (wear white dress/bright jacket for better photos).
▫️ 14:00
→ Gulong Mountain Rafting (1 hour drive, ¥198/person):
→ Ride inflatable rafts through a three-day, three-night underground river, headlamps illuminate stalactite forests, touch icy underground water (bring waterproof phone pouch).
▫️ 20:00
→ Stargazing Camp Night:
→ If clear and cloudless, see the Milky Way arching through windmills with naked eye (exposure 25s + ISO 3200), high chance of meteor sightings.
Day 3: Autumn Finale | Yao Village Fireworks × Wild Game Secret Battle
▫️ 8:00
→ Tea Mountain Pyramid Autumn Picking (40 min drive, ¥40):
✅ Pick Lingyun white tea (includes roasting experience), climb to shoot curves of thousand-acre terraces, drink oil tea with grilled glutinous rice cake.
▫️ 11:00
→ Caiwan Town Wild Game Sweep:
→ Eat vinegar blood duck (firm duck meat + sour vinegar blood flavor, ¥48/portion) + Hehua fish soup (milky fish soup with lemongrass, ¥30/fish).
▫️ Return Trip Bonus:
→ Buy wild honey (roadside beekeeper ¥50/jar) + vacuum-packed sour snacks (green mango and plum mixed with chili, ¥15/box).
🍜 Hardcore Food Red and Black List
Red List Must-Eats
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Vinegar Blood Duck (Caiwan Town farmhouse): Quanzhou intangible cultural heritage dish, duck meat fragrant with vinegar blood, sour and spicy hit ⭐avg ¥45/person
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Hehua Fish Soup: Rice field fish stewed with tofu, milky soup without fishy smell, perfect with rice ⭐¥30/fish
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Oil Tea with Stewed Glutinous Rice Cake: Yao village morning tea, ginger spicy tea aroma mixed with sticky rice cake, cold weather remedy ⭐¥15/set
Black List Avoid
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Scenic Area "High Mountain Medicinal Chicken": tough meat + expensive (¥188/whole), not as good as farmhouse dishes
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Air-dried Wild Rabbit: strong gamey smell, even locals avoid it
⚠️ National Day Pitfall Avoidance Guide
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Transportation Traps:
→ Mountain roads not for novice drivers! Y314 County Road has many sharp turns + falling rocks, hire a car with a Guangxi C license experienced driver (¥400/day);
→ Ski shuttle bus only runs once at 9:00, missing it means haggling for black taxis (down to ¥60/person).
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Photography Red Lines:
→ No entry within 50 meters of wind turbines at windmill base (dangerous strong winds), drones prohibited at Yunhai Tianzhou (interferes with radar);
→ When photographing Yao elders, offer a cigarette first (polite greeting), no close-up shots forcing faces.
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Ecological Rules:
→ Do not trample medicinal herbs in the meadow (e.g., Paris polyphylla), no swimming in the lake (strong currents + low temperature risk hypothermia);
→ Take all trash with you, violators fined from ¥500!
🌌 Hidden Gems
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Free Secret Spots:
→ Zhenbao Peak Wild Trail: 2km hike to the summit of South China’s second highest peak (altitude 2123m), overlook Tianhu cluster like scattered diamonds ⭐guide required;
→ Abandoned Chaping Hydropower Station: rusty machinery + moss walls, industrial ruin photography spot ⭐navigate to "Chaping Hydropower Station".
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Local Wild Fun:
→ Night fishing for rice field fish (Caiwan terraces ¥30): use kerosene lamps to catch fish, includes charcoal grilling ⭐reservation needed at farmhouse;
→ High Mountain Stargazing Class (campground ¥50): Yao youth teach autumn constellations, includes hand-drawn star maps.
Appendix: 24-Hour High Mountain Survival Schedule
⏰ 6:00 Oil tea with glutinous rice cake to fight cold
⏰ 9:00 Vinegar blood duck rice soup power boost
⏰ 12:00 Hehua fish soup with stewed wild mushrooms
⏰ 15:00 Sour snacks with honey water to cool down
⏰ 19:00 Charcoal fire cured meat with bamboo tube rice
⏰ 22:00 Self-heating hotpot to warm starry night