Cuandixia
From Wikitravel
Contents
Cuandixia (爨底下) is a beautiful ancient mountain village close to Beijing.
It is very small, only around 70 traditional court yards.
It is renovated nicely and seems rather authentic.
It costs 30 RMB for tourists to enter the Cuandixia area.
[edit] Understand
Go in the weekdays if you want peace and quiet, as many Chinese tourist from Beijing are said to go there in the weekends. In the summer months the climate is nicer than in Beijing because of the cooler mountain air. In the winter it could be cold, but the beds are heated, so it is still possible to go.
Do at least an overnight trip or you will spend most of your time in the bus and not have time to enjoy the peace in the beautiful village. You can easily spend one day in the village walking around on the mountain paths. Day 2 can be spend on visiting the nearby village Baiyu, and seeing the sights around Cuandixia. Day 3 can be spend on visiting more ancient villages and scenic spots a little further away. You can also jump from one village to the next and stay one night in each.
[edit] Get in
Take the subway to Pingguoyuan in West Beijing. (About 1 hour from east Beijing. 2 RMB)
Then take the public bus to Cuandixia. (about 2:20 hours. 13-18 RMB)
There is a direct bus leaving from Pingguoyuan at 12:40, and one in early morning.
If you can't catch the direct bus take the bus to Zhaitang, and take a private taxi to Cuandixia.
The bus number is 929支, but be aware there are many buses with this number driving to many different places, so ask the bus driver if he drives to Cuandixia, or Zhaitang
[edit] Get around
The village is very small, so walking is the way of getting around. Also most sights around the village are accessible by foot.
If you want to visit scenic spots or other ancient villages you can hire a local private taxi. Going to e.g. Baiyu 6 km away was 20 RMB in June 2009.
To some of the other ancient villages you can also take the local bus, for example to Hulin which is on the way back to Beijing.
[edit][add listing] See
The beautiful mountain views all around you in the village
The scenic spots in and around the village
The small village temples
[edit][add listing] Do
Enjoy the beautiful scenery
Relax in your guesthouse
Eat cheap and delicious mountain food
Walks in the mountains around Cuandixia using the many pawed paths
Walk one hour or take a private taxi to the nearby village Baiyu, which is bigger and less visited. Eat lunch there in a family guesthouse, or stay there overnight.
Take the bus or hire a private car to take you to other ancient villages nearby. There is a good chance you can eat and stay there.
Visit scenic spots nearby: Walk there, get a private taxi to drive you or hire a local guide in one of the guesthouses.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Almost every home has a restaurant and the quality is generally good and prices low. In summer 2009 a meal for two with 3-5 dishes was 20-40 RMB.
To get the best tasting dishes let the waiter suggest you what to eat - then local very fresh ingredients will be used. Also specifically ask for local mountain dishes.
The local diet seem to be very much based on vegetables and only a little meat.
Try the local dish made of mountain mushrooms, and the dish made of green leaves from a mountain root. And if you have the chance try homemade noodles.
In the morning try a flat pan fried bread, and a grain based soup.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
Almost every home in the village is a guesthouse, so it is no problem finding a place to sleep.
In summer 2009 prices where 30-50 RMB for a room for 2 people.
You can check out different guesthouses before you choose where to stay. Some has better views than others, some are cleaner, some has better bath facilities, some has more privacy etc.
[edit] Contact
Tours can be arranged from Beijing to Cuandixia, but it is easy to go on your own.
After arriving in Cuandixia go to a small tourist shop close to the bus stop. There you can get a free map of Cuandixia and the area around.
Ask locals about what to see and how to get there. Local guides can take you to nearby places, but most places are easy to visit on your own.
[edit] Get out
In June 2009 there was a bus going from Cuandixia back to Beijing at around 3:30, and one in the late morning. Ask the bus driver when you arrive about when the bus back is leaving.
There is said to be around 10 renovated or about to be renovated ancient villages in the mountains west of Beijing.
Cuandixia is the most well known of these villages, but it worth visiting some of the other villages, as they are less visited by other tourists.
The other villages are hard to find information about in English on the internet, so Cuandixia is a good starting point for visiting other villages nearby.
Part of the renovation project is making guesthouses in local homes. In the ancient village Baiyu 6 km from Cuandixia every house seems to have a guesthouse, but almost no guest at all. This is likely to also be the case for the other ancient villages, meaning it is easy to stay and eat in many beautiful mountain villages with very few tourists.
Some names of other ancient villages nearby: Baiyu, Lingshui, Liuliqu, Qianjuntai, Sanjiadian, Yanhecheng, Yanhekou, Hulin
