While much of the world swelters in the summer heat, deep in the mountains of Lishui, Zhejiang, a refreshing 22°C offers a cool retreat. Here, there are no suffocating crowds—only beautiful homestays nestled in nature, a millennium-old irrigation system still flowing with water, and alleyways fragrant with medicinal herbs that echo the rhythms of everyday life.

Scenery of Zhutan Mountain in Xiandu, Lishui, Zhejiang

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Sleeping amidst a sea of clouds

To seek the soul of Jiangnan, look no further than Songyang—a place where rustic charm and quiet elegance coexist in harmony. Take, for instance, the award-winning Stray Birds Hotel, which has received international architectural accolades. Perched in the mountainside village of Chenjiapu, its timeworn rammed-earth walls embody millennia of local heritage, while floor-to-ceiling windows open onto rolling seas of clouds and layered terraced fields. Inside, minimalist design meets handcrafted local artistry. Your host will prepare either a rich pour-over coffee or a delicate local tea; you may also book a sunrise cloud-sea yoga session or a guided photography tour through the ancient village. Waking up to the mountain breeze and drifting mist, you will find yourself immersed in an authentic Eastern pastoral dream—yet surrounded by world-class comfort and design, with the city's clamor left far behind.

An aerial view of Chenjiapu

Photo by Tuchong Creative

A Songyang homestay room

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Time-honored craftsmanship on the Old Street

Songyang Old Street is no commercialized replica of antiquity—it is a living museum where locals still go about their daily lives. Stroll along its flagstones and step into the serene Yuanpu Herbal Teahouse, where the owner will blend a custom cup of herbal tea tailored to your constitution and hand you a written recipe card—a cooling summer drink that doubles as a cultural keepsake to take home.

Next door, an old blacksmith's forge has kept its fire burning for generations. For a nominal fee, visitors can try their hand at a 15-minute mini blacksmithing session. The rhythmic clang of hammer on iron echoes through the lane; with each strike, you can feel the warmth of time-honored craftsmanship.

Farther along the stone-paved path, a carpenter's workshop stands with its doors open. The master craftsman bends over his bench, focused on shaping wood—the soft whispers of saw and plane weaving together. Ordinary planks, through carving, sanding, and shaping, are transformed into rustic wooden wares that are both eco-friendly and practical.

A taste of life's hearth and home

In Lishui, streetside snacks are everywhere. Local grandmothers tend their firewood-fueled ovens, baking Songyang pancakes until golden and crisp. The crackling flames release the aroma of toasted wheat, mingled with the faint resin of mountain pines—each golden, crispy pancake a mouthful of rustic warmth.

Songyang Old Street

Photo by Tuchong Creative

Follow the scent a little farther, and you will find "lantern plate" fritters sizzling in hot oil—not to be missed. These lantern-shaped rice cakes are crisp on the outside and tender within, stuffed with shredded radish and pumpkin that hiss and sputter, a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

If you crave a pastry touched with an auspicious legend, grab a freshly baked "Wang Jing Champion Cake" and listen as the vendor recounts the tale of Wang Jing, a Zhuangyuan (top scholar) of the Ming Dynasty. With each bite into its crisp scallion-and-pork crust, you might almost taste the fortune of imperial honor.

Should the stroll leave you feeling slightly warm, find an herbal tea stall and order a bowl of crystal-clear traditional grass jelly, drizzled with sweet honey. This "Eastern natural jelly," made from mountain herbs, melts on the tongue and dispels the summer heat in an instant.

Throughout this Old Street, time-honored crafts, age-old flavors, and traditional ways of life blend seamlessly—no staged performances, only the authentic, day-after-day rhythm of a living community.

Symphony of dawn mist and night strolls on the Oujiang River

Leaving the deep mountains of Songyang behind, follow the current downstream to Ancient Weir Painting Village (Guyan Huaxiang). At dawn, bypass the crowded photo spots and arrive early at the Yantou Village Pier. Watch as villagers do their laundry by the water and punt their boats past; feel the 22°C river breeze—cool and refreshing—wash away your travel weariness, with the millennial Tongji Weir's white-capped surges and the deep shade of ancient banyan trees as your companions.

As dusk falls, the village dons a different, enchanting face. You may try your hand at bamboo weaving or clay pottery, letting the warmth of ancient craftsmanship flow through your fingertips; or catch the immersive walk-through performance Ferry of the Painting Village, following the parade of national-style fish lanterns and losing yourself in a weave of guitar ballad performances and shifting lights and shadows.

Landscape of Tongji Weir's Guyan Huaxiang Scenic Area, Yantou Village, Lishui, Zhejiang

Photo by Tuchong Creative

An ink-wash dream on a bamboo raft in Xiandu

If Songyang is the pastoral poetry of Jiangnan, then Jinyun is a grand scroll of ethereal landscapes. For an August escape, nothing beats drifting upstream on a bamboo raft in Xiandu. Seated on the rustic craft, let the cool stream water lap over your fingertips as the Danxia red-rock peaks and verdant forests glide slowly past on either side. Lower your gaze to see the reflection of Dinghu Peak as still as a mirror, or lift your head to catch a mountain breeze sifting through the trees—every spontaneous snapshot becomes a scene straight out of an Eastern fantasy painting, with you floating through the picturesque frame.