A hidden gem town with no commercial streets and free admission, so beautiful it leaves you speechless!

🍵【Yaoli Ancient Town Travel Guide】Tested by a seasoned travel blogger: 90% of tourists don’t know this off-the-beaten-path treasure! No commercial streets, no admission fees, this millennium-old town known as the "Origin of Porcelain, Sea of Forests" is stunning beyond words!

> "Jingdezhen is the face of porcelain, but Yaoli is its soul."
> Dear friends, if you are tired of the crowded Wuzhen, Xitang, and Fenghuang,
> then you must visit this original ink painting town hidden deep in the mountains of Fuliang, Jiangxi—
> Yaoli!

There are no trendy milk tea shops here,
no colorful lantern bridges,
not even a scenic area gate!
Only the Yaoxi River winding through the town for a thousand years,
several Yuan Dynasty stone bridges,
and a group of indigenous people still living in old houses.

Today, as a seasoned traveler who stayed three nights and drained two camera batteries,
I’ll personally guide you into this forgotten "Last Secret of Jiangnan"!

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📍In a nutshell:
Yaoli = Jingdezhen porcelain birthplace + living fossil of Huizhou-style ancient village + natural oxygen bar + zero commercialization filter-level beauty.
Perfect for: artsy youth | photography lovers | family light travel | couples slow travel | city escape planners.

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Basic Info

- Location: Yaoli Town, Fuliang County, Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province (about 50 km from downtown)
- Scenic rating: National 4A + China Historical and Cultural Town
- Best seasons:
-✅ Spring (March–May): misty rain, blooming rapeseed flowers, like a Song Dynasty painting
- ✅ Autumn (September–November): clear skies, red leaves reflecting on water, fewer people, richer scenery
- ❌ Winter is damp and cold, some homestays close
- ❌ Summer caution: afternoon thunderstorms common, mountain roads slippery
- Admission: Free! Free! Free! (Important, said three times)
⚠️ But some spots (like Cheng Family Ancestral Hall, Ming-Qing Garden) require ID and reservation
- Recommended visit duration: 1–2 days (stay one night to experience the morning mist)

📌 Transportation tips:
- Nearest high-speed rail station: Jingdezhen North Station
- Take the "Jingdezhen–Yaoli" shuttle bus after exiting (about 1 hour, 15 RMB)
- Driving is best! Winding mountain roads with continuous scenery, navigate to "Yaoli Ancient Town Visitor Center"

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Route Recommendations (No backtracking version)

✅【One-day Highlights · Easy Core Area Tour】

> Visitor Center → Stroll along Yaoxi Ancient Path → Visit Raonan Ceramic Ruins (see the millennium-old dragon kiln) → Pass by Chen Yi’s former residence → Walk Sister Bridge → Cross Ming-Qing Commercial Street → Climb Shifeng Viewing Platform for panoramic views

✔️ Pros: clockwise loop, scenic every step, not tiring
✔️ Duration: about 4–5 hours
✔️ Intensity: low, suitable for elderly and children

📌 Key tips:
👉 Go in the morning! Soft light, fewer tourists, perfect for photos
👉 In the afternoon, relax in a teahouse listening to rain, experience a "slow to the point of mold" lifestyle

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✅【In-depth Two-day Tour · Immersive Mode On】

Day 1: Explore the Origins of Ceramic Civilization
- Morning: Visit Raonan Ceramic Ruins, see the remains of a Ming Dynasty dragon kiln
- Afternoon: Tour Ming-Qing Garden (admission 35 RMB), admire the peak of Huizhou carving art
- Evening: Stay at a riverside homestay, enjoy authentic "alkaline rice cake stir-fried with cured meat"
- Night: Walk along the river, listen to frogs and insects, gaze at the Milky Way

Day 2: Seek Serenity Among Mountains and Waters
- Wake up at 5:30 AM → Wait for the sea of clouds sunrise at Shifeng Viewing Platform
- Morning: Hike Wanghu Ecological Scenic Area (6 km from town), pass through primeval forest, bamboo sea, and waterfalls
- Afternoon: Visit the kaolin mine ruins (the name "kaolin" comes from here!), learn about porcelain raw materials

>💬 Blogger’s whisper:
>The real Yaoli isn’t on the main ancient street but on the cobblestone path leading to Wanghu—
>you’ll meet grandmas carrying firewood, women washing vegetables by the stream, and suddenly a small muntjac darting out of the forest.

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Must-Visit Magical Scenes

Yaoxi Morning Mist｜Flowing Ink and Wash Painting
At 6 AM, thin mist wraps around horse-head walls like silk, small boats glide on the water, startling egrets.
📸 Photo spot: center of Sister Bridge, use telephoto to capture reflections on the opposite bank.

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2️⃣ Raonan Dragon Kiln Ruins｜The Starting Point of Chinese Porcelain
One of the world’s earliest porcelain kilns, over a thousand years old.
You can see piles of porcelain shards; picking one up might be a Song Dynasty fragment!
💡 Fun fact: "Kaolin" was mined from nearby mountains and later became a global ceramic term!

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Ming-Qing Commercial Street｜A Living Ancient Market
Nearly a kilometer long, all old Ming-Qing houses converted into residences, workshops, and teahouses.
No Yiwu-style trinkets, only:
✅ Handmade pottery workshops ✅ Old tailor shops ✅ Alkaline rice cake stalls ✅ Herbal medicine from old Chinese doctors

📌 Tips: Don’t miss the "Old Zhou Teahouse" on the corner, where the owner tells stories of Chen Yi’s guerrilla days here!

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Wanghu Bamboo Sea｜Natural Air-Conditioned Oxygen Bar
Over 95% original forest coverage, air full of negative ions!
When tired, wash your face under "Nanshan Waterfall," refreshing to the bone.
🔥 Challenge: Find the hidden "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" check-in monument.

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Shifeng Viewing Platform｜Overlooking the Entire Yaoli Scroll
A 20-minute mountain hike rewards you with a divine view:
white walls and black tiles, winding Yaoxi River, curling cooking smoke, distant mountains with a bluish haze…
📷 Best to visit before dusk for stunning light and shadow layers!

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Accommodation, and Travel Tips

Food List
Name Features Recommended Spot
------ --------- --------------
Alkaline Rice Cake Stir-fried with Cured Meat Made from glutinous rice, chewy and flavorful with cured meat Ancient Town Entrance "Wang Po’s Little Shop"
Bitter Oak Tofu Tofu made from wild nuts, slightly bitter then sweet, clears heat and detoxifies Village farmhouse
Qingming Cake Mugwort skin wrapped with bamboo shoots and dried tofu, spring seasonal Grandma’s handmade stall
Fuliang Tea Tang Dynasty tribute tea, "world’s best tea aroma" Brewed fresh at old teahouses

✅ Bring suggestions: mosquito repellent (summer mosquitoes), non-slip shoes (stone roads slippery after rain), thermos (essential for tea)

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to Stay for the Best Experience?

Type Recommended Place Tips
------ ----------------- ----
Riverside Homestay "Yaoli Renjia," "Xipan Shanju" Window views of water, listen to flowing water at night, pricey but worth it
Old House Renovation Courtyard rooms inside Ming-Qing Street Artistic vibe, moderate price (~300 RMB)
Mountain Secluded Retreat Wooden cabins near Wanghu Scenic Area Away from crowds, close to nature, good for quiet retreats

📌 Blogger’s secret recommendation: "Banshan Yun She" — a homestay run by a painter couple, offering sketch kits and Huizhou architecture painting lessons!

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Warnings (Lessons Learned the Hard Way)

❌ Don’t believe "Yaoli is free so no management"! Littering will get you publicly scolded by villagers!
❌ Don’t swim in the river blindly! Calm surface, dangerous undercurrents
❌ Don’t buy "antique porcelain shards" at the scenic entrance! Mostly modern replicas
❌ If a driver says "a certain village is dangerous and off-limits," they probably want to take you to a paid spot for kickbacks
❌ Don’t disturb locals when taking photos! Especially keep distance when elders are eating or children are doing homework

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💬Blogger’s Closing Words:

Most ancient towns today feel like performances.
But Yaoli still breathes authentically.

It’s not perfect—
power lines cross horse-head walls, dogs bask at ancestral hall doors,
but it’s this "undisturbed daily life"
that reminds us:
the meaning of travel isn’t checking off spots, but rediscovering the essence of life.

Come to Yaoli,
on a rainy afternoon,
sit in a teahouse,
watch raindrops fall from eaves onto bluestone,
listen to untold stories,
then say to yourself:
"Turns out, I can live this slowly too."

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📌 Interaction time:
If you could stay in Yaoli for a month, what would you do?
A. Open a small teahouse, brew tea and entertain guests daily
B. Learn pottery, fire a bowl of your own
C. Do nothing, just daydream by the river

🔥 Follow me for the next reveal: Wugong Mountain Tent Festival Record｜Ten Thousand Acres of Meadows + Starry Milky Way, breathtakingly beautiful!