Shandong's Underrated Treasure Village: A Hidden Paradise in the Mountains

🎋Complete Travel Guide to Zhuquan Village in Shandong | Exploring the "Little Jiangnan of the North" and Staying in the Slow-Paced Bamboo Forest🎋

📍Basic Information

🏞️Address: Zhuquan Village, Tongjing Town, Yi'nan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province

🚗Transportation:

• Self-driving: Navigate to "Zhuquan Village Scenic Area Parking Lot," parking fee 10 yuan/day

• Public transit: Yi'nan Bus Route 3 goes directly to "Zhuquan Village Station," buses every 40 minutes

• Without a car, share a ride to Yi'nan Bus Station, then transfer to the scenic area shuttle

📅Itinerary Planning

🌞Morning:

✅08:00 Beat the crowds: Arrive at the east parking lot before 7:30, 5-minute walk to the ticket entrance, avoiding tour group peak times.

✅08:30 Bamboo forest exploration: Follow "Bamboo Water Street" counterclockwise, enjoy morning light filtering through bamboo leaves onto stone paths, take wide-angle upward shots of swaying bamboo shadows.

✅09:30 Ancient spring discovery: Collect mountain spring water at "Clear Spring" (free bamboo cups provided in tea break area), experience the elegant Ming Dynasty tradition of floating wine cups.

🌤️Afternoon:

✅11:00 Folk experiences:

• Try the century-old stone mill for making soy milk in Stone Mill Alley (position at the end of the alley to avoid backlight)

• DIY bamboo crafts at the Bamboo Weaving Workshop (reservation required)

✅13:00 Food highlights:

• Must-try "Bamboo Tube Feast": bamboo-steamed meat, bamboo tube dumplings, bamboo-steamed eggs trio (on Lishui Commercial Street)

• Hidden menu item: wild vegetable buns at Mountain Wild Restaurant (warning: sold out after 14:00)

✅14:30 Family time:

• Feed mini pigs at the Pet Paradise (feed costs 10 yuan/pack)

• Grass sliding and rafting (paid activities, waterproof shoes recommended)

🌙Evening:

✅16:30 Secret trail: Take the "Nine Pools Trail" at the bamboo forest exit, where you might encounter squirrels and wild kiwi vines.

✅17:00 Avoid traffic jams: Follow the main stone path markers for a 20-minute walk to the exit, taxis are most readily available before 18:00.

📸Perfect Photo Spots

1️⃣Bamboo Water Street: Before 8 AM, capture stone paths + bamboo shadows + flowing water with a wide-angle lens shooting upward

2️⃣Century-old Ginkgo Tree: At the end of Stone Mill Alley, golden leaves cover stone steps in autumn

3️⃣Bamboo Pavilion Viewing Platform: Overhead shots of the village's "Eight Trigrams Formation" with blue-gray tiles, white walls, and interwoven bamboo groves

💡Tips to Avoid Pitfalls

⚠️Tie-dye experience: 1+ hour queues between 10:00-15:00, try during the last hour before closing or switch to pottery instead

⚠️Electric carts: Recommended from Stone Mill Alley to the Handicraft Workshop (8 yuan/person), walking requires a 15-minute uphill climb

⚠️Rainy day plan: Prioritize indoor activities (weaving/pottery), bamboo forest paths have 90% sun coverage

⚠️For parents: Many stone paths throughout the scenic area; if bringing strollers, consider staying at "Zhuquan Village Boutique Guesthouse"