Self-driving on Anhui’s Hongling Highway, the 800-mile-long stretch of mountains filled with red leaves connects the red scenic spots in Jinzhai

Anhui Jinzhai County is located in the hinterland of the Dabie Mountains. There is a China Red Ridge Highway that runs through the entire territory. It is 800 miles long and is divided into the 500-mile Xianfeng Dao Ancient Self-driving Line, the Red Journey Theme Line and the Martin Highway. The cross-country line consists of three parts. It is also connected to the G42 Hewu Expressway, making it an excellent choice for self-driving tour enthusiasts in Hubei and Anhui provinces. I live in Wan D next door. Taking advantage of the autumn colors in the Dabie Mountains, I drove to Jinzhai with my friends to take a walk on the fascinating Hongling Highway.

It is easy to see from the three themed routes of Hongling Highway that the reason why it has become a popular self-driving destination in the surrounding area is that in addition to the natural scenery of Dabie Mountain itself, it also connects Jinzhai’s distinctive “red” " When traveling, you must know that Jinzhai is the second largest general county in the country. It has produced 59 founding generals and is a famous old revolutionary area. This hot land has many people and history worthy of our memory.

Therefore, during this three-day self-driving trip on the Jinzhai-Hongling Highway, I did not miss out on the natural scenery, humanities, and history along the way. Our itinerary is as follows:

DAY1: Hubei-Henan-Anhui Red Army Memorial Park, Red Army Square, West Tea Valley, Hongling Highway Lianhua Mountain, Shili Creek;

DAY2: Yanzi River Grand Canyon , Tiantangzhai (forward headquarters of Liu and Deng’s army), Mazhaoling, Dawan Village;

DAY3: Banzhuyuan Zhu’s Temple, Xingwan Village, Nanxi Dawang Temple, Tangjiahui Red Town, Tie Chongxiang.

Since I have visited so many places, I will introduce you to some of the most worthy natural landscapes and red scenic spots based on typical examples!

The Hongling Highway is very long. Where should we go to enjoy the natural scenery? Lianhua Mountain and Mazhaoling on the Martin Highway Cross-Country Route are both very good destinations. Although the two places are not together, because the scenery and characteristics are relatively similar, I think it is not inconsistent to introduce them to everyone together. .

In other words, if you want to go deep into the Hongling Cross-country Highway but don’t know how to get there, you can use these two scenic spots on the Martin Highway Cross-Country Line as navigation points and directly search for them on the map software to get there. Can. You must pay special attention to safety when driving on winding mountain roads. From the aerial photos, we can see that the mountain roads have many twists and turns. You must drive more slowly when meeting cars. Moreover, the road is a two-lane road. Tourists must not park their cars on the road to watch the scenery and affect traffic. There are parking lots and observation decks at every upper section of the highway for tourists to enjoy the scenery and take photos.

Mazhao Ridge is located at the end of Martin Highway and at the core of Tianma National Nature Reserve. Visitors can park their cars at the entrance and then walk deep into the scenic area to experience the autumn colors of the Dabie Mountains up close. If what you enjoy on the viewing platform is the breathtaking scenery of the highway, here is the beauty of the details in Jinzhai Autumn.

In addition, there are two things you need to pay attention to when driving on the Hongling Highway. First, the scenery in autumn is beautiful, but it is also the top priority for forest fire prevention. No matter how you enter the forest area, you are strictly prohibited from bringing fire. Visitors will also be asked to scan at the entrance to highways and some natural scenic spots. Fill out the fire prevention commitment form using QR code.

Secondly, the Martin Highway is suitable for self-driving tours by private cars, but it is not just for driving. There are also many motorcycle and mountain bike enthusiasts who come to ride through it. Compared with driving cars, their efforts are more worthy of our admiration, but they are also a relatively disadvantaged group, so everyone should pay more attention to avoidance when driving, avoid driving without looking at the scenery, and stay alert.

You can also remember the entrances and exits at both ends of Martin Highway. If you are coming from the direction of Jinzhai County, start from Red Army Square; if you are driving from other places, such as Wuhan or Hefei, start from Gubei Exit the expressway at the expressway toll station.

Chinese people have loved drinking tea since ancient times, and Jinzhai is a major tea-producing county. Affected by the southeast monsoon, Jinzhai is rainy, cloudy and foggy, with an annual rainfall of about 1,800 mm. The unique climate conditions are conducive to the formation and accumulation of tea inclusions. Lu'an Guapian, "one of China's top ten famous teas", is especially produced in Jinzhai County with the best quality. The West Tea Valley connected by the Hongling Highway is a beautiful landscape tea garden located in Mianchong Village, Youfangdian Township.

West Tea Valley is open to tourists free of charge. Currently, it has built a waterfront trail, a 136-meter landscape suspension bridge across the bay of Xianghongdian Reservoir, and a floating dock. Corridors, pavilions, etc. are also cleverly integrated into the tea fields. Whether it is leisure viewing or mountaineering exploration, they are all very good choices. The most important thing is that among the good water and tea, don’t forget to enjoy a cup of Lu’an Guapian.

The Yanzi River Grand Canyon is not far from the Tiantangzhai Scenic Area. It is also a rare natural landscape in the local area and can be a good complement to Tiantangzhai. The gorges are endless and famous for their dangerous cliffs, strange rocks, deep valleys and beautiful water. There are two ways to enter the scenic spot, one is to take the scenic bus from the visitor center, and the other is to take the slide. The second method is highly recommended. It is novel and fun, and each car is stuck on the rails of the slide. It is exciting and safe, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains and forests dynamically.

The Yanzi River Grand Canyon with its rugged rocks seems to hide all the colors of the Dabie Mountains! This canyon is about 4,800 meters long, and you can just walk along the wooden plank road. Although the distance sounds long, the mood when viewing the scenery is different. The rich scenery can eliminate the fatigue of hiking, and the almost non-returning design makes the entire route not tiring at all.

The Yanzi River Grand Canyon in this season makes me feel like I am in a scenic spot in a fairy tale world. Although the amount of water is somewhat lacking, it also exposes the natural rocks here, with stone patterns and caves in various shapes, as if they were on another planet.

The Hubei-Henan-Anhui Memorial Park is one of the richest red tourist attractions in Jinzhai. It mainly integrates the display of old sites, historical deeds, revolutionary and traditional education, etc. Currently, there are 7 main visiting items in the park. They are: the former site of the military and political institutions of the 25th Red Army, the former site of the military and political institutions of the 28th Red Army, Anhui Anti-Japanese War History Exhibition Hall, Jinzhai County Historical Relics Museum, Liuhuo Uprising Site, Red Army Pavilion, Hu's Temple (the 25th Red Army and the Red Army 28th Army jointly organized area). These venues are free patriotic education bases open to tourists, but please note that they are closed every Monday.

Jinzhai County is located in the border area of ??Hubei, Henan and Anhui. From these venues, we can see that it has a long revolutionary history. During the Agrarian Revolution, the Beginning of Summer Uprising and the Liuhuo Uprising broke out in the territory. It was the main source and outbreak place of the three major revolutionary armed uprisings in Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. It was also the main founding place and regional center of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base area. The history is too long to explain in just a few words. I came to travel this time with a learning mentality and recorded a lot of notes and pictures, which I will digest slowly when I come back. In short, there are really many things in the revolutionary history here.

If you are in a hurry when traveling in Jinzhai and only plan to visit one red attraction, then I will definitely recommend you to visit Red Army Square. The square is located in the center of Jinzhai County. It integrates towers, pavilions, halls, monuments, cemeteries, and squares. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. It has a national key martyrs memorial building protection unit, a national patriotism education demonstration base, and a national It has many honorary titles such as red tourism classic scenic spot and national defense education base.

Jinzhai County Red Army Square tourist attractions include six main attractions including the Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Tower, Jinzhai County Revolution Museum, Red Army Martyrs Cemetery, Red Army Square, General Hong Xuezhi Monument, and Jinzhai County Red Army Memorial Hall. Here you can climb high and look far into the distance to have a panoramic view of the scenery of Jinzhai County; you can also remember the martyrs and appreciate the hard-won good life today.

When you come to the Red Army Square, I highly recommend the Jinzhai County Revolution Museum. If the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Memorial Garden in front is the richest red tourist attraction in Jinzhai, then the revolutionary science popularization in this revolutionary museum is more concentrated and comprehensive. It is easier for ordinary tourists to understand and understand while listening to the explanation. timeline.

Revolution and history are all the same, so I won’t go into details here. What impressed me most in the Revolution Museum is that there is an exhibition hall that displays the 59 founding generals of Jinzhai County, and there is a personal exhibition hall of General Hong Xuezhi. I am also very interested in its legendary life.

General Hong Xuezhi joined the revolution in March 1929. During his revolutionary career, he carried Maxim as company commander at the age of 19 and participated in the Long March, Liaoshen Campaign, Pingjin Campaign, Crossing the River Campaign, etc., and served as The logistics commander of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea crossed the Yalu River and received numerous honors in his life. Regarding the tortuous, legendary and glorious and colorful life experience of General Hong Xuezhi, a 29-level TV series has been released in 2019. Interested friends can search for "Admiral Hong Xuezhi" to take a look.

The Dawang Temple is located on the southeast side of Dingjiabu Street, Nanxi Town, Jinzhai County. It was originally a guild hall dedicated to the Dragon King and a businessman. It was also a trading place where merchants gathered. It was later used as the famous "Lixia Festival". The first place of the "Festival Uprising" plays an important role in the history of the development of revolutions in Hubei, Henan and Anhui. The current Dawang Temple is a national cultural relic protection unit and a very important local red attraction.

There is a vivid statue in the square in front of the Dawang Temple showing the Beginning of Summer Uprising that year. What everyone needs to know is that the Beginning of Summer Uprising was a peasant armed movement that broke out in Nanxi, Wujiadian, Baishahe, Banzhuyuan, Wenchang Palace, Tangjiahui, Lijiaji, Xihe and other places in Jinzhai County. To be precise, Dawang Temple cannot be called the site of the Beginning of Summer Uprising, but what we call the "first place".

Autumn in Jinzhai is a beautiful scenery in western Anhui, and the red leaves all over the mountains are so beautiful. This is one of the cradle of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and an excellent tourist destination for “red” tourism. During the entire trip, I was shocked by the beautiful scenery in front of me and the deeds of the heroes in the Revolutionary War. While feeling great, I also feel that a good life today is rare.

And "red" seems to be particularly associated with Jinzhai. This "red" ridge highway is truly worthy of its name!