Mango Travel Diary: After a long journey of more than 50 days in Xinjiang, Gansu, and Sichuan, as soon as I returned to Guangdong, I was invited by a friend to drive together to Qingyuan to explore the secrets.

Although I have been to Qingyuan several times for work, to be honest, I don’t know much about it. I only know that it is a mountainous area in northern Guangdong like my hometown Shaoguan. It also snows on the mountains when the winter is the coldest. As for what it is worth recommending

I couldn't explain why, so I readily agreed to my friend's invitation.

The car we rented at the Qingyuan High-Speed ??Railway Station cost 160 yuan a day. It had a lot of space and the trunk could hold several suitcases.

We went to Meilin Lake, Gulong Gorge, Jinzi Mountain, Lianzhou Underground River, Huangchuan Three Gorges, and the last stop was Nangang Millennium Yao Village in Liannan.

In fact, I have been to many ancient villages, ancient towns, ancient villages and ancient cities in China. I didn’t have much expectations for Nangang Millennium Yao Village. I thought that the ancient villages in Guangdong should be relatively modern.

But when I walked on the stone road and looked at the caravans passing by, I realized that I was wrong. This is an ancient village that is more primitive than many so-called ancient villages.

Nangang Millennium Yao Village is built on a hillside, more than 800 meters above sea level, and is built layer upon layer along the mountain.

Walking up the main road, there are ancient houses on both sides, most of which are two-story, with one floor of stone and two floors of wood, a bit like the stilted buildings in Miao Village.

At first I thought this village was a bit messy, but after thinking about it, I realized that unlike many over-developed scenic spots, where roads and shops have been built uniformly, it looks neat and tidy, but in fact it has lost a lot of life.

And Nangang Yao Village is full of human fireworks.

You can often see bacon drying on both sides of the stone road, vegetables growing in the yard, old people sitting in front of the door, chickens, ducks and geese walking around, chickens and dogs smelling the smoke from the cooking pots. This should be the countryside in my memory.

Passing by some shops, the doors were open, but no one was seen. They didn't seem to worry about anyone stealing anything.

At the top of the main road is a temple, which is a place for sacrifices and festivals.

The year when Nangang Yao Village was first built is unknown. The earliest records are from the Song Dynasty, so it has a history of at least more than 1,000 years. It is a veritable ancient village with 168 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties preserved to this day.

Looking down from the village, you can see the karst peaks rising from the ground in the distance, which are very similar to the landform of Guilin. Therefore, Nangang Yao Village is also called "Little Guilin".

It is said that clouds and mist often surround the place in summer, making it look like a fairyland.

There are countless alleys on both sides of the main road, leading to unknown depths.

The alleys here are named after rows and extend in all directions, giving them a sense of mystery as if they were courtyards.

Wandering in the alleys without any purpose, I met almost no tourists. Maybe winter is the off-season. Although many people say that there is no winter in Guangdong, in fact, this is only for Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta. Winter in the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong is still quite cold. For example, in my case

When I was in Nangang Yaozhai, the temperature dropped as low as 7 degrees at night, and it was damp and cold. It felt even colder than when I was in Gansu.

Coming out of the alley, I saw several stone slabs surrounding it. I looked carefully and saw the ancient sarcophagus written on the side.

It turns out that this is the sarcophagus of the Yao king. It is said that sarcophagus burial is a symbol of power. Only the Yao king can enjoy the sarcophagus for burial. What you see now is the spare sarcophagus and accessories of the last Yao king. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the 1960s and 1970s, leaving only

Remains of the lower part.

Walking up the sarcophagus tomb, you can reach the Pangu Temple, and walking down, you can reach the ruins of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It is said that Hong Xiuquan once preached in Nangang Yao Village.

As night falls, the temperature gets colder, and there are almost no pedestrians on the road. There are no entertainment activities here at night. When it gets dark, people hide in the house and do not come out. Only the occasional sound of chickens crowing and dogs barking is heard. It is very quiet.

Compared to the city with its thousands of colorful lights, time seems to pass slower in Nangang.

Travel tips: 1. Transportation: It is recommended to drive by yourself, just navigate to Nangang Millennium Yao Village; 2. Season: Summer is the best, you can escape the heat, there are often clouds and mist, and the scenery is better; 3. Tickets: 80 yuan; 4. Accommodation

: There are many B&Bs run by locals, ranging from dozens to hundreds. The stone road is inconvenient for dragging suitcases, so you can ask the innkeeper to help you choose, and give some tips appropriately; 5. Food: It is recommended to taste local pork and cured meats.