Sorry Quanzhou! Ningde, the hidden gem of Fujian, has jelly-blue seas and ancient towns where you can eat your fill for 3 yuan
Who would have thought! After squeezing through Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, I turned to Ningde and was left speechless by its beauty—here the sea is ten times bluer than imagined, the ancient town is so old you can feel the texture of time, a 3-yuan guangbing stuffed with meat is finger-licking good, you can stay in a fisherman's home for 150 yuan and watch the sunrise, and best of all, there are so few people that you don’t even have to wait for a photo spot~
🚄 Easy transport: 1.5 hours by high-speed train, fall into a secret mountain and sea paradise
Take the high-speed train from Fuzhou/Wenzhou for 1.5 hours directly to Ningde Station, then a 20-minute taxi ride to the city center (30 yuan). Want to go to sea? For Xiapu/Yushan Island, there are direct shuttle buses from the station (20 yuan per person), and along the way you can see the coastline gradually unfold, blue like a spilled paint palette~
Rent an electric scooter in the city for 30 yuan/day. Riding past Jiguang Park, the sea breeze sneaks in through the window with a sweet fishy scent. Stop by a seafood stall, and for 10 yuan you can get a big plate of mantis shrimp stir-fried; the owner will even teach you to “dip it in vinegar for the freshest taste”~
🌊 Ningde’s sea hides 3 kinds of “free romance”
Watching the sea in Ningde doesn’t require a ticket; just follow the locals to the coast:
- Xiapu Tidal Flats: Free! Nature’s palette
Go to Beiqi tidal flats at 5 a.m. When it’s still dark, the flats are dyed crimson, and when fishing boats pass, their wakes look like silver threads embroidered on red cloth. Find a rock to sit on, watch fishermen bend down to pick shells, listen to the waves gently licking the sand, and every photo you take is wallpaper-worthy~
✨ Tips: Bring a jacket! The early morning sea breeze is chilly; don’t be like me, freezing and hugging my arms while shooting the sunrise~
- Yushan Island: Stay with fishermen for 150 yuan, own the mountaintop meadow and sea
Take the high-speed train to Xiapu Station, then a 1-hour ferry to the island (50 yuan ticket). Rent an electric scooter for 40 yuan/day. Riding to the top of the mountain is breathtaking—the vast meadow looks like a green carpet on the peak, below is the sea so blue it turns green, above are slowly turning white wind turbines. Every shot looks like New Zealand~
Stay with fishermen for 150 yuan/night. At night, the owner brings freshly boiled crabs (20 yuan each). Sitting in the yard eating crab legs under the stars, the sound of waves is more healing than any white noise~
- Dong’an Island: The lively atmosphere of a fishing village at sea
Free! Take a 20-minute fishing boat to the island (round trip 10 yuan). The whole sea surface is dotted with fish rafts, like a “Venice on the sea.” Fishermen row small rafts among them, shouting “Today’s oysters just landed.” Spend 10 yuan on a skewer of grilled oysters, sit on the wooden dock eating them, the salty and fresh juice dripping on your hands, even the sea breeze smells a little fragrant~
🏮 Huotong Ancient Town: Eat your fill for 3 yuan, time stops on the old streets of Ming and Qing dynasties
A 40-minute taxi ride from Ningde city center to Huotong (50 yuan). Entering the town feels like hitting slow motion—the bluestone roads are polished shiny by footsteps, wooden window lattices of old houses are carved with flowers and birds, old ladies sit in covered bridges mending shoe soles, and when they see you, they smile and hand you a candy, “Try some, homemade”~
- Must-try 3 “affordable delicacies”:
✅ 3-yuan guangbing stuffed with meat: freshly baked guangbing is crispy outside and soft inside, stuffed with tender braised pork belly. One bite bursts with juicy oil, paired with 1-yuan herbal jelly (mint-flavored), it cuts the grease and refreshes the palate~
✅ 5-yuan Huotong maltose candy: Grandpa pulls the candy fresh on the street, golden sugar strips magically stretch in his hands, the longer pulled the sweeter it gets. One small piece can be chewed all afternoon, sticky enough to make your teeth “sizzle”~
- Free activities: Follow schoolchildren in uniforms through alleys, watch old carpenters plane wood, listen to the blacksmith’s “ding ding dong” hammering, watch the sunset by Huotong Creek in the evening, the ancient bridge’s shadow cast on the water looks like a floral waistband tied around the creek~
🍜 Eat your fill for 10 yuan! Ningde’s local flavor hides in the alleys
Prices here feel like traveling back 10 years; 20 yuan can cover a day’s meals:
- 8-yuan Fuding pork slices: “Axiang pork slices” in a city alley, freshly chopped pork is silky smooth, soup sprinkled with coriander and chili. One slurp, the spicy heat makes you gasp for air but can’t stop. The old lady will add a spoon of vinegar “so it won’t sting”~
- 15-yuan seafood noodles: A stall next to the market, the owner scoops live shrimp and clams from the tank to cook noodles. The broth is made from shrimp shells, so fresh you want to drink it all. A big bowl for 15 yuan, much more generous than noodles in Quanzhou’s tourist spots~
- 5-yuan betel nut taro paste: Steamed sticky taro paste mixed with sugar, smooth like ice cream. A small bowl for 5 yuan, perfect for a sweet treat when tired~
💡 3 “counterintuitive” tips for Ningde
1. Don’t go to trendy restaurants: Find small shops with lots of electric scooters parked outside, where locals gather—the taste won’t disappoint~
2. Bring non-slip shoes: Tidal flats and rocks are slippery; don’t walk barefoot or you’ll end up soaked and falling (don’t ask me how I know…)
3. Chat more with fishermen: They’ll tell you “which sea area has the fattest crabs” and “best tide times for beachcombing,” way more useful than any guidebook~
After 5 days in Ningde, I finally understand why they say “Half of Fujian’s beauty is in Quanzhou, the other half in Ningde”—here there’s no over-commercialized noise, only the blue sea, the old towns, the aroma of snacks, and time passing gently.
Next time someone says “Fujian is enough with just Quanzhou,” just show them this: Come to Ningde, and let the sea breeze tell you what a “hidden treasure” really is~