Secrets of the Border Towns of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan: 48 Hours in Qingmuchuan, Sleeping Under the Starry River in Ming and Qing Dynasty Old Houses

## 48 Hours in Qingmuchuan: In the Legendary Ancient Town "Stepping into Three Provinces with One Foot," Touching the Time Fingerprints of a Republican Warlord > **When the morning mist of the Jinxi River drifts over the three-province boundary marker, and the carved window lattices of the Wei Family Old House emit a faint glow, I hear the last sigh of the Ancient Tea Horse Road** ### **Dawn Breaks: A Cultural Geography Lesson on the Cross-Province Train** Taking the high-speed train from Xi’an North Station heading southwest, after 1.5 hours the scenery outside the window changes abruptly—the tributary of the Jialing River cuts through the Qinba Mountains, and the sign for Yaodu Station in Guangyuan, Sichuan, comes into view. A 10-minute taxi ride after exiting the station crosses the provincial border. Driver Lao Chen points outside the window: “See Feifeng Bridge? The left side of the bridge’s central stone is Shaanxi, the right side is Sichuan, and turning around is Gansu!” The moment the wheels roll over the bluestone slabs, the dialects of the three provinces collide and blend in the air. --- ### **10:00 Qu Family Courtyard: A Late Qing Floating World Built on Silver Ingots** **Privilege upon check-in**: 25 yuan admission? Guests are free! This Daoguang-era complex, built with 8,000 taels of silver, hides three layers of time-space codes: - **East Courtyard Opera Stage**: Fingertips gently brush the painted “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” on the coffered ceiling; the water sleeves of famous actors from a century ago seem to flutter in the light and shadow - **West Courtyard Secret**: The wooden carving of the character “Qu” on the study’s window lattice only quietly appears at a 45-degree angle in the afternoon slanting light - **Century-old Tea Spirit**: The ancient tea tree in the ancestral hall’s courtyard, its leaves steaming with fragrance that drifts through three dynasties Overnight in a carved guest room, opening the wooden window, hydrangea waves flood the blue brick path. Off-season at 200 yuan, enjoy the host’s hospitality: morning walnut bread dipped in salty fermented bean curd, evening tea brewed by the flowing water wooden building, iron horses on the eaves and the sound of the creek composing a lullaby. --- ### **15:00 Tea Garden Walk: A Healing Ritual in the Green Wilderness** Passing through the back door of the courtyard, a thousand acres of tea fields roll like green waves. Tea pickers’ bamboo baskets sway at their waists, fresh leaves gleaming like jade. **Secret experiences**: - **Daisy Sniper**: At the end of June, the path transforms into a golden flower corridor; crouching low for a shot makes the sea of flowers and tea hills blend into a Monet oil painting - **Traditional Tea Fixation**: Borrow an iron wok from a tea farmer, stir-fry in your palm at 200°C, the tea fragrance embeds in your fingerprints for three days - **Dusk Magic Box**: Release a drone at sunset’s golden hour, the black tiles of the Qu family and the curves of the tea ridges dance a geometric ballet in the twilight --- ### **19:00 Three-Province Flavor Bomb: The Jianghu in a Wooden Barrel Fish** Lanterns light up along the Jinxi River, and “Xu’s Wooden Barrel Fish” is boiling like a battlefield. Pebbles heated to glowing red are thrown into the wooden barrel, and fish slices curl instantly in the spicy pepper broth. Must-try is the “Three-Province Dipping Sauce” — the charred aroma of Shaanxi’s chili oil, the numbing freshness of Sichuan’s green peppercorns, and the fierce wild chili of Gansu stir up a Jianghu storm on the tongue. > **Fragrant Whispers**: > Holding freshly baked walnut bread (1 yuan each) while strolling along the river, the roasted aroma shatters the mist. Suddenly, an old voice calls out: “Sister, want a gardenia? Five yuan, fragrance all night.” --- ### **Next Day 9:00 Huilongchang Old Street: Time Folds on Bluestone Slabs** **Free Essential Route**: Step on the bluestone slabs from the Ming Chenghua era, let the clanging of the blacksmith’s shop awaken the morning light. At the “Zhongde Book House,” find a copy of “Qingmuchuan” personally signed by Ye Guangcen; between the lines floats the cigar smoke of Wei Futang. Behind the carved window lattices of the old tobacco shop site, merchants seem to still lie in bed smoking; the three-story “cabin” of the Rongshengkui ship-shaped building, the rouge scent of former courtesans has been brewed into aged vinegar by time. **Must-see combo ticket (60 yuan including the Wei Family Residence)**: **Wei Family New Residence** — The Modern Declaration of a Warlord in Turbulent Times: > Hidden gun tunnels lie beneath the Roman columns, and the bat relief on the dome symbolizes “fortune arrives.” The moment you step on the treasure chamber’s floor tiles, hollow echoes startle the swallows between the beams — it is said that silver dollars once filled twelve camphor wood boxes here. --- ### **11:00 Furen Middle School: The Sound of Studying under Baroque Colonnades** Climb to the southern high platform of the town; the blue brick school gate resembles a brush holder. Touch the Baroque carvings on the auditorium columns; the sound of Shanghai craftsmen’s chisels echoes across eighty years. Russian writing remains on the classroom blackboard; an elderly guardian whispers, “Master Wei patrolled with a rattan cane, and truant kids were caught and punished to copy the Analects.” The running figures on the playground now overlap in time and space with the students in black-and-white graduation photos. --- ### **13:00 The Three-Province Alliance on the Palate** Enter the old street’s “Top Ten Bowls” banquet tent, see the eight-immortal tables lined up along the street for a flowing feast: - **Huilong Grilled Fish**: Qian fish from Bailong Lake covered with Guizhou lantern peppers, fish meat wrapped in Hanzhong bean paste aroma - **Walnut Blossoms**: Walnut bread baked on an old stove sprinkled with Sichuan pepper powder, a crispy, salty, and fragrant triple treat - **Secret Easter Egg**: Ask the flower-selling granny for a cup of pot tea, Fu brick tea mixed with Gansu goji berries boiling in a copper kettle --- ### ⚠️ **Pitfall Guide · Blood and Tears Condensed** 1. **Transport Trap**: Black cars outside Yaodu Station double the fare; look for **green taxis** (metered fare to the ancient town is 15 yuan) 2. **Ticket Mystery**: Free admission when staying at Qu Family Courtyard! The combo ticket is valid for three days; the tobacco shop is closed on Mondays 3. **Mosquito Battle**: Tea garden midges are bloodthirsty like demons; Thai herbal balm + physical face mask ensure safety 4. **Photography Taboos**: Smile and nod before photographing elderly residents; do not lean on dangerous attic walls As dusk spreads over Feifeng Bridge, Qiang torches light up the night sky. Girls dancing the Sharan dance around the bonfire, their skirts spinning under the moonlight of three provinces. The magic of Qingmuchuan lies in its ability to stitch bandit legends, Western-style schools, and the fireworks of three provinces into an unfinished landscape scroll — and every traveler is an ink mark continuing the story. > The hoofprints of the Ancient Tea Horse Road sink into the bluestone slabs, > The bell of Furen Middle School echoes over the three-province mountains. > When we see our reflection in the carved window lattices, > We understand— > The true Jianghu is not in the judgment of history books, > But in the silent tolerance of time. **🚗 Practical Tips** - **Transport**: High-speed train to Yaodu Station, Guangyuan, Sichuan; 10-minute taxi to Shaanxi border (2 hours shorter than detouring through Hanzhong Province) - **Accommodation**: Qu Family Courtyard Qing-style guest rooms (around 200 yuan per person) or Furen Inn old street carved bed rooms (150 yuan/night) - **Best Season**: March for rapeseed flower seas / October for colorful forests, summer average temperature 23°C - **Souvenirs**: Freshly steamed walnut cakes at the vegetable market (40% cheaper than scenic spots) + Xigou wild honey