Less crowded and beautiful scenery! 4 small towns directly accessible by high-speed rail, perfect for a three-day stay

Just right High-speed rail direct access | 4 hidden gem towns, 3 days of fun you won’t want to leave 🚄 The high-speed rail takes us away from the hustle and bustle to explore lesser-known cities! Liuzhou, Quanzhou, Jingdezhen, Shaoxing—4 cities, 3 days, enough to encounter unforgettable beauty~ 1️⃣ Liuzhou: The aroma of Luosifen amid mountains and waters 🌊 Liuzhou is like a flowing landscape painting, with karst peaks reflected in the Liu River. Every snapshot looks like an ink wash painting. Here, kids can chase the sunset by the river, overlook the city’s mountain and water patterns from Ma’anshan, and feel the city’s spicy warmth and inclusiveness through the scent of Luosifen. ✅ 3-day itinerary Day 1: Liu River tracing tour, take the water bus 🚢 to cruise on the Liu River, closely admire the unique shapes of Ma’anshan and Yufengshan; in the afternoon, visit the Liuzhou Industrial Museum, where kids can learn about Liuzhou’s transformation from an industrial hub to a famous mountain-water city through interactive exhibits. Day 2: Cave adventure day, head to Duleyan Scenic Area, where colorful lights illuminate stalactites that look like crystal palaces from a fairy tale, and help kids find stones shaped like animals; in the evening, visit Qingyun Night Market for authentic Luosifen soup dumplings and sour snacks. Day 3: Ecological nature class, Longji Mountain Park is a natural oxygen bar in the city, take kids hiking through the forest to observe different plant species; in the afternoon, visit Liuzhou Zoo to see the national treasure giant pandas leisurely munching bamboo. 🍜 Food recommendation: The old Luosifen shop on Jiefang South Road lets kids experience the unique flavor of noodles cooked in Luosifen broth; the homestays in Yaobu Ancient Town have small courtyards where you can sit at night and listen to the boat horns from the Liu River. 2️⃣ Quanzhou: A millennium of stories on the Maritime Silk Road ⛩️ Quanzhou is a living ancient city, where the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road during the Song and Yuan dynasties still flows through old streets and alleys. The ancient mulberry tree at Kaiyuan Temple, the archway of Qingjing Mosque, and the stone generals on Luoyang Bridge all tell the city’s thousand-year bond with the sea. Here, kids can watch the tides by the ancient bridge and listen to the melodious Nanyin music in old teahouses. ✅ 3-day itinerary Day 1: Ancient city stroll, start from West Street, see the east and west towers of Kaiyuan Temple standing tall in the sunlight, and count the carved Buddha statues on the towers with kids; have a bowl of miso noodle soup and freshly fried vinegar pork at an old shop on West Street for lunch. Day 2: Maritime Silk Road exploration, visit Qingjing Mosque to let kids learn about the beautiful fusion of Arabic and traditional Chinese architecture; in the afternoon, go to the Quanzhou Maritime Museum to tell kids stories of ancient merchant ships’ voyages through shipwreck remains and trade porcelain. Day 3: Ancient bridge and the sea, visit Luoyang Bridge in the morning to see stone lions guarding the thousand-year-old bridge and observe how oysters reinforce the bridge foundation in the tide; in the afternoon, go to Xunpu Village, where kids can wear colorful Xunpu women’s costumes, collect shells by the sea, and listen to the waves. 🍜 Food recommendation: The ginger duck restaurant on Tumen Street serves tender and flavorful duck; the fishing homestays in Xunpu Village offer early morning experiences of mudflat fishing with local fishermen and the fun of digging for shells. 3️⃣ Jingdezhen: A ceramic fairy tale in the kiln fire 🏺 Jingdezhen is a city warmed by kiln fire, where a thousand years of continuous firing have transformed clay into exquisite porcelain in the hands of artisans. Here, kids can make a small clay pot by hand and feel the art of earth and fire in the porcelain capital’s air. The old kiln workers in the Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum and the creative shops in Taoxichuan hide endless possibilities of ceramics. ✅ 3-day itinerary Day 1: Ceramic origins class, at the China Ceramics Museum, kids can see the evolution from primitive celadon to Ming and Qing dynasty colored porcelain and try to identify characteristics of different kiln sites; in the afternoon, visit the Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum to watch masters demonstrate traditional wheel-throwing techniques and let kids touch the clay. Day 2: Creative pottery day, at the pottery workshop in Taoxichuan Creative Park, let kids experience the whole process of shaping clay and glazing to make a personalized ceramic ornament; in the evening, watch the old factory buildings in Taoxichuan glow golden under the lights, as if traveling back to the kiln times a hundred years ago. Day 3: Mountain and field porcelain hunt, head to Sanbao International Ceramic Village, where houses are built on the mountainside and discarded porcelain shards are everywhere by the roadside; take kids to find smooth porcelain pieces washed by the stream and piece together a small “porcelain shard painting.” 🍜 Food recommendation: The porcelain-themed restaurant in Taoxichuan uses Jingdezhen’s unique blue-and-white porcelain tableware; homestays in the old town are hidden in alleys, where hosts brew a cup of Fuliang tea and share ceramic stories. 4️⃣ Shaoxing: The poetic charm of Jiangnan rocked by black-awning boats 🚣 Shaoxing is a microcosm of Jiangnan water towns, with Baicao Garden from Lu Xun’s writings, the Chaitou Phoenix in Shen Garden, and the cliff quarry at East Lake all hiding Jiangnan’s delicacy and spirit. Black-awning boats glide past stone bridges, and the aroma of yellow wine drifts through alleys. Here, kids can understand the poetry and distance of Jiangnan in the gentle water town atmosphere. ✅ 3-day itinerary Day 1: Tracing Lu Xun’s hometown, take kids to Lu Xun’s former residence, see the mulberry trees and stone wells in Baicao Garden, and find the character “early” on the desks in Sanwei Study; have lunch at Xianheng Hotel, where kids can try the fennel beans and yellow wine popsicles loved by Kong Yiji. Day 2: Water town wandering, take a black-awning boat 🛶 through the strange stones and cliffs of East Lake, watch the boatman’s amazing foot rowing skills; in the afternoon, visit Shen Garden, and by the broken walls, tell kids the love story of Lu You and Tang Wan. Day 3: East Lake and yellow wine, in the morning, see the marks left by ancient craftsmen carving the cliff at East Lake, and let kids try brush painting the East Lake landscape on rice paper; in the afternoon, visit the yellow wine town to watch traditional brewing and taste the sweet aroma of non-alcoholic yellow wine. 🍜 Food recommendation: The Shaoxing restaurant on Cangqiao Straight Street serves braised pork with preserved vegetables that is rich but not greasy; homestays by Baziqiao have windows facing stone bridges and flowing water, and you can hear the boatwomen’s rowing sounds in the early morning. 3 days, not too long, not too short, just enough to hold the romance of these 4 cities. Pick a weekend, pack your bag, and head to your own small town time!