Fujian hides a "Rio de Janeiro on the sea"! Qida Village Guide: 1800 Steps to See Mountains and Sea
Along the coastline of Lianjiang, Fuzhou, lies a thousand-year-old fishing village—Qida Village. Here, there are no crowded crowds, but a stunning scene of "mountains and sea embracing each other, fishing rafts woven like fabric." The moment you reach the top of Qiguan Peak, you'll understand why it's called the "Rio de Janeiro of Fujian." This in-depth guide, from transportation to dining and accommodation, will help you unlock every surprise of the fishing village.
1. Transportation Tips: Avoid detours and traffic jams
Best option for self-driving
From Fuzhou, take the Ring Expressway → Pukou Hub → National Highway 228 (Coastal Corridor), 91 km about 1.5 hours direct. Key navigation tip: don’t search for "Qiguan Peak," directly locate "Baiyun Temple," park at the city wall gate roadblock, then walk 20 minutes to the viewing platform, saving one-third of the mountain road. Be sure to arrive before 6:30 on holidays, or the coastal road is prone to traffic jams. You can also reverse the route by visiting Moon Bay first, then climbing the peak.
Guide for those without a car
High-speed rail: Fuzhou Station → Lianjiang Station (12 RMB/30 minutes), then take a 10 RMB taxi to Minyun Lianjiang East Bus Station, transfer to the Qida special line (15 RMB/person, 1-hour ride). Important reminder: the last bus departs at 16:00; if missed, you must carpool (30 RMB/person). If lucky, the charter driver will take the secret coastal route, perfect for shooting windmill matrix photos along the way.
2. Must-visit spots: Ultimate experiences from sunrise to starry sky
Qiguan Peak: 1800 steps for panoramic mountain and sea views
As Qida Village’s "beauty ambassador," it hides the viral "Rio perspective" online. There are two ways to reach the top: the hardcore version climbs 1889 steps (about 1 hour, with self-service supply stations midway), or the lazy version walks the "Little Great Wall" trail from Baiyun Temple (25 minutes direct).
Photo tips: Use a 24mm wide-angle lens at the top where the five-star red flag is planted to capture the clash of fishing village and sea sky; use a telephoto lens at the third viewing platform to compress the windmill group and fishing boats; the phone’s 0.5x mode makes the shot even more stunning. Best times: 5:30-8:30 for blue hour shots, after 17:00 for sunset gold, where windmills and evening glow create breathtaking scenes.
Offshore fishing rafts: immersive one-day fisherman experience
The best times to board the fishing rafts are 9:00 or 15:00. Look for the waterside restaurant "Tianshu Seafood Building," where you can order freshly caught bitter conch, hand scallops, octopus—850 RMB gets you 17 dishes to eat until you can’t move. For something special, book the 150 RMB/night light lure night tour to see octopuses clinging to searchlights in a magical scene. On the way, visit Tongxin Village’s Abalone Museum (free), and buy 35 RMB packs of ready-to-eat abalone as souvenirs.
Ancient city walls and Baiyun Temple: hiding the village’s old stories
Qida Village’s Ming Dynasty ancient city walls are full of life. Touch the Ming Dynasty brick wall at Guangyi Gate and walk clockwise three times; villagers say it boosts career luck. Every Saturday night there’s a lighting ceremony, and wearing Hanfu to shoot blue hour photos creates a great atmosphere.
Baiyun Temple is not only for blessings; on the east side of the main hall is the "Woyun Stone" with an interesting story—taking a 20-minute nap there is said to let you dream of your fortune for the next three months. Along the way, you can also encounter wild azalea flower seas.
Moon Bay: joyful time for tide hunting and treasure digging
During the big tides on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar, the reef area here hides general’s hats and spicy conchs. Bring a small shovel to enjoy tide hunting fun. Using an ND1000 neutral density filter for long exposure shots of the sea surface can create a silky texture. Flying a drone to 200 meters height captures the full panorama of "Crescent Bay."
3. Culinary feast: local secret seafood map
Must-eat list: full for about 50 RMB per person
- Apang Fish Ball Shop: must order the fish ball and swallow dumpling double soup; handmade fish balls are bouncy and juicy, only 15 RMB/bowl to satisfy cravings.
- Tianshu Seafood Building: three ways to eat abalone (steamed + sashimi + rice), great value; 5-head abalone only 60 RMB, fish balls without filling have over 90% fish paste.
- Village Entrance Night Stalls: traditional oyster omelet 20 RMB/serving, iron plate charred aroma with sweet and spicy sauce, the true flavor of the fishing village.
- Xinghai Restaurant: 38 RMB kelp shoots stewed with pork belly, fresh and sweet to cut grease; local sword shrimp boiled with garlic soy sauce, incredibly fresh.
Avoid pitfalls and hidden menu
❌ Avoid: "freshly opened oysters" in scenic spots are often from other places, 15 RMB each is low value; roadside "sea anemone pancakes" have a strong fishy smell and may upset your stomach.
✅ Hidden gems: Rio homestay’s salt and pepper water electric fish with sweet potato stew is a killer dish; during the blue eye tears season from April to June, Housha homestay offers a special "Blue Eye Tears Cocktail," with glowing algae in the cup recreating the sea spectacle.
4. Accommodation choices: sea view from the window or sleeping with the waves
Top choice for sea view lovers
- Dinghaiwan Ruolin Hotel: 240° floor-to-ceiling windows + private beach, 5-minute walk to tide hunting area, butler offers sunrise wake-up service, about 300 RMB/person per night.
- Housha·Azure Coast Homestay: cliffside infinity pool + starry sky tents, free tide hunting tools, and night squid catching appointments available, about 250 RMB/person per night.
Fishing village style
Tinghai Cottage is renovated from a century-old bluestone house; you can hear the tide lying in bed. Grandma’s handmade seafood porridge can be refilled for free; for about 120 RMB/person, you can experience authentic fishing village life. For nature lovers, camping at Qiguan Peak is available for 50 RMB/person, including a 4 a.m. sunrise wake-up service (reservation required).
5. Itinerary planning: 1-day highlights or 3-day immersion
1-day fast-paced version
5:30 Climb Qiguan Peak for sunrise → 8:30 Seafood feast on fishing rafts → 10:00 Ancient city wall photo shoot → 14:00 Tide hunting at Moon Bay → 17:00 Sunset at Chaoyang Pavilion.
3-day deep version
D1: Qiguan Peak sunrise → Baiyun Temple dream blessing → Fishing raft lunch → Explore Ming and Qing stone houses → Overnight in stone house listening to tides;
D2: Tide hunting at Moon Bay → Speedboat exploration of Xiluo Island → Experience Sea God customs (municipal intangible cultural heritage) → Longshan Li Night Market oyster feast;
D3: Pingliuwei Geological Park cliff walkway → Ancient Stone Village lawn camping → Return trip with fish noodles/abalone dry goods shopping.
6. Pitfall avoidance and tips: advice from veteran fishermen
1. Dress code: no flip-flops! The stone steps and reef areas hide oyster shells; water shoes are a must;
2. Tidal secrets: search "Lianjiang Tide Table" on WeChat; big tides double your tide hunting harvest, and on the fifteenth lunar day, you might dig up palm-sized blue crabs;
3. Photography timing: strong light from 11:00 to 14:00 swallows mountain and sea layers, best to hide in the homestay eating seafood then;
4. Anti-scam reminder: refuse guided "abalone picking" inducements; buy seafood with the "Ankai Township" origin label.
Here, no need to squeeze into crowded spots—just sit on the fishing raft watching the waves roll, listen to grandma’s fishing village stories, and enjoy a bowl of seafood porridge with the sunset. The romance of Qida Village has always been this simple yet passionate.