Anhui Province- A walk with nature in the isolated mountains of China
If you were to think of nature in China, this province would be the place you would think of. Covered by mountains and lakes, it is the embodiment of peace and relaxation just a six to eight hour drive from Shanghai.
Many of the villages in this southern area that I was in were no bigger than a few hundred to a few thousand people. The mountains with their ever changing fall colors were magnificent to look at as you can get lost in the tranquility of the environment. A hike for a whole day in the cold damp environment through mountain passes and almost abandoned villages has shown me another side of China. This side of China is of a rural part away from the cities, some villages have just a few people in them as most have headed toward the cities in search of better wages. However this is what made this area so beautiful as many of the towns were still intact yet with hardly any people in them. The mountains that we passed through had elements of what rural china used to be like in the mid 1900’s. The hike was hard, but seeing the natural beauty was all worth it as you can see below…
Taking a few hours boat ride around a lake with islands just about everywhere showed me another side of China also. As you can see below, the houses are built up on the lake side as ferry’s take people to and from each town. Many of these people make their money off fishing as the prime fish in this location roughly translates to “Big Head Carp”. Seeing the villages along the way was something out of a story book and only the occasional rumbling of a car out in the distance, would you know that there was a road close by. Again, the mountains in this area were breath taking, and couple that with being right next to the water made for great views….
