This year the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holidays are rolled into one. The holiday will be eight days in total, and here are some recommended driving routes that can help you have a quiet getaway and a cultural experience.

Shenzhen — Meizhou — Fujian

If you are interested in Hakka culture, drive from Shenzhen to Fujian Province via Meizhou, Guangdong Province.

Meizhou is a popular destination for those interested in Hakka culture and traditions.

As well as being unspoilt, Meizhou has several established tourist destinations, such as Qianfo Tower, Yinna Mountain, Hakka Museum of China, Yannanfei Tea Holiday Resort and the commemorative museum of Ye Jianying, one of the founding leaders of the People’s Republic of China who was born in Meizhou.

After spending two or three days in Meizhou, you can then set off to Fujian to see some of the world-renowned Hakka tulou, a traditional communal residence mostly found in rural areas. There are many small towns in Fujian which have traditional tulou. Yongding County is the most famous.

There are hundreds of tulou in Yongding, Chuxi and Hongkeng villages. As well as beholding the extraordinary architecture, you can experience the traditional Hakka lifestyle.

Delicacies: Hakka dishes such as salted chicken, tofu, stuffed vegetables and steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables.

Transport: Drive from Shenzhen to Meizhou on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, Guangzhou-Huizhou Expressway, Huizhou-Heyuan Expressway and Meizhou-Heyuan Expressway. Drive from Meizhou to Yongding via Yinjiang, Sanheba, Dapu, Chayang, Xiayang and Hukeng cities. Total distances from Shenzhen to Meizhou and Meizhou to Yongding are 362 kilometers and 160 kilometers respectively.

Shenzhen — Longji Terrace — Anshun

This route is recommended to those who want to see mile after mile of mountain scenery. During this trip to Anshun, Guizhou Province, you will have the chance to stop at several natural scenic spots such as Panlong Canyon, Huangguoshu Waterfall, Dragon Cave, Longji Terrace and Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Longji Terrace in Guangxi consists of terraced fields built along the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountain top, the highest part being 880 meters in elevation while the lowest part is 380 meters. It was given its name because the rice terraces resemble a dragon’s scales, while the summit of the mountain range looks like the backbone of a dragon.

The coiling line that runs from the base up to the summit divides the mountain into layers of water that, along with the golden rice that grows in fall, helps the mountain glow in the sunshine.

Anshun has three national-level tourism destinations, Huangguoshu Waterfall, Dragon Cave and Getu River. Dragon Cave has been described as “China’s most beautiful river in solution cavern,” and it gets its name as the interior space of the cavern looks like the palace of the “Dragon King.”

Along the Getu River, you can not only enjoy the beautiful water, villages and mountains, but also experience the lifestyles of the mysterious Miao nationality.

Delicacies: Spice chicken, buckwheat jelly, fried rice cake, local candy and dried beef.

Transport: Drive from Shenzhen to Anshun through Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, Guangzhou-Foshan Expressway, Guangzhou-Sanshui Expressway, G15, S368, S352, G321, G352, X455, X453, G321, Yiliu Expressway and Shanghai-Kunming Expressway. Total distance of the trip is 1,644 kilometers.

(Wang Yuanyuan)