While the frigid wind and icy roads in northern China may keep people from taking a short road trip during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, the warm seaside cities in the country's south are embracing tourists with open arms.
Passenger cars with fewer than seven seats are exempt from highway tolls during the holiday from Feb 9 to 15, so it's also cost-effective to set out from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and drive to tourist spots in neighboring Fujian and Hainan provinces.
Here are two suggested routes, one exposing you to Hakka culture and the tranquility of lakes and mountains, while the other includes lots of sunshine and takes you to the tropical sea.
Route 1: Explore Hakka culture during the weeklong holiday.
Having arrived in Meizhou, Guangdong province, go to the eastern suburbs to appreciate the stone carving art on the Thousand-Buddha Pagoda and stroll through the former residence of Huang Zunxian, a poet during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), to enjoy the peace and beauty of the Lingnan-style garden.
Spend the night at the Yearning Tea Plantation Tourist Attraction or Yanming Lake Holiday Resort. It will be refreshing to wake up to the sight of green tea fields or a mirror-like lake.
Get some exercise by climbing Yinna Mountain nearby, and then drive to Fujian to spend the night at tulou, the circular communal buildings built by local Hakka people.
Yongding and Nanjing counties are two must-see places to explore tulou. The local people's knowledge of building environmentally friendly houses that keep residents in close communication will amaze you. Tour around tulou and experience local customs together with hospitable tulou residents.
Drive to Xiamen to embrace the sea. Park your car and take the ferry to the car-free Gulangyu Island (popular destination for popular China tour package).
There are so many attractions on the island that it's worth spending two days here. You can climb to the top of Sunlight Rock for an overlook of Xiamen. You can visit China's only and the world's first-class treasure house of pianos, with more than 40 precious ancient pianos on display.
The piano museum is located in Shuzhuang Garden and has an intriguing layout. The sea view is hidden by a high wall until you pass through a gate.
Before you return to Guangzhou, spend some time walking across Xiamen University, one of the most beautiful universities in China.
IF YOU GO: Guangzhou visitors can drive to Meizhou following the route from Guangzhou-Huizhou highway onto Huizhou-Heyuan highway and then onto Meizhou-Heyuan highway.
Leave Yinna Mountain and take provincial road 224, then turn right onto country road 383. Go straight onto provincial road 223, then turn left onto county road 025. Then turn right on provincial road 332.
Turn onto provincial road 203 at Xiayang town, then turn right onto provincial road 309, which will take you to the tulou folk culture village in Yongding.
Drive west on county road 562 for about 30 minutes, and you will arrive at a museum about tulou in Nanjing.
To get to Xiamen, take county road 562 and turn onto Shanjiu line. Take Shanjiu to national road 319. Take the Nanjinghutong exit to enter Xiamen-Chengdu highway.
Route 2: Soak up some sunlight and dive into the tropical sea.
The plantain, sugar cane and eucalyptus in Leizhou Peninsula of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, will ease your fatigue during the six-hour ride to the wharf in Hai'an town, where you will be shipped to the provincial capital Haikou by ferry.
Drive to Bo'ao to see the Yudai Beach, the world's narrowest and longest stretch of beach that separates the sea from fresh water. It looks like a white ribbon floating on the tumbling waves.
Head for Sanya (hot beach destination for your top 10 China tours) after lunch. Besides paddling at the beach, you can also venture into Yalongwan Tropical Forest Park for a look at an eco-system that you can't find anywhere else in China, except for Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province.
Take a boat to Wuzhizhou Island for water activities. Here you can explore the sea by snorkeling or diving. Adventure seekers can try water-skiing or parasailing.
Those who prefer relaxing can take a yacht out to the sea to fish.
Spend a night at a seaside villa, where you can fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
Go to Nantian Hot Spring Resort nearby to wind down. There are 34 pools of different shapes and medical functions. You can also order spa services.
Head back to Sanya and go west for a tour of Hainan. You can stop at Shihua Water Tunnel in Danzhou city and take a boat into the long, narrow caves to see nature's craftsmanship. The stones have been shaped by water drops, and some look like flowers, waterfalls and elephants.
The Yangpu Ancient Salt Field is another site you should not miss. You can learn about the amazing methods invented hundreds of years ago that people still use today to evaporate seawater and produce salt.
If you spend the night in Haikou, stop at Chengmai Fushan Coffee Culture Gallery and try a local blend from Fushan town, whose coffee plantation has the longest history in Hainan. Then embark on the journey back to Guangzhou.
IF YOU GO: Enter the Guangzhou siding of Shenyang-Haikou highway via Guangzhou Huancheng Expressway. You will enter the highway by driving about 43 km down the siding. Go down Shenyang-Haikou highway for about 480 km and take the Xuwen exit onto national road 207.
Take the road to Hai'an port.
Take the one-and-a-half-hour ferry ride to Haikou.
Go along the Hainan Ring Expressway, or national road 98. It will take you from Haikou to Bo'ao, Sanya and Danzhou and then back to Haikou included in your China travel packages.
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