Linhai Old Street

Walking along the city walls of Linhai is a great experience, especially in the rain, as swallows fly low and the mist turns the scene into a kind of fairyland.

A walk along the wall can be divided into two sections, the old section, and the new, which passes apartments built in the 1980s.

At the end of the walk you will find Ziyang Old Street in the old town of Linhai. This 1 km long street was the location for the small-budget movie The Sweet Life on Toilet.

You will no longer see the scene from the movie in which people queue up to sit on red-lacquered toilets in front of every household, but the stone memorial archways, old restaurants, barbershops and fortune-telling shops are still here.

There are three old shops that are definitely worth a visit. Established in 1861, Cai Yongli's Beam Scale Shop is the oldest store on the street; Dai's Shoe Shop was the first in Linhai to produce hand-made shoes, and Anletian Restaurant, established in the late Qing Dynasty, is a leisurely place to hang out.

If you go

Linhai is 75 km from Ninghai and is served by regular buses.

Longxing Temple and Tiantai Hill are two other sites worth visiting in Linhai and buses depart every 20 minutes from Linhai to Tiantai, a journey that takes about one hour.

The ticket for Taizhou city walls is 50 yuan, Longxing Temple is 10 yuan, Tiantai Hill is 20 yuan.

Taozhu Ancient Town

Though Taozhu Ancient Town charges entry for tourists it is so laid back here that the guy selling tickets is hard to find as he spends most of his time playing cards and watching TV at a nearby club that used to be an old temple.

The town nestles beside a mountain and is embraced by the city walls and a river. Taking a walk along the city walls is the best way to enjoy the town's sights.

When night falls, a stay at Lang's Old House is a neat experience. It is also the only place providing accommodation in the town.

The owner, Lang Xunlu, often talks about the crew of Gate of the Sea, a TV show that was shot here.

You should definitely go to the market, crowded with vendors, stretching from the west gate to the east gate. Fruit and vegetables, and traditional attire in vivid colors, are on sale.

Listen to the locals bargaining and you will discover that the local dialect is as strange as a foreign language, even to Mandarin speakers.

If you go

Taozhu is 40 km from Linhai and is a stop along the Linhai-Sicha township route.

Lang's Old House is just 40 yuan per person a night, with shared bathroom. (0576-8578-0654).

Jingxing Rock of Xianju

The Forbidden Kingdom features mind-blowing kungfu from Jackie Chan and Jet Li and the dazzling scenery of Xianju county.

There is a lift to Jingxing Rock that is accessed through a cave, after walking along a short mountain road. The rock is perched on top of a 700-meter-high hill.

From this vantage point watching the marshmallow-like clouds floating over the terraced fields and green valleys, it is easy to appreciate why the place is called Xianju, which means "wonderland".

If you go

Xianju is 52 km from Linhai, served by buses every 25 minutes.

Xianju has many attractions, such as the Rapeseed Flower Festival in March and April, Waxberry Festival in June, and Sunflower Festival in August.

Tickets to Jingxing Rock are 48 yuan.

Zhang Zixuan contributed to the story.