Nanxiong,autumn Fairy tale of the south

By+XINGZHELAOHU

NANXIONG， a county-level city in northeastern Guangdong Province， is where I was born. In my dreams， I often return to this town of my childhood， where there is no hustle and bustle of the city life， but tranquil streets， murmuring rivers and lush grasslands， all bathed in sunshine.

I have had the impulse to go back many times. But on starting to pack， fear of urbanization and the changes it would make to the hometown of my dreams and memory have stopped me.

I happened to see one day a photo of the Maozifeng Forest Farm in Nanxiong. It showed a sunlit road carpeted in yellow ginkgo leaves and lined on either side with old-style houses， wooden benches and bicycles before their doors. This familiar scenario stirred the memories deep in my heart， making me decide that this time I really would go back to Nanxiong.

I set off on a Sunday， and spent one night on the road to avoid the returning weekend crowds. I drove myself rather than joining a group tour. I could then enjoy the beauty of the old country roads and picturesque ginkgo forest at my own pace.

Nanxiong – Home of Ginkgo Trees

The area in Nanxiong planted with ginkgo trees totals around 100，000 mu （1 mu = 0.0667 hectares）. The 18 townships around the city， such as Pingtian， Youshan， Zhutian， and Maozifeng， are the best spots to appreciate ginkgo trees. The ginkgo forests in Pingtian and Youshan are old but sparse， while the trees in Maozifeng are younger and grow more densely. In the whole area， there are two ginkgo trees more than 1，000 years old， and around 1，680 trees aged over 100. The tallest ginkgo tree in Youshan stands over 50 meters high. I chose to visit Fengwu Village in Pingtian and the forest farm in Maozifeng.

The best time to see ginkgo leaves is from mid-November to early December， when the leaves turn golden. This is Nanxiongs peak tourist season. Some visitors come from neighboring cities within Guangdong Province. Others are from Hong Kong and Macao. There are also Japanese and Korean travelers that come to see Nanxiongs ginkgo trees. To avoid the tourist crush， therefore， its best to go on weekdays instead of weekends and ideally to stay three days or more. One thing to bear in mind is that the roads to outlying villages are mostly two-lane， so any accident causes a traffic pile-up. There are few parking lots in these villages， so its best to park outside and enter the village on foot.endprint

Upon arriving at Nanxiong city center I drove directly to Qingzhang Mountain， the highest point of southern Nanxiong and a well-known scenic spot. It took about 40 minutes to drive from there to Jiangtou Town， where the Qingzhang Mountain hot springs are located. Springs here contain radon elements believed beneficial to the health. Hotels in the locality are booked solid during the tourist season， so you need to make an advance reservation at that time. Our room had a big wooden bath bucket， and hot spring water was supplied. We ate supper in the town at one of the many food stalls and local eateries， where local specialties such as ginkgo nuts were also available.

A Golden Trip to Fengwu Village

At about six oclock the next morning， we departed from Jiangtou Town for Fengwu Village in Pingtian Town. It is said to have the densest ginkgo leaves in Nanxiong. Pingtian Town is a two-hour drive from Qingzhang Mountain. As we were about to enter Pingtian Town we took a left turn onto the narrow road to Fengwu Village. Although this was a Monday， there was still a lot of traffic in the village. As there was no parking lot， cars were parked higgledy-piggledy along the road， which made driving very slow. The situation is even worse at weekends. So， youd be advised to park outside the village and take the less than 30-minute walk there.

There were not many ginkgo trees in the village， but when we passed the houses and ascended the hill in the west of the village， a grove of golden ginkgo trees suddenly sprang into view. The grove was smaller than we expected， and the trees were all very old.

Standing at the center of these ginkgo trees， you are surrounded by golden hues in all directions， even the ground. It was a feast for the eyes. As we live in the south where green is dominant， we were dazzled by this yellow-tinted world.

There are many amateur painters who have stayed for some time at Fengwu Village， and who come to the ginkgo forest each day to paint. I could see that many of them were still beginners， gravely executing each stroke undistracted by the chat of tourists. As painting and photography have a lot in common as regards composition and color usage， we found these painters had chosen ideal views for photos.

A ginkgo tree and a cottage composed a scene picturesque as an exquisite oil painting. Many people asked me if I thought this sight as beautiful as described in legends. I wasnt sure how to respond. Objectively speaking， it consisted of some old ginkgo trees surrounding dilapidated cottages， pigsties and cowsheds. However， I have to say that what I saw at the farm was natural and colorful enough to make me forget everything but the golden colors around me， especially when walking on the soft golden carpet of leaves.endprint

At midday， while walking along the vegetable fields， we saw a few small ginkgo trees on the east mountain side. But sitting on the stone slab in the field， surrounded with flowers and vegetables， was cool and enjoyable. In the afternoon， we went back to the ginkgo grove we had photographed that morning. The varying shafts of light showed us another amazing picture. We got lost in the scenery till dark. Walking down the mountain， due to an accommodation gap at the Maozifeng Forest Farm， we went back to Qingzhang Mountain for a hot spring bath.

Maozifeng Nostalgia

After waking up at 5 a.m.， I kept thinking about the beautiful scenery at the forest farm of Maozifeng and could hardly wait to go there after breakfast.

Departing from Jiangtou Town， we first arrived in Nanxiong City and then drove on to Maozifeng on the Provincial Highway. Within two hours， we were in Maozifeng Town. Hospitable locals living near a popular tourist attraction， accustomed to inquiring tourists， gave us directions to the forest farm.

There is only one path up the mountain. Although there is a flat cement road， the path is a narrow， steep slope. The higher you walk， the colder it gets， and the scenery is more beautiful. In less than an hour we drove to a triple fork， and turned right. After a short drive， a beautiful lake came into view， and then the forest farm main gate. The familiar sight of a golden ginkgo forest greeted us as we entered the main gate. It was about nine oclock in the morning and the sun had just risen above the Maozifeng Forest Farm.

Driving along the forest farm path， we saw mountains on the left， and lakes and streams reflecting green verdant forests on the right. The yellow and white walls of the farm cottages we saw after crossing a bridge stood out， even though surrounded by gingko trees. They were all two- to three-story old-style cottages that reminded me of my childhood. The Farm Guest House was the only place accommodating visitors. There was an open area in the house yard under two giant ginkgo trees. Some people were packing up tents. They had not booked rooms but camped there the previous night. The yard was tidy and flat. The dense layer of leaves on the ground and beside the lake made it ideal for camping.

The main street of the forest farm is a short cement road. Along it stand staff dormitories built in the 1950s and 1960s. Although decrepit， these dormitories reminded me of my childhood， as houses then were of the same style. I gazed at them trying to recall those carefree days. The trees had few branches and sparse leaves， giving me a feeling of desolation. However， the nostalgic atmosphere perfectly matched my previous dream of returning.endprint

Sunlight slowly spread over the empty street， making the ginkgo leaves even more golden. Behind the main street was a lake， where a gentle breeze made ripples and rustled the fallen leaves. It was a sight to behold.

A retired forest farm worker I chatted to said that the farm had lost its previous prosperity. It was once the best state-owned enterprise in Maozifeng region， with a big population and schools. At the beginning of the “Business Wave” of the 1980s， many young people went to cities to work， leaving only a few elderly workers on the farm. This is why the dormitories were empty and nearly derelict. But I saw that more tourists were coming to visit， not only for the ginkgo forest， fresh air， clear and quiet environment， but also to recall their memories， like me.

The forest farm was as I remember it， its old houses still standing. Since city dwellers seldom see such scenery， Maozifeng has gradually become a popular tourist destination. Packed tour buses drive to Maozifeng one after another at peak ginkgo forest season. But peace returns during the cold winter weather.

In addition to the department store and restaurant on the main street， the forest farm is full of old residences. It was several kilometers to the agritainment restaurant at the farms main gate， so we carried on taking pictures on our way to it. Environmental protection of the forest farm appears effective. Lakes and streams on the roadside looked clear and pollution-free. The verdant forest was embellished with a few red and golden ginkgo leaves， rather like Jiuzhaigou （a nature reserve and national park located in northern Sichuan）.

After lunch， we strolled back. The light had changed as the sun set in the west， presenting to us a fresh and different scene. After coming back to the main street we saw only a few remaining visitors， and it was rapidly growing dark. When we got back to the Guest House， one visitor told us that there was a natural hot spring few kilometers away and that many tourists had gone there to relax.

What a silent night！ The following morning we went to the main street again. After photographing the ginkgo forest one more time， we reluctantly started the drive home from Maozifeng. But we will never forget Nanxiongs ginkgos. I believe that it was not just their gorgeous colors that attracted us， but the nostalgic feeling in our hearts that moved us to come here.endprint