The charm of Shicheng lies in late autumn. The maple leaves are ablaze. Morning fog hangs around the tree trunks. Red leaves loom in the morning fog. Coupled with the smoke from villagers’ cooking in the morning and the smoke from burning tea-oil shells, it forms a dreamlike fairyland. Every year from mid-to-late November, this place becomes a paradise for countless photography enthusiasts. Shicheng is the name of a mountain. It is located within the Gutan Township (now merged into the Dazhangshan Township) in the northwest of Wuyuan County. On the Wuyuan tourist map, it is called Shicheng Mountain. At the foot of the mountain is the Lingyan National Forest Park. There are two villages distributed on the mountain, named Cheng Village and Dai Village respectively. Dai Village and Cheng Village are separated by a small hillside. There are ancient maples adorning behind the village. The autumn scenery of the two villages has its own characteristics. After taking photos of the sunrise and dawn in Shicheng, you can stroll around the village.
Photography tips:
1. Generally, choose to take photos on the small hillside behind the village, shooting against the backlight or side backlight. For taking photos of Dai Village, you can choose to shoot from the top of the hillside between the two villages. The smoke coming from Cheng Village drifts to Dai Village in waves. It is also picturesque when taking photos.
2. The recommended shooting time is from early November to early December. Mid-to-late November is very suitable. From a day’s perspective, 6:30 to 8:30 in the morning is the recommended shooting time. When arriving in the morning, the morning fog has not risen yet, only a little. The sun generally rises between 7:00 and 7:15. After the sun comes out, the morning fog and cooking smoke start to move. Maybe in just one to two minutes, at the same place, there will be different picture effects.
3. Walk to the right along the small hillside and keep circling behind the village. The light will change from backlight to side backlight, and there will be different effects. However, during the peak tourist season, it may be difficult to find a good position because good positions are all filled with people, and the set-up tripods are as dense as a forest.
Opening hours: Open all year round, all day.
Preferential policies:
Children: Those under 1.2 meters (excluding) in height are free; those between 1.2 meters (including) and 1.5 meters (excluding) in height are offered discounts.
The elderly: Those aged 65 years old (including) and above with valid certificates are free; those aged 60 years old (including) to 65 years old (excluding) with valid certificates are offered discounts.
Students: Full-time undergraduate students (including) and below with student ID cards are offered discounts.
Disabled people: Those with valid certificates are free.
Active servicemen: Those with valid certificates are free.
Tour guides: Those with tour leader certificates, Wuyuan tour guide certificates (interpretation certificates), and valid national tour guide IC cards (national tour guide certificates) for official business. Those with general manager qualification certificates of travel agencies issued by the state are free.
Journalists: Those with press cards issued by provincial-level or above press and publication administrations or radio, film and television administrations are free.
Drivers: Those with Class A1 driver’s licenses for transporting passengers (for official business) are free.
Artists: Those with provincial-level or above painter and photographer certificates are free.
Service facilities:
Parking lot: [Shicheng Scenic Area Parking Lot]. Reference price: Charged. Address: At the entrance of the ticket collection office of Shicheng Scenic Area. Number of parking spaces: 70.
Must-see tips: In Shicheng, both Dai Village and Cheng Village have farmhouses available for accommodation. During the peak period, it is best to book accommodation in Changxi and Shicheng in advance.
Shicheng
The charm of Shicheng lies in late autumn. The maple leaves are ablaze. Morning fog hangs around the[...]
