Qiandao Lake from Luoyang: Shexian and Yangchan Tulou, 5 Days

Leave Luoyang in the morning, change once at Hangzhou East and reach Qiandao Lake station in the afternoon. The road to the lake runs with hill on one side and water opening slowly on the other. Drop the bags and walk out to the lakeside path, where the water is a pale green and the stones show through near the bank. Sit on the steps and watch a fishing boat go by. Eat in town before dark: order the fish head, brought up in a clay pot still simmering, the broth white.

Attraction introduction: Qiandao Lake lies in Chun-an and was formerly the Xin-an River reservoir, formed in the 1950s when a dam was built for the hydro station; the rising water turned valleys into islands, of which there are more than a thousand. The lake stays clear, and on a good day the bottom shows several metres down. A lakeside path runs along the shore, gentle enough for walking or cycling.

Tips: Fish head is sold by weight, so ask both weight and cooking style before ordering. Guests generally find the clay pot broth rich and half a head enough for two. In practice, keep day one free of sights and let the connections wear off, because the boat leaves early.

Board in the morning; the boat leaves the pier through a narrow channel and then the whole lake opens. First stop is Meifeng Island, twenty minutes of stone steps to the top, where the platform has three levels and the lower ones are quieter. Islands lie scattered like pieces on a board, near and far overlapping with channels between them. Lunch is a box on the boat. In the afternoon land on Longshan Island for the shrine to Hai Rui, a small courtyard with inscriptions in the walls. Ashore by four, hire a bicycle at the hotel and ride a stretch of the lakeside path.

Attraction introduction: Meifeng is where the central lake is seen whole, its three viewing levels taking in island after island. Longshan holds the shrine to Hai Rui, who served here, with steles kept inside. Most islands in the central lake are hilltops left standing when the water rose, rounded in shape, densely planted along the shore, with the water reading darker where it deepens.

Tips: It is windy on the water, so bring a jacket in autumn and a hat with a strap. Guests generally find Meifeng heavy on steps, and older travellers do better slowly. In practice, boats run to a daily schedule and stop in high wind, so the order of days may swap.

Leave the lake in the morning and drive west, the road bending around spurs until it crosses the pass into Anhui. Reach Shexian at midday and go first to the old town, entering through the barbican onto a main street that runs straight, shops and old houses on both sides. The Xu Guo memorial arch stands mid-street, eight feet and four columns, its reliefs polished shiny by hands. Turn into Doushan Street, where the lane is narrow between high walls and only a strip of sky shows. In the afternoon, the Yuliang barrage, a stone dam across the Xin-an, water sliding over its face and the blocks worn round.

Attraction introduction: The old town of Shexian keeps its wall, barbican, prefectural offices and lanes largely intact. The Xu Guo arch was built in the Ming dynasty in an octagonal plan and is the finest example of Huizhou stone carving. Doushan Street is lined with Qing houses whose door hoods and brick carving are finely cut. The Yuliang barrage is an ancient stone dam still holding water and still in use, with the old street of shops behind it.

Tips: The lanes branch constantly, so follow the main street rather than guessing. Guests generally find the stone on the barrage slippery and best kept at a distance. In practice, sleep in Shexian town tonight, since Shendu is close enough for a later start.

Head toward Shendu in the morning and stop below Yangchan, transferring to a small vehicle for the last climb, the road narrow with a slope on one side. The village shows at once as rows of earthen houses, yellow mud walls and dark tiles, stacked up the hill with flagstone lanes barely wide enough for two people to pass. In November every household sets bamboo trays on the roofs, chillies, corn and dried radish spread out, so from above the village looks like printed cloth. Farmhouse lunch, then down to Shendu pier for a boat along the Xin-an.

Attraction introduction: Yangchan sits in Shendu township of Shexian, built on a south-facing slope where the houses are rammed earth on timber frames; because the hill is steep the buildings stack one above another into a cluster of earthen towers. After the harvest, families raise frames on the roofs to dry chillies, corn and beans, a practice called autumn drying. The Xin-an River crosses Shexian, wide at Shendu, with hills rising on both banks along the stretch known as the landscape gallery.

Tips: The uphill road is narrow, so take the local transfer rather than driving. Guests generally find families still living here, so ask before photographing the trays. In practice, drying depends on the year and the weather, and trays come in during long rain, so keep half a day flexible.

No early start. Walk the old street at Yuliang, flagstones underfoot and timber shopfronts either side selling inkstones, ink and dried bamboo shoots. Pick up a small inkstone, or two packs of fermented tofu to take home. Lunch is Huizhou cooking, and the fermented mandarin fish needs ordering ahead, its flesh supposed to fall into garlic cloves. In the afternoon, the train from Shexian North or Huangshan North, one change on the way, and Luoyang by night.

Attraction introduction: Yuliang old street grew along the barrage and was once the river wharf for Huizhou goods, the roadway narrow with shops in front and houses behind. Shexian produces Hui ink and She inkstone, the stone taken from Longwei Mountain and fine grained. Fermented mandarin fish is the signature dish, salted and left to cure until the flesh separates into clove-like flakes.

Tips: Inkstones run from tens to thousands of yuan, so buy a small one to learn on if you are not a collector. Guests generally find the fish needs pre-ordering, since it takes time from scratch. In practice, keep the last day clear of sights and give the station two hours.