Cangnan | Heading south, keep driving until the sea turns blue

The trip to Cangnan was a spontaneous decision after visiting Taishun. Since it was close at hand, I decided to take the old babies to drive on the "No.1 Highway along the East Coast of China". The weather was not very good when we went there, it was mostly cloudy with light rain. Although it brought some coolness, the sea without sunlight could not bring the surprise of azure blue. Fortunately, when we arrived at Xiaguan Town, we were lucky for a while. One after another, the scenes like movie shots made me sincerely sigh that the sea in southern Zhejiang would not lose when it turned blue. Cangnan's 168 Golden Coastline, starting from Chongjia'ao Village, Yanting Town in the north to Yanpu Town at the border of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, is one of the four pilot sections of Zhejiang Province's ecological coastline. The long 168.8 kilometers connects beaches, islands, reefs, green spaces and renovated villages. With the continuous improvement of this mountain and sea self-driving route, the unknown small fishing villages are like pearls after opening the clam, gradually polishing a new luster. Without time to drive the whole journey, I chose a few check-in points heading south: Palm Bay-Jiucaiyuan Camping Base-Sanjiaoping-Xiaguan Town. Palm Bay was not open that day, because it is said to be the most beautiful section of the coastline, so I was a little regretful. Sanjiaoping is not fully completed yet, but the semi-finished product is also very good, and it was a little surprised at first sight. Xiaguan Town is really beyond expectation. Whether it is the dock where the fishing boats return to work, or the old street near the evening, the locals, tourists, and businessmen are bustling. Hundreds of years of commercial history make this land and sea junction of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Taiwan exude a fusion temperament that is completely different from other coastal towns in Zhejiang. The century-old buildings with different styles around are proudly telling their 600-year-old stories. Those stories include the Ming army resisting the Japanese, the Qing army garrisoning, the old revolutionary base areas, and the bustling trade. Nowadays, on one side are the old buildings with a mix of Nanyang, Islamic, and Republic of China styles, and on the other side are the newly built Santorini-style blue and white villages for the purpose of creating tourist landscapes. Xiaguan really carries multiculturalism to the end. However, compared to calling it the Zhejiang version of Santorini, I prefer its own name-Cangnan Xiaguan.