Best Travel Destinations for May Day Holiday

As the May Day holiday approaches, while most people flock to popular tourist spots, Shaxi Ancient Town in Yunnan quietly awaits those who truly appreciate it. This sole surviving ancient market town along the Tea Horse Road has no noisy shops or over-commercialized development—only weathered stone paths, a solemn ancient theater stage, century-old horse inns, and a slow-paced lifestyle where the echoes of horse hooves may have faded but remain vibrant. Here, you can escape the crowds, experience authentic Western Yunnan culture, and feel the healing power of a place "forgotten by time." 1. Few Tourists, Beautiful Scenery: A Perfect Hideaway Unlike the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds in Dali Old Town and Lijiang, Shaxi receives fewer than a thousand visitors daily. During the May Day holiday, while Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake may be overcrowded, Shaxi's mornings and evenings still belong to elderly horsemen and sunbathing cats and dogs. 2. A Living Fossil of the Tea Horse Road Once an important salt and tea trading post on the Tea-Horse Road between Yunnan and Tibet, Shaxi still preserves its ancient market, old gates, and temples. Horse hoof prints embedded in the stone slabs continue to tell the legendary stories of the horse caravans. 3. Beautiful in All Seasons, Spring Special Early May marks the end of Shaxi's rainy season, with wildflowers blooming everywhere, newly green rice fields, willows swaying by Yujin Bridge, and morning mist intertwining with cooking smoke—every casual photo becomes a film-worthy pastoral scene. II. 2-Day Immersive Itinerary: Unlocking Shaxi's Hidden Corners Day 1: Time Travel, Touching Caravan Memories • Morning: ◦ Pioneer Shaxi Bai Nationality Bookstore: Take a high-speed train from Kunming to Jianchuan Station (2 hours), then a 40-minute taxi to Shaxi. Head first to "China's most beautiful rural bookstore," converted from a century-old granary. Enjoy coffee and browse books about horse caravans, experiencing the artistic atmosphere where old meets new. ◦ Ancient Theater & Market: Walk 10 minutes to Sifang Street, admire the ornately carved theater stage, and imagine the Yunnan opera performances during caravan homecomings. The stone-paved ancient market still retains grooves from caravan trading days—look for horse hoof prints for photo opportunities. • Noon: ◦ Shibaoshan Grottoes (15 km from Shaxi): A World Cultural Heritage site featuring peak Buddhist rock carvings from the Nanzhao Kingdom. Avoid tour groups and have a private moment with thousand-year-old Buddha statues, feeling the weight of history. • Afternoon: ◦ Yujin Bridge Sunset: Shaxi's landmark and an important post on the Tea Horse Road. After 4 PM, the setting sun gilds the ancient bridge, with the Heihui River sparkling below and rice fields and villages creating beautiful silhouettes on the opposite bank. Bring a tripod for "long exposure water flow + ancient bridge" shots. • Evening: ◦ Night Reading at Pioneer Shaxi Bai Nationality Bookstore: Join the bookstore's "Fireside Talks," listen to the owner's stories about Shaxi's horse caravans, or spend the mountain evening with a good book by the gentle light of the fire pit. Day 2: Deep Experience, Be a "Horse Caravan Leader" for a Day • Early Morning: ◦ Heihui River Cycling: Rent a bicycle (30 yuan/day) and ride along the Heihui River to Shibaoshan. Along the way, you'll pass rice fields, Bai villages, and shepherds—truly feeling like "walking in a painting." • Morning: ◦ Ouyang Mansion Exploration: The best-preserved Qing Dynasty Bai residence in Shaxi, with "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" stone carvings at the entrance and poetic paintings on the screen wall, hiding mysteries everywhere. Ask locals quietly, and you might hear secrets about "the Ouyang family once having horse caravan leaders." • Noon: ◦ Stone Pancakes & Free-range Chicken Hot Pot: Enjoy an authentic lunch at "First Sight Shaxi" guesthouse. Stone pancakes are crispy outside and soft inside, while the chicken hot pot, simmered with mountain spring water, is incredibly delicious. • Afternoon: ◦ Shaxi Surroundings Hiking: Choose the "Changle Village—Hualong Village" route, passing through terraced fields and walnut forests. Visit a tie-dye workshop to experience Bai tie-dyeing firsthand (about 80 yuan/person). III. Must-Do Experiences in Shaxi: Insider Tips to Avoid Tourists 1. Attend an Authentic Rural Market Every Friday is Shaxi's traditional market day, when local Bai and Yi people bring mountain goods and herbs to trade. Buy wild mushroom dried goods, ham, or try freshly grilled rushan cheese (5 yuan/skewer). 2. Stay in a Century-Old Horse Inn Recommended guesthouses include "Jixia Shan" or "Wuyue Nian," converted from Qing Dynasty horse inns that preserve stable relics, with rice fields just outside your window. Fall asleep to insect sounds at night and wake up to folk songs sung by descendants of horse caravan leaders. 3. Participate in Bai Folk Customs If you happen to visit during the Third Month Fair (lunar calendar), join in making Jiama paper or learning Bawang Whip Dance. Intangible cultural heritage inheritors will teach you to use carving knives to print blessing patterns on wooden boards as souvenirs. IV. Practical Guide: Transportation, Accommodation, and Tips Transportation • Main Routes: ◦ Kunming → Jianchuan Station (2 hours by high-speed train, 145 yuan), then taxi to Shaxi for about 40 yuan. ◦ Dali → Shaxi (200 yuan for private car round trip, 60 yuan/person for shared rides). • Surrounding Areas: Shibaoshan and Jianchuan Ancient Town are within 1 hour by car. Accommodation • High-end: Jixia Shan SUNYATA Hotel (converted from stables, pool overlooking Yujin Bridge, about 1,500 yuan/night) • Value for money: Wuyue Nian · Jixia Shan (horse caravan-themed guesthouse, about 400 yuan/night) Food • Must-eat List: ◦ Free-range Chicken Hot Pot (Shibaoshan farmhouse restaurants, 60 yuan/person) ◦ Shaxi Rice Noodle Rolls (A-Peng Snacks, 5 yuan/bowl) ◦ Matsutake Chicken Rice Noodles (limited supply during May Day, 20 yuan/bowl) • Warning: "Bai Eight-Course Meal" restaurants in scenic areas are overpriced. Better to find private kitchens recommended by locals. Important Notes 1. Shaxi has large temperature differences between day and night. For May Day, bring light jackets and sun protection clothing, plus a folding umbrella for the rainy season. 2. Respect local customs: Don't step on thresholds when entering Bai courtyards, and ask villagers before taking photos. 3. For morning photography at Yujin Bridge, arrive before 6 AM, or the best spots will be "occupied" by locals doing morning exercises. V. Why Shaxi Is Worth a Special Trip In Shaxi, time isn't meant to be chased but to be "wasted." You can spend half a day squatting by Yujin Bridge watching ants work, listening to elders tell stories about their horse-driving youth; or you can sit on the second floor of Pioneer Bookstore, watching farmers working in rice fields through floor-to-ceiling windows, unable to tell whether you're in 2024 or in the horse caravan era a century ago. There's no anxiety about "must-see attractions" here, only authentic life itself. When you share a pot of Pu'er tea with sunbathing elders under the old locust tree in Sifang Street, you might suddenly understand: true travel was never about checking off coordinates on a map, but about letting another way of life take root in your heart. Pre-departure Checklist: • Documents: ID card (prepare Yunnan health code in advance) • Equipment: Comfortable hiking shoes, folding umbrella, camera (even smartphones can take great photos) • Mindset: Slow down, and be ready to be "healed" by Shaxi.