Travelogue of Nuodeng Ancient Town during the May Day Mini Holiday

Taking advantage of the May Day mini holiday, I made plans with a few good friends to visit an ancient and quaint village hidden in Yunlong County of the beautiful Dali Prefecture in Yunnan—Nuodeng Ancient Village. This ancient village has a long history and features a unique architectural complex from the Ming Dynasty, the Jade Emperor Pavilion. In terms of transportation, it currently takes about 2 hours to reach from Dali by driving on the 'Dali-Yunlong' expressway, which also passes through the Shimen Pass scenic area in Yangbi County. My friends and I chose another route, passing through Yongping County on National Highway 215, where we tasted the local specialties of braised chicken and six-meter lamb hot pot before heading to Nuodeng Ancient Village. Although the condition of the national highway might not be very good, the scenery along the way is definitely worth it. Upon arriving at the ancient village, the first thing that catches the eye is the well-preserved ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, built against the mountain in a scattered and orderly fashion. These buildings are of timber structure, and the connecting roads in the middle are all paved with stones. At this point, the challenge comes because the guesthouse is located near the top of the mountain, and there is a long flight of stone steps to climb, but walking in the ancient village still feels like traveling back to that distant era. The most famous thing about Nuodeng Ancient Village is the Nuodeng well salt, and the Nuodeng ham cured with this salt is even more exceptional, with a delicious taste that leaves a lasting impression. We originally planned to camp at a place called Dalang Dam near Nuodeng in the Tianchi Nature Reserve. However, from March to June is the forest fire prevention period, and we were not allowed to enter the mountains... It was truly a case of 'arriving with enthusiasm and leaving with disappointment', and we could only leave our regrets for the next visit to make up for it...