Sleeping in a Painting, Pillowed by the Stars
The biggest surprise of this trip was absolutely this divine homestay! Like a hidden pearl nestled in a landscape of mountains and water, it completely cured my urban anxiety.
🏞️ A Painting Outside the Window, Sleeping Amidst the Scenery
The location of this homestay is simply unbeatable! My room had a full-length floor-to-ceiling window—when I drew the curtains in the morning, wow! Rolling green mountains wrapped in mist, and outside, a swaying sea of emerald bamboo groves🌿, rippling like waves with every breeze. Sitting in the rattan chair by the window, lost in thought, I felt like I’d stepped into a landscape painting. Even better was the terrace, with a hanging rattan chair suspended by the bamboo forest. Sipping a cup of local wild tea🍵, watching the clouds drift by, time itself seemed to slow down.
🛏️ Natural Aesthetics, Warmth in the Details
The room embraced a gentle wabi-sabi style, with wooden furniture exuding a faint pine fragrance and linen bedding soft against the skin. The details truly won me over: bamboo-woven lampshades casting warm golden light🛋️, wildflowers freshly picked and arranged in clay vases💐, even the sink carved from river stones. The bathtub faced the bamboo forest, and as I soaked, the rustling of bamboo leaves🎋 washed away all fatigue.
👨🍳 Hosts Like Old Friends, Warming Hearts and Stomachs
The owners, a couple who truly understand the art of living, welcomed me with chilled bayberry juice to beat the heat🍹 and served homemade fruit wine in the evening. When I mentioned wanting to hike, they immediately sketched a map🗺️, marking hidden valleys known only to locals: "Follow Xingzhi Stream upstream, take the third right fork, and you’ll find a valley of wild lilies!" At dawn the next day, the hostess had already prepared breakfast: steamed buns stuffed with bamboo shoots🔥, wild mushroom congee, and freshly ground soy milk, all steaming in rustic clay bowls—each bite bursting with mountain freshness.
🌌 Blanketed by Stars, Woken by Birdsong
Nighttime was pure magic! With the terrace lights off, the sky revealed a dazzling sea of stars🌌, the Milky Way so clear it felt within reach. The owner brought out a small charcoal stove to warm red date tea and shared mountain legends. That night, I fell asleep to the white noise of the stream. At dawn, I was gently awakened by birdsong🐦☀️, and when I opened the window, mist curled around the bamboo tips like a fairy tale.
A Revelation of Slow Living
Here, three days felt like a lifetime. The so-called "luxury wilderness" isn’t about material excess but letting nature become the backdrop of life—listening to the wind, watching bamboo sway, waiting for a flower to bloom, counting stars as they pass by the window. As I left, the owner pressed a bag of mountain tea into my hands: "Come back when the apricots ripen—the stream is sweetest then." Oh, I’ll definitely return! ✨🍃
📍 Hidden Gems of the Homestay
▪️ After rain, you can find bamboo fungus in the courtyard.
▪️ The study has rare botanical guides for guests to borrow.
▪️ The Shiba Inu "A-Xing" will lead you to the stream for a splash🐕.