Anji draws summer visitors with nature and culture

Visitors take a boat ride to enjoy the scenery in Anji county, Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Anji county in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, is drawing summer tourists with outdoor activities, cultural sites, bamboo forests, and tea plantations.

Water-based activities are a major attraction. Visitors can enjoy rafting, stream trekking, and paddleboarding, while paragliding offers views over the county's extensive bamboo forests.

Anji also has more than 2,000 homestays, with Daxi village in Tianhuangping town alone hosting more than 300.

Cultural attractions add another dimension of fun. At Anji Ancient City National Archaeological Site Park, visitors can see the Bamudun tomb, the largest and highest-ranking among the tombs of Yue State nobles at the Longshan burial site. An immersive film shown inside the tomb introduces visitors to its history and burial artifacts.

Bamboo is another defining feature of Anji, with extensive forests forming both a scenic attraction and a setting for cultural activities linked to Chinese poetry.

Anji is also known for Anji Baicha, a type of green tea. A rare surviving tea plant was discovered in the mountains in the 1980s and later successfully propagated through cuttings, leading to wider cultivation in the county.

A tea garden viewing site that combines panoramic views with drinks made from Anji Baicha received more than 350,000 visits in the first half of this year.