Enter The Woods
My mom came to visit me a few weeks ago and after an unfortunate trip to Beijing and then coming back to the constant buzzing, construction, people and flying dust that is Shanghai, insanity seemed like a bright, if not brilliant, option. There is only so much “lady, lady, watch, DVD, bag!” that you can take before losing it. We needed somewhere to go where something very rare to China could be found; open space, quiet, fresh air. I whipped out my travel book to find some place (anyplace!) that I’ve never heard of; someplace with fewer than 7 million people squeezed into a tiny metropolis made for 1 million. I needed to prove to my mom and myself that despite its oddities, it’s worth living in China. I came across a village called “Moganshan”, or Mogan Mountain. The description made this sound like the ideal place to hide from the hard, beating sun and even harder rhythm of Shanghai. The mountain is situated only 200km southwest of Shanghai, but unless you have a car, there is no direct route. In addition, there is an entrance fee of RMB80. However, these factors failed to dissuade me and I continued on my adventure in search of much needed reclusiveness.
Few may know of this hidden little paradise, but that’s part of the charm of Moganshan. Tucked away in the mountains with a thick curtain of bamboo forest and mist, lies the little village created in 1898 by a group of foreigners to help escape the throbbing heat and noise of Shanghai. It enjoyed a period of fame and prestige in the beginning of the 20th century, but since then, has slid down the ranks. Surprisingly, the bulk of tourists there were foreign, not that there were many people to speak of in general. But these foreigners were the kind with a backpacker, unkempt look, and the kind of people that make you feel that you too are an adventurer. Of course the route we took to get there contributed to that feeling.
To get there, you can take the bus to either Hangzhou or Huzhou, we chose the latter. It takes about an hour and a half and cost RMB90 per person. From there, we took another bus that left almost instantly, so there was very little waiting time, to Wukang, which took another hour or so, for only RMB11 per person. It probably would have been a shorter ride had the bus not stopped every few meters along the way to drop off and pick up random people standing alongside the road with no bus stops anywhere in proximity. Perhaps they were friendly locals and the bus driver was just giving them a lift? When we arrived at Wukang, we too were dropped off by the side of the road (are there no bus stops in this town?) and immediately found a driver that took us up the mountain for RMB50. With every twist and turn the driver took, there was a new view that opened up putting us in a spirited mood before we even got there. We headed for the “main road” (as if there were many roads there), Yin Shan Jie, where we found the perfect hotel called the Songliang Hotel (343 Yin Shang Jie, Moganshan 05728033812 www.moganshanlodge.com) At only RMB280 per night for a gorgeous double room with a stunning panorama view to be enjoyed from the balcony, it was definitely worth the money. We stumbled upon it accidently; it was our driver who took us from Wukang that was kind enough to show it to us. The room tempted us to never leave, but we fought our way out telling ourselves we would return soon!
There isn’t much to do there, which is exactly why it is so calming. We enjoyed a slow lunch as the pouring rain passed, and then took our sweet time to hike. The only thing that rushed us was the setting sun threatening to throw the bamboo forests into darkness. But our mood was as light as the air and the mist. By the time dark had fallen, our inviting room was beckoning us to throw ourselves down with reckless abandon. There was a DVD player and we were told that we were welcome to take any number of films to watch from the Moganshan lodge right next door.
We only spent two days there, but what refreshing days they were! Even though it was hard to return to Shanghai where we were (predictably) mobbed by the hundreds of drivers all willing to take us wherever we wanted for the low low price of 100 kuai, regret is not part of my memory. At least now I know that there is a possibility that the earthly paradise Shangri-la of Lost Horizon isn’t so mythical.
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