Anji, a town dominated by bamboo forests in western Zhejiang is renowned for owning the country's biggest sea of bamboo. The city is hailed as an eco-tourism destination. Located 58km to Hangzhou, it takes about 40 minutes’ drive by express way from Hangzhou.
Why Anji Bamboo Sea is special
Since ancient times, Anji Bamboo Sea has been one of the best places to visit of southeastern China, especially in early spring when the bamboo are light green and shining under the sunlight. Light rainfall mixes with soft breezes and floral scents. Many worldwide famous Chinese films were shouted there, including the movie 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'.
Anji Bamboo Sea highlights
Su Dongpo, a renowned Song dynasty (960-1279) poet, said, "We could eat without meat, but couldn't live away from bamboo." In fact, bamboo is the symbol of Chinese soul, referring to a pure spirit.
The Anji Bamboo Sea covers 60,000 hectares and has been designated as an ecological area. It produces 12 million commercial bamboo poles annually, ranking first in the nation. Once in the sea, you will be surrounded by the endless green and wet fresh air. There, deep breathing absolutely becomes the most enjoyable thing.
Visitors always spend a whole day climbing the mountain and walking through the bamboo forest, the poles casting a shadow over their bodies and the wind whispering through the bamboo. Along the mountain road, you could see bamboo sprouts were plucked and cooked by the peasants all the way up the mountain. Usually, the bamboo was freshly picked and boiled in a soup. There were no set places that sell it - you could only find the soup by its fragrance, cooked by women with boilers out in the forest.
If that's not enough, you can head to the foot of the mountain for a bamboo banquet in a local restaurant. Nearly everything there was made from bamboo - from bamboo duck soup to dried bamboo shoots. The mountain also yields a lot of hickory nuts, which are difficult to find in other parts of China.