2-day 1-night Self-drive Itinerary | I regret not bringing my parents to Yi County earlier

I had hastily visited Hongcun before it became popular, not realizing that this quiet and ancient traditional Hui-style village would one day be bustling with noise and become the tourist highlight of Yi County, nor did I know it was just one of the many treasured ancient villages in Yi County. Although the reflection of Moon Pond is unforgettable, on my return to Yi County, the overly lively Hongcun no longer piqued my interest. After spending more time exploring other ancient villages, my parents and I felt deeply moved by Yi County. It's not only beautiful but also offers great food and shopping. With a quick search, it's incredible to find that in addition to the two World Heritage sites of Xidi and Hongcun, there are 6 national historic and cultural villages and 44 traditional Chinese villages. It's like a 'lifetime is not enough to see them all' series. Here's the record of my first self-drive trip to Yi County for 2 days and 1 night📒 D1 Lucun - Lucun Viewing Platform - Hongcun Moon Pond Check-in D2 Bishan Village - Pingshan Village - Nanping Village - Xidi Lucun🌟 2 kilometers away from Hongcun, it's much less famous, but I still like it a lot. Right at the entrance of the village, there's a typical Jiangnan charm with small bridges over flowing water. You must see the wood-carved buildings in the village, each with its own story. You can choose to go to the Lucun Viewing Platform to watch the sunrise or sunset, which should be very beautiful. Due to the itinerary, I only saw a regular panorama in the afternoon, but I still found it quite nice. ❗️You can drive up to the viewing platform, just navigate directly. Hongcun Moon Pond🌟 Tickets are too expensive, so I didn't go in, but I let my parents take a tour. The old babies took a check-in photo at Moon Pond and then came out, saying it was too crowded and commercialized, and they lost interest in visiting. Bishan Village🌟 The most hopeful village brought a bit of disappointment. The positioning as a small fresh and artistic village is quite good, the village is not small, and the environment is also fine, but it seems that the whole village has not been completely renovated. Apart from the well-known Bishan Bookstore, there's almost nothing to see. You can check out the exhibition of Bishan Village's renovation materials in the studio that used to be the supply and marketing cooperative. It's good that it's not far from the county town, so it's worth a visit if you're passing by. Pingshan Village🌟 A super popular sketching village. I quite like it, with its rich colors and lively atmosphere. The colorful ancestral halls have made their mark among the many ancient villages. Besides, there are many attractions such as ancient temples, ancient houses, and ancient wells. Nanping Village🌟 The film and television village chosen by the national master. Also known as the Maze Village and the Chinese Ancient Ancestral Hall Museum. The symmetrical traditional aesthetics and the grand and majestic architectural layout are very photogenic. Especially the water mouth is worth a look, where you can understand the typical characteristics of Hui-style villages. Xidi🌟 Hongcun and Xidi are not free all year round, and the experience on free admission days is said to be very bad, so if the tickets are too expensive and you only want to visit one, Xidi is still the better choice. Following the hotel lady's suggestion, I went to see the night view of Xidi, which is indeed more interesting than during the day. It's a somewhat distinctive commercialized ancient town. Cuisine🍚 Hui cuisine is surprisingly delicious. The local restaurants I chose blindly were all good, and the wild vegetables and bamboo shoots of this season are tasty. You can try the local chicken soup and braised small river fish, both are fresh and tender. Accommodation🏨 Staying in the county makes it convenient to go anywhere. The GreenTree Alliance Hotel in the county has a good location, very quiet, with a view right outside the window, and not far from the door is the food street. 🌟🌟🌟Which village do you most want to visit