I declare! Yixing is the most underrated hidden gem of a city I've visited this year

June highlights: Mountains red with bayberries, firefly-lit bamboo paths, and 18°C cave systems! Exclusive Easter eggs: Midnight pottery in Fuxi Village, starry tea fields at Longchi Mountain 🚄 How to get there - Best by train: → Shanghai/Nanjing → Yixing Station (1-1.5h, ¥60-100), rent a car upon arrival (recommended!) - Driving tips: → Must-drive "Pottery Capital Sky Road" between Shanjuan Cave & Bamboo Sea (few sharp turns, beginner-friendly) → Pack sunscreen - strong UV in bamboo forests 📅 3-day itinerary: From ancient kilns to starry bamboo seas Day 1: Pottery Capital Secrets | Kilns × Hidden Dragon × Night Clay ▫️ 9:00 → China Zisha Museum (free): ✅ Touch Ming Dynasty clay samples, decode five-colored earth secrets ✅ AI costume change: Pose as Qing Dynasty potters (perfect for vintage photos) ▫️ 11:00 → Shushan Ancient South Street (free): → Visit Gu Jingzhou's former residence, hear pottery family oral histories → Hunt for imperfect-but-unique teapots (¥100-300 at workshops - insane value) ▫️ Noon → Zhou Zhen Wontons (¥15/person): → Must-try: Tofu pudding + shepherd's purse wontons (pork lard broth is life-changing) ▫️ 15:00 → Longyin Jiangnan B&B cluster (free visit): ✅ Instagrammable water courtyard reflections (low-angle wide shots) → Sip wild lily iced tea (¥28, mountain spring-brewed) ▫️ Dusk → Pottery Night Market (Dingshu Town Fri-Sun): → Munch kiln-worker cakes (¥8, preserved veg + pork) → Witness kiln-opening ceremony (8pm, glowing furnace spectacle) 🏨 Stay in Dingshu: → Taolu Cottage (¥400, rooms with pottery wheels) or Longyin Jiangnan (¥900+, private hot springs) Day 2: Bamboo Sea Adventure | Fireflies × Caves × Tea ▫️ 8:00 (Beat the heat!) → Yixing Bamboo Sea (¥80 incl. cable car): ✅ Cable car to Jiangnan's highest peak, photograph emerald "wave" patterns → Walk aerial plank roads (bring mosquito repellent!) ▫️ 11:00 → Youche Reservoir (free): → Paddle transparent kayaks (¥60/hr) through submerged forests ▫️ Afternoon → Shanjuan Cave (¥65): ✅ Cruise underground Milky Way (boatmen sing local folk songs) ✅ Catch 4pm light beams in "Lion-Elephant Plaza" (photography gold) ▫️ Night → Longchi Mountain Firefly Valley (¥50 night tour): ✅ Lantern-lit bamboo path becomes starry galaxy (peak mid-June to early July) → Try bayberry wine jelly (¥15, exclusive here) Day 3: Grand Finale | Bayberries × Pottery × Tea ▫️ 5:30 (Sunrise worth waking for) → Fuxi Village pottery (¥120 by appointment): → Mold authentic Huanglong Mountain clay with master craftsmen → Get pieces fired & shipped (extra ¥80) ▫️ 9:00 → Longchi Mountain Bike Park (free entry, ¥30/2h rental): ✅ E-bike through endless tea fields, photograph windmill hills ▫️ Noon → Xiangshan Restaurant (¥70/person) ▫️ Afternoon → Zhanggong Cave bayberry picking (¥30 entry): → Pick juicy "Big Leaf Small Stem" black bayberries (¥15/jin) ✅ Overlook Taihu Lake clouds (best post-rain) ▫️ Souvenirs: → Yangxian tea (¥120/jin, field-fresh) → Xushe crispy candy (¥25/box, hand-pulled) 🌟 Pro Tips 📸 June-only photo ops: Location | Time | Technique Shanjuan Cave light beams | 4-4:20pm | Tripod + silhouettes Longchi tea field windmills | Before 9:30am | Telephoto compression Shushan water courtyard | 11am sunny days | Wide-angle symmetry 🍜 Must-eat list: → Zhou Tie's crispy stinky tofu (¥10) + fried glutinous lotus root → Heqiao Zhou's meat pies (¥3, fresh from 6am oven) → Night market claypot rice noodles (¥12) + Liyang "tied liver" ⚠️ Survival guide: → Book Bamboo Sea tickets online (¥65 vs ¥80) → Avoid "free pottery" scams - legit workshops require booking → Steam black rice before eating (hard when cold) → Drain bayberries before weighing to prevent cheating 💡 Hidden gems: → Unmapped tea trails ("Longchi Yunhu Station"): kilometer-long metasequoia road → Taihu Stone Forest: Game of Thrones-style rock formations → Mine your own zisha clay (¥200 with safety gear) → Traditional oil presses (¥50 includes oil cakes) 24-hour food clock: ⏰ 6am: Heqiao pies + tofu brains ⏰ 9am: Sugar-drizzled black rice ⏰ 3pm: Iced bayberry-lily drink ⏰ 7pm: Explosive stinky tofu + offal ⏰ 10pm: Mountain tea under firefly stars