Trip - China - Day 2 - Visit Tian Mu Lake 天目湖

Hi Blog,

Early morning of Day 2, we went out to visit their market, you may click here to read up more after I completed all the late post. After having our first breakfast at China, Now we were heading down to Tian Mu Hu and thanks, ZQ's brother-in-law to bring us there.

Oh yeah, when they asked the fat one (which was me) to take the front seat, then I went to the left side of the vehicle (which is the driver seat) and made the locals laughed at my mistake.

After nearly an hour ride, we had arrived Tian Mu Natural Lake (Tripadvisor link and Wikipedia link). I can't believe my eyes what I had witnessed...

TOURISTS SWAMPS!!!

Check out the people here	Tian Mu Lake Entrance
The Hotel near Tian Mu Lake	Say Cheese!
Look at the space here!	If it is Singapore, It will be a place for shop houses
Check out the Society Values	Actually, those are good values to promote

At Tian Mu Natural Lake, there is consist of three islands where we need to take the ferries for island hopping. I am surprised to see even the locals will come too - either for their school activities or having a family gathering.


You need to purchase your tickets at the counter, to be honest, it is not cheap for the locals too.

You can get tickets at this counter

For easy reading, I shall divide the places we visited into three main topics by islands, you may click on the jumplink to read about the place.

• Mountain in the Lake 湖里山
• Long Xing Island 龍興島
• Chinese Tea Island 中國茶島

==================================================

Hu Li Mountain 湖里山

When you walked around the mountain, you will feel the calmness and tranquility of the area especially the bamboo forest and the 柳樹 grow along the lake side - neat and smooth.

What a beautiful Pond	and the lake too

let's have our first wefie together for this trip

Thanks to my camera to achieve selfie for us

It is one of the main hosting zones where you have to take ferry to other two islands. On this zone, it has some ancient Chinese themed areas like

• Scholar Culture Area 状元文化區
• Filial Piety Culture Area 慈孝文化區
• Sea World 海洋世界
• Stone Hall 天目湖奇石館
• Other Random Places

==================================================

~ Scholar Culture Zonal 状元文化区

One of the interesting features at Tian Mu Natural Lake which you can learn about the ancient life of Chinese scholars. If you have time to read, then you might able to learn some history about it. (read more)

What a beautiful building structure.

Hand up to the people who built this	okay I stepped away from the pic

Nice and smooth roof

Selfie with the nice and beautiful tower

How I wish I have a backyard with such awesome Chinese structure

Let's go and see more of this place

some famous scholar	read more here

Four Noble Ones - Bamboo 竹	Four Noble Ones - Plum Blossom 梅
Four Noble Ones - Orchid 兰	Four Noble Ones - Chrysanthemum 菊

You can read more about these Four Noble ones or Four Gentlemen of what are they represent. (link)

I wondered what kind of flower I will represent. I am more like Sunflower! XD

==================================================

~ Filial Piety Themed Zonal - 慈孝文化區

Here they setup one of the Human core value - Filial Piety and explained how filial piety builds a character of a person and it is important to establish the fundamental of all kindness in every person.

Don't know who is he, but he must be someone deserves my respect

Just too tired to explore the stuff in there

A statue for Filial

Here are videos about 24 famous filial piety stories which put many modern people on upholding filial piety.

==================================================

~ Sea World 海洋世界

While waiting for the ferry, there is a Sea World under the waiting area, so we decided to spare some time there.

Check this out, people! The moral values we should uphold.

but.... I saw this...

The entrance to Sea World	Stair down there

Ooooo a decent interior

A place with fish tanks

Angelfishes and I selfie!

People were just browsing through

Looked like low maintenance aquarium

Check out the animal here	pity lonely turtle :(

Standard business strategy - after a tour will have a shop waiting for you.

Generally, it is just some standard fish aquariums where owner divided the types of fishes - fresh water and marine, like in the 80-90s structure. So just meh.

==================================================

~ Stone Hall 天目湖奇石館

Actually I am not into rock, but since I was here, why not give that place a try?

Love the place here - quiet and calm, the bamboo forest blocks most of the wind and just breeze...

Interior of the Rock Museum

Okay... Rocks and Stones

Stopped some nice rock formation

is these natural?

Beautiful Heaven's art pieces

Realistic Wax figures.

Look at this! Check out their epic expression! I just love my camera!

Overall if you are a rock-nerd, that place will be awesome! It is simply amazing that see how Heaven's artwork.

==================================================

~ Hu Li Mountain's Random Places

There were some interesting features like bamboo forests, a hub to view the scenery, a water-themed park and a miniature of Lang Shan Zhu Hai 藍山竹海, which we don't get to visit.

At Hu Li Mountain, they also have their own water-themed park!

My mother got tired after a long walk but at least she didn't mind to take picture together

I thought we will visit Lang Shan Zhu Hai 藍山竹海 but everyone was too tired so skip that place.

Feel the quietness and tranquility of this place

Stair leads to elsewhere

Love when there was no crowd :)

Walking through bamboo forest was a great experience

Chinese Hut always acts like a vessel for the time, it tends to slow down time when you sit under it...

Looking out the lake.

==================================================

Long Xin Island 龍興島

To go to that Island, We needed to take a ferry to travel over and I can't believe it, we will be taking a speedboat to cross the lake.

Did you see the Long Xin Island here? All the way behind.

Oh my! My first time on speedboat 🚤 yippee! and we have to wear a life jacket, as the boat ride will be a bumpy one!

Selfie-ing with the life jacket

CHEER!

Smile Mother!

Group pic :)

Here came our driver!

Everyone onboard

Let's GO!

Usually A 15 mins ferry ride as compared to the speedboat, it took us roughly less than 5 mins to arrive Long Xin Island 龍興島.

Reaching Long Xin Island

also many tourist attractions on this island, you may click on the links to jump directly to the content; if not, just continue reading

• Butterfly Valley 彩蝶谷
• Tian Mu Scenic Spot
• Wizards States  精靈國
• Other Random Places

Long Xin Island Entrance

At the harbor, the noises from the tour guides were overwhelming, every guide were fighting for attention and ensure the people don't get lost. 

For us, we don't include the guides because we won't want to explore the island like a zombie.

Before we explored the island, let's go to the toilet.

Anyway let's explore the island, let's go!

==================================================

~ Butterfly Valley 彩蝶谷

Our first attraction that we approached was Butterfly Valley.

Entrance of Butterfly Valley

You will see many such sculptures around.

Walking up the stairs to nowhere

oooh! A butterfly enclosure

Let's Check it out!

eeeee.... where is the butterfly?

hmmmm they were trying to breed them

Something about butterfly poetry

Some Chinese folktales about butterfly

I just love my camera :)

There were many "houses" but not everyone was keen to explore, so we continued walking up.

Like the lover-lock, people will purchase red ribbons to make their wishes here.

I will make a wish too, I wish I will have more strength, courage and faith to fulfil Heaven's mission.

==================================================

~ Tian Mu Scenic Spot

After conquering flights of stairs, we had reached the summit where we can view the overall scenery of Tian Mu Lake. It was....

Tian mu Scenic spot

The crowd and the pollution... didn't make my experience any better. So... sighed...

Trying to take some pictures here

Too glaring!

Hmmmm pollution was not helping here...

Pollution is one but human-pollution can get annoying... you can't take a proper panorama view or video of that place without anyone rising their phones infront of their faces or selfie-ing 🤳🏽.

I should not say that to others while I was also doing the same thing, so I understand how they feel. My bad for thinking selfish at that moment.

==================================================

~ Wizards States 精靈國

Situated at the foot of the hill with a fairytale themed, but the funny thing was at the entrancing title spelled as "Wizards States" (sounds weird though) then I checked my ticket with English translation, they named it as "Genius World". Wait a min, Genius? Or have they meant Genies? Anyway, it is better they stick to the Wizards States.

SEE! Check out the title and different from the given map.

Mushrooms are everywhere

I felt like I went such place before...

Bamboo forest stood tall behind me.

Everyone was trying to take a picture of this proud peacock like a superstar and I managed to get it too. Hahaha

trying to capture emo-shoot here.

but nothing can beat the nice view behind me

Dayle Villages - basically it is a rabbit village

You can feed the rabbits here but...

all of them were locked in the cages... People just gain money from those poor creatures...

another enclosure spotted!

Jimmy's classroom - basically it is a squirrel enclosure.

Like a bird cage

hello, squirrel!

Squirrel said, "You want a piece of me?"

poor animal though...

Musical Lesson

Hmmmm I expected some performance

but only two timings and we missed it

Overall, I felt like going to Haw Paw Villa where the construction of those sculptures was more or less the same and amateurish. I guess it can be forgiven because it will be costly if they really engage a professional.

==================================================

~ Long Xi Island's Random Places

At Long Xi Island, there were some random places which I took pictures of.

Beautiful and calm place though at Long Xi Island

Decent shop shops

Long Xi Temple

Value or Life lesson which we can learn from Ants

Hard working ants working

beautiful lotus pond

So sad... when I overheard someone watching at the big fishes and thought of getting them on their plate...

human... what a joke

Hunter zone

Hi, I am Jeff.

==================================================

Chinese Tea Island 中國茶島

We were back to Harbor and ready to speedboat 🚤 to Chinese Tea Island!

Crowded by ocean of people

I thought we can take speedboat so I can capture a video about it, oh well... but the long queue spoiled my plan... and the frequency of the speedboat took too long...

So we decided to take the ferry ⛴ instead (kind of wasted our money).

Here came the ferry

Ground deck

Top Deck

Check out their tired expression

Short guy was trying to get his shoot

It is an island which the locals who live around Tian Mu will be proud of, where they provide great Chinese tea ☕️ to the rest of the world.

After 20-25 mins ride, we had arrived Chinese Tea Island

Bye bye to my selfie here

Pano-view of the lake

This was the Tea plant.

A place where you may learn some history about Chinese Tea

Epic movement.. because serving tea by standing straight is too mainstream

if we bought some tea and chill here, will be a pleasure.

We didn't cross over to that side of the island... so sad...

Many visitors will dash across the bridge to create an earthquake effect to other people.... even though it was fun but there were elderly people and young kids walking along

Oh well, just seflie!

Who wants to ride on the horse?

one of the Toufu making tool

We decided to stop by these shop houses for a short break

I was completed awed by the rich history about bean curd and those colourful umbrella to shade us

There are also Toufu making and some cultural information about bean curd making on this island too

Here were some of the tools which the Chinese used to make toufu

In the past, toufu making was not an easy task

It required time, strength and effort to make toufu in the traditional way.

Love that they still kept the traditional tables and chairs

a drunken room?

hold the handle bar

oooo just some classic slanted room

you can't see the effect in camera or picture

It looked normal from exterior.

Golden Cow

Clean water! Ahhh... I wished I can soak my feet in there.

This island is connected a hanging bridge with Hu Li Shan, which mean we can travel by foots back to the exit.

==================================================

Overall experience, if you didn't let your hairs down and have a good mental preparation for conquering the stairs, you won't enjoy much here. Just don't put high expectations, be contented and take time to read up the cultures on given themes, Tian Mu Lake should be a nice place to visit, except the long queue for the ferry or speedboat.

You may click here to Day 3 - Visit Nan Jing

Jeff