Did you enjoy yourself to the full during the National Day? Or were you not having your fun because of the everlasting rain during the holiday? Don't worry. The following recommendations from iChongqing will make up for you: the South Hot Spring Park Lantern Festival, the Yidu Lantern Festival, the Yinglong Valley Chrysanthemum Exhibition, and pink muhly appreciation on Guangyang Island.

All of these are highly recommended for a one-day trip!

Dadukou Yidu Lantern Festival

In such slightly cold weather, enjoying a lantern festival would be a perfect choice. You can roam in the ocean of lights at night, basking in the warm and lively atmosphere.

A slew of stunning and exquisite light sets like Mountain City in Memory, Yidu, Oriental Dragon, and Fantasy Castle can be seen in the Yidu Lantern Festival. In addition, there are many interactive light groups, like the piano that sounds when stepping on, the mood cloud swing that can change colors when you play, and the elephant belly-shaped slide. Besides, reading the dialect written on the wall is also full of fun!

There are also Masangxi Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the free Children’s Playground in the Dadukou Ancient Town, Daidu Pavilion, the railway carriage on Shuiyun Street, and Li Zhushan’s Former Residence. The combination of visiting the ancient town and enjoying the lantern festival would be such a delight!

Time: From October 9, the Lantern Festival will last at least three months

Opening hours: Tickets can be checked from 17:30 every day, and the lighting time is from 18:30 to 24:00

Address: Yidu Ancient Town, Dadukou District (Inner Ring Expressway, Jiugongmiao Sub-District, Dadukou District, Chongqing)

South Hot Spring Park Lantern Festival

South Hot Spring Park Lantern Festival is themed with Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, etc. Inspired by the excellent Chinese traditional culture and historical and cultural stories of the Bayu Region, it is designed with 18 themes such as "Nine-Dragon Wall," "Chinese Divine Dragon," "Auspicious Phoenix," and 108 lamp groups. The superb Nine-Dragon Wall is said to be composed of 50,000 porcelain from Jingdezhen. This exquisitely-carved masterpiece oozes extraordinary splendor, which is well worth seeing.

After watching the Lantern Festival, you can also unwind in the South Hot Spring to eliminate fatigue.

Time: September 29, 2020, to the end of February 2021

Address: South Hot Spring Park (No. 6, Nanquan Road, Nanquan Sub-District, Banan District, Chongqing)

Appreciation of pink muhly on Guangyang Island

Large areas of pink muhly bloom as usual on the Guangyang Island, shrouding the whole island under a curtain of dreamy pink. Pink muhly fields and streams are intertwined to constitute a romantic, idyllic landscape on the island.

It is ideal for taking your friends to have a tour and take photos here, especially for those who have never been to Guangyang Island.

Traffic guide:

• From Jiangbei District or Jiangbei Airport: Take CRT Line 10 or CRT Line 3 at the airport and transfer to CRT Line 6 at Changshengqiao Station (Exit No. 2) and then transfer to Bus No. 176, and get off at the Guangyang Island Xidaotouwai Bus Station;
• From Chongqingxi Railway Station or Yangjiaping: Take the CRT Circle Line and transfer to CRT Line 6 at Changshengqiao Station (Exit No. 2) and then transfer to Bus No. 176, and get off at the Guangyang Island Xidaotouwai Bus Station;
• From Jiefangbei or Hongyadong: Take CRT Line 6 at Xiaoshizi Station, transfer to Bus No. 176 at Changshengqiao Station (Exit No. 2), and get off at Guangyang Island Xidaotouwai Bus Station;
• From Nanbin Road or Danzishi: Take Bus No. 119 or No. 385 from Nanbin Road to Danzishi Qunhui Road Bus Station and transfer to Bus No. 389 to Jiangnan Interchange Hub and transfer to Bus No. 176, and get off at the Guangyang Island Xidaotouwai Bus Station; or take a bus from Nanbin Road to Shangxinjie Station, take CRT Line 6 to Changshengqiao Station (Exit No. 2) and then transfer to Bus No. 176, and get off at the Guangyang Island Xidaotouwai Bus Station;

Nanshan Botanical Garden Scented Tea Exhibition

There are dense forests and lush trees on the Nanshan Mountain and many places worth visiting. In the Nanshan Botanical Garden, chrysanthemums are blooming, lifting the curtain on the 24 Solar Terms Scented Tea Exhibition. Here you can appreciate the flowers, breathe in the fresh air, and interact with nature.

You can stroll along the Cimu Mountain trail connected to the Zhiyue Peak trail and enjoy the fresh air in the forest. After that, you can have a meal at the Laoyao Spring Water Chicken, a widely acclaimed restaurant opened over ten years ago. Its most distinctive delicacy is the Three Dishes Made of Chicken, which features a little flavor of traditional Chinese medicine in the condiment.

Nanshan Botanical Garden Address: No. 101, Nanshan Botanical Garden Road, Nan'an District, Chongqing

Spring Chicken Restaurant Address: No. 247, Chongwen Road, Nanshan Quanshuiji Street, Nan'an District

Opening hours: 9:30-17:00

Traffic guide: Take Bus No. 384 at Nanping Bus Hub directly to the Nanshan Botanical Garden, or take Bus No. 346 or No. 347 at Nanping Women's Hospital to Chongwen Road in Nanshan and then transfer to other means of transportation to the Nanshan Botanical Garden, or take Bus No. 335 at Daxingchang directly to the Nanshan Botanical Garden.

Chongqing Garden Expo Park

You can also enjoy the pink muhly in the Garden Expo Park! In the Wetland Flower Valley Scenic Spot in the park, a pink sea of more than 20,000 pink muhly flowers is blooming, particularly eye-catching. Citizens are always welcomed to have a tour here. The sweet-scented osmanthus scents the air in the park. Visitors can indulge themselves in bursts of fragrance while strolling in the woods.

Address: No. 1, Longjing Road, Yubei District, Chongqing

Bus route: Take Bus No. 559, No. 575, No. 623, No. 633, No. 633 (section), No. 831, No. 877, or No. 878 to the east gate of the Garden Expo Park, or take the No. 633 (section) or No. 680 to the west gate of the Garden Expo Park

Rail Transit: Take CRT Line 3 and get off at Yuanboyuan Station and walk about 200 meters

Driving route: Drive to the park under the guidance of the navigation system.

Yinglong Valley Chrysanthemum Exhibition

Autumn is a great time for chrysanthemum appreciation. The chrysanthemums are in full bloom in Yinglong Valley, an ideal place to take a family trip.

Address: Yinglong Valley, Nan'an District, Chongqing

Public transportation: Take CRT Line 6 and transfer to Bus No. 930 at Liujiaping and get off at Caofang Station

Any of these trips can be made in one day! If you haven't had enough fun during National Day, you can take another trip to these places during fine weather!