Escape from the city at one of China's top 5 rural gems

This May 19 on China Tourism Day, escape the city lights and head to the hills. China's most beautiful villages are living landscapes of mist, rice, and ancient songs. Here is your village voyage to the top 5 rural wonders.

1. Hongcun Village, Anhui: The living ink painting

White walls, black tiles and mirrored ponds look exactly like a classical Song Dynasty scroll.

2. Wuyuan County, Jiangxi: The cliffside harvests

National Geographic called it "China's Most Beautiful Village."

From high mountains with flowing torrents to tiny bridges over quiet streams, Wuyuan has it all.

From March to April: Endless seas of golden rapeseed flowers.

In November: “Shai Qiu” (Autumn Drying.)

3. Hemu Village, Xinjiang: The fairy tale log village

Home to the Tuvan people, in summer the wooden cabins dot the green pastures like a Nordic fairy tale. In winter, thick snow buries the village, transforming it into a hot ski destination.

4. Hani Villages (Azheke), Yunnan: The cloud staircase

For over 1,000 years, theHani ethnic group has carved millions of stepped rice terraces into misty mountains. Their "four-in-one" ecosystem – forests, villages of mushroom houses, terraces and water – is a living masterpiece, where you can step inside a thousand years of wisdom.

5. Zhaoxing Dong Village in Guizhou: The village that sings

In Zhaoxing, the architecture sings. The drum towers hold the village together without nails, just like the community holds itself together without force. Everyone sings, villagers tell stories through polyphonic singing, like a forest of voices with no conductor.