Yueyang Tower, Maiden in the Mist

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01:19

A group of CGTN reporters set out on December 5 to make their way across the country on a 10-day trip aboard a bus, from Beijing all the way to Shenzhen, the birthplace of China's economic miracle.

"Real Time China" is a special series to mark the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up policy. Joining the ride is CGTN's Digital Reporter Yang Xinmeng, who is documenting her road trip across cities, highways and tunnels.

After a six-hour drive, I arrived in Yueyang City in central China's Hunan Province. It was cloaked in a thin mist. Dongting Lake, China's second-largest freshwater lake, seems to melt into the sky, and the Yueyang Tower shimmers amid the rain.

Born and raised in the north, I've long dreamt of feeling the drizzle against my face as I wander along the lakeshore in southern China.

But… probably not in this temperature.

Both are among the three greatest towers in southern China. Yueyang Tower is very different from the Yellow Crane Tower, which I visited last night in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province. It is more introverted, keeping a low profile, more like a maiden.

But history has been written into every corner of the structure. I saw boards granted by Emperor Qianlong, calligraphy by Chairman Mao, and the words of Li Bai, one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.

Leaning on the wooden rail of the tower and looking out at Dongting Lake through the rain, the scenery hasn't changed in 1,800 years.

I see what they saw, and I feel what they felt.

I suddenly understand why so many literary marvels were composed here. The wonders are boundless.

On my sixth and last day on this grand road trip, the CGTN bus has become my home. From Beijing to Changsha, from strangeness to attachment, it has been an extraordinary and eye-opening experience. It's hard to say goodbye, but I'm already looking forward to the next journey.

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