Skiers on the wide slopes of Yunshang Caoyuan ski resort

Snowboarder carving between frost-covered trees at Yunshang Caoyuan

The floodlit ski runs of Yunshang Caoyuan seen from the air at night

Snowboarder on a wide gentle beginner slope at Yunshang Caoyuan

In season: the ski slopes of Yunshang Caoyuan Carving through snow-covered trees The floodlit ski field after dark Wide, gentle slopes for beginners

Anji · Zhejiang · 2 hours from Shanghai

The bamboo sea next door

Alpine meadows above the clouds, the Crouching Tiger bamboo groves, hillside homestays, and the slowest coffee in China. Two hours from Shanghai.

Plan my trip How to get here

1,168 m cloud meadow 71% forest cover Private car from Shanghai

Why Anji

Why guests from Southeast Asia pick Anji

Cool air, open space, none of the big-city crowds. And it all sits in one green county.

Reviews

A real mountain summer

5–8°C cooler than Shanghai. In July, guests from Manila and Jakarta wear light jackets at 1,168 m.

Photos that look fake (but aren't)

Sea of clouds, Hobbit huts, glass skywalks and an Iceland-blue mine lake — your feed does the advertising.

Made of bamboo

Bamboo weaving with national-level inheritors, bamboo-raft streams, bamboo-shoot feasts — take home a skill, not just a souvenir.

Easy to reach, easy to book

High-speed rail from Shanghai or Hangzhou, or a private car straight to your homestay. One WhatsApp message and we handle the rest.

35.5 Mvisits to Anji in 2025 (county official figure)

No.1 × 7years running — China's county tourism strength ranking

8 ×years on China's "Most Beautiful County" list

UN TourismBest Tourism Villages awards hosted in Anji (Yucun)

Figures from the Anji County Culture, Tourism, Sports & Broadcasting Bureau 2025 annual report (anji.gov.cn) and Xinhua Zhejiang. Anji is a provincial inbound-tourism pilot county.

The shortlist

Where guests spend their days

Ranked by what guests actually re-book. Never by who pays.

See all 8 places

云上草原

The Instagram star

Yunshang Grassland (Cloud Prairie)

A 1,168 m mountain resort with six zones: the highland meadow and its Hobbit cottages, a 30-ride cliff park with an 80 m cantilevered glass stair, a Chinese-fantasy town that only comes alive after dark, four summit hotels and a 300,000 m² ski field. It runs 5–8°C cooler than the valley, which is exactly why guests from Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok book it in July.

Ticket: ¥220 entry (3-day) + ¥140 cable car = ¥360 adult; child ¥90 entry
Time needed: 6–8 hours
Best for: First-timers, photographers, thrill seekers

Details & how to go

中国大竹海

Crouching Tiger filming location

China Bamboo Sea

Rolling hills of dense moso bamboo with shaded boardwalks and a viewing tower over the green waves. Gentle enough for grandparents and toddlers, cool even at noon, and still the cheapest big-name sight in the county.

Ticket: ¥58 adult
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Best for: Easy walkers, film fans, hot summer days

Details & how to go

安吉竹博园

Pandas + 300 bamboo species

Anji Bamboo Expo Park

The best bamboo museum in Asia: giant pandas, 300+ bamboo species and live weaving demonstrations. Fully walkable in rain thanks to covered halls. The smart swap when mountain weather turns.

Ticket: About ¥80 adult
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Best for: Families, rainy days, craft lovers

Details & how to go

深蓝计划

Anji's little Iceland

Deep Blue Plan (mine-lake café)

An abandoned mine flooded with impossible turquoise water, ringed by dark rock, with a glass café perched on the rim. Your ticket includes a coffee. Go on a weekday morning before the tour buses, or at golden hour.

Ticket: About ¥68 (includes one coffee)
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
Best for: Slow mornings, couples, moody photos

Details & how to go

藏龙百瀑

Wading streams + 100 waterfalls

Hidden Dragon Waterfalls

Zhejiang's largest waterfall cluster. The trail climbs through creek water the whole way. Bring non-slip water shoes and let the kids wade. After rain it is thunderous; in dry weeks, a gentle splash walk.

Ticket: About ¥60 adult
Time needed: 3–4 hours
Best for: Summer heat escape, kids who love water

Details & how to go

余村

The village that changed China

Yucun Village

A former mining village that shut its quarries and became China's model green village. Bamboo-lined lanes, an art space in the old cement factory, tea fields, and the best village coffee in the county.

Ticket: Free (parking extra)
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
Best for: Slow cycling, coffee, architecture fans

Details & how to go

The 3-day shape

Two nights minimum. Three is the holiday.

The most common mistake: trying to do Anji in one day. The county is 1,886 km² of mountain roads and the sights sit an hour apart. This is the pacing our guests rate highest.

Day 1 · Arrive and slow down

Reach your homestay by early afternoon, walk a bamboo boardwalk, eat at the farmhouse. No mountain today.

Day 2 · The mountain

Full day at Yunshang Grassland: cliff park first thing, meadow at midday, lantern town before the last cable car down.

Day 3 · The slow close

Mine-lake coffee or tea terraces, a bamboo-weaving workshop before lunch, home by evening.

Read the full guide

Sky lake in the mountains above Tianhuangping, Anji

Transport

Getting to Anji from Shanghai or Hangzhou

Four ways compared, including the ones we don't sell.

Full transport guide

Option	Time	Indicative price	What to know
Private charter (recommended for 2+ pax)	2.5–3 h door to door	¥1,100–1,400 per car	No transfers, luggage safe, driver waits at arrivals
High-speed rail Shanghai → Hangzhou → Anji	2–2.5 h + taxi	¥75–110 + ¥20–60 taxi	Cheapest; needs one transfer and a final taxi
Direct shuttle bus to Yunshang Grassland	2–4 h	¥110–128 one way	Fixed departures, drops at the park gate
Self-drive rental	2.5–3.5 h	¥250–450 per day + tolls	Freedom, but narrow mountain roads

Prices are indicative and change with season. Confirm the current price with us before you travel.

Curated, never paid placement

Where to sleep in the bamboo

Eight stays we have walked through ourselves: bamboo-view terraces, cliff pools, tea-field mornings. Every price band covered.

All 8 stays

大乐之野·碧坞

Boutique

Lostvilla · Biwu

Biwu village, quiet valley

The homestay group that defined modern Chinese rural design. Stone-and-glass houses, a great breakfast, and a village lane you can actually hear birds in.

Indicative rate

¥900–1,600 / night

竹里馆民宿

Character stay

Zhuli Guan (In the Bamboo) Guesthouse

Tianhuangping bamboo slopes

A family-run house literally inside the bamboo forest, with the friendliest hosts and honest farmhouse dinners. The stay our Southeast Asian families re-book most.

Indicative rate

¥500–900 / night

小瘾·半日村民宿群

Café-cluster B&Bs

Xiaoyin Half-Day Village cluster

Lingfeng street, near town

Ten small designer B&Bs sharing one café-lined lane. Best value if you want to walk out of your door straight into coffee.

Indicative rate

¥600–1,200 / night

Hands weaving bamboo strips in an Anji workshop

Made of bamboo

Take home a skill, not a fridge magnet

Anji grows 1.3 million mu of bamboo — and an entire craft culture around it. Learn a skill you can actually take home.

Bamboo-weaving workshop · 2–3 h · ¥120–260. You finish your own basket or fan
Bamboo-raft drifting · 1 h · about ¥100. Slow, shaded, kids love it
Bamboo-shoot digging · Mar–Apr · ¥80–150. You dig it, then eat it

Slow living

The official Anji activity: doing absolutely nothing, extremely well.

Cafés & doing nothing

村落咖啡

Anji's little Iceland

Deep Blue Plan

An abandoned mine turned impossible blue. Your ticket includes a coffee. Go on a weekday morning.

Slow mornings

溪龙茶谷

White tea country

Xilong tea terraces

Curved tea fields, free tastings in season, and terrace cafés with a whole valley in front of you.

Tea & terraces

竹林

Morning yoga on a platform in the Anji bamboo forest

Forest bathing

Bamboo boardwalks

Shaded, flat, quiet. The cheapest hour in Anji and the one guests remember longest.

Walk the bamboo

Field tested · 2026

We paid, we went, and we wrote down what it cost

Not a brochure. Five days our own team paid for, with dates, receipts and the part we would not repeat. Guest reviews sit underneath, unedited.

All reviews & scores

Field test · 17 May 20264.8/5

Bamboo weaving with a 71-year-old master

Book it. It is the only thing on this list you can take home and use.

We paid: ¥180 per person, 2.5 hours, basket taken home

Field test · 20 Sep 20264.6/5

Shanghai → Anji by private charter, door to door

The price is fair for what it removes: no station transfers, no taxi haggling with luggage, no 12:50-only bus.

We paid: ¥1,300 for a 6-seat van, Hongqiao hotel to Shanchuan homestay

Field test · 11 Oct 20264.2/5

Yunshang Grassland on a peak Saturday

Worth it, but only if you accept the ticket is one day: go up early, do the cliff park first, and let the lantern town be your exit rather than your arrival.

We paid: ¥360 all-in (¥220 entry + ¥140 cable car) · ¥60 lunch on the meadow · ¥45 parking

FAQ

The six things people ask before they book

All 35 answers on one page: transport, tickets, passports, halal food, payment apps. Prices as published.

FAQ

What is the best way from Shanghai?

Private charter, door to door, 2.5–3 hours, about ¥1,100–1,400 per vehicle (up to 6 passengers, luggage included). The cheaper route is high-speed rail: Shanghai Hongqiao → Hangzhou East → Anji, roughly 1.5–2 hours and ¥110–130 per person, then a ¥80–120 taxi to your stay. Rail is cheaper; charter is calmer and carries your bags to the door.

How much are the tickets?

Since 16 October 2026: entry is ¥220 for adults and ¥90 for children or concessions, valid three days with unlimited re-entry; the cable car is separate at ¥140 round trip for adults; under 1.2 m enter free. Tickets are passport-linked, so bring the passport you booked with. Skiing, rafting and the theatre seat upgrade are priced separately. Prices change with season and holiday — we confirm the live price the week you travel.

Is halal food available in Anji?

A few certified halal restaurants exist in Anji town; the mountain villages have none. What works well is a Muslim-friendly farmhouse arrangement: no pork, no lard, no cooking alcohol, separate utensils, fish, chicken, tofu, bamboo shoots and vegetables — arranged with three days' notice. The nearest proper halal kitchens are in Huzhou city, 40–60 minutes away.

Do homestays accept foreign passports?

Licensed ones do — the property registers you with the local police at check-in, which takes five minutes and needs your passport. Some small village inns are not licensed for foreign guests, which is the single most common booking failure in this county. Every stay we list is registered and we confirm it for your dates before you pay.

When is the best time to visit?

March to May (tea picking, bamboo shoots, 15–24 °C) and September to November (clear skies, 18–26 °C) are the two best windows. July and August are 5–8 °C cooler than Shanghai and Manila — that is exactly why visitors from Southeast Asia come then, but expect afternoon showers. December to February is quiet and cheap, with a small ski field on the mountain. Avoid 1–5 October, 1–3 May and Lunar New Year week: prices double and the cable-car queue becomes the main attraction.

Will my apps work — WhatsApp, Google, Instagram?

On a local Chinese SIM or hotel wifi, most foreign apps are restricted. A roaming eSIM bought in your home country routes data outside the mainland and keeps everything working; that is the simplest fix and we recommend it to every guest. WeChat works everywhere, and our WhatsApp line stays reachable through your roaming data.

Guest reviews

What travellers say about Anji

Real, public reviews of Anji the destination — quoted from TripAdvisor and Trip.com with the author, platform and date. Mixed opinions stay in; we do not cherry-pick praise.

Read all reviews

Public scores for the two headline sights: Yunshang Grassland 4.6/5 (15,500+ reviews on Trip.com) · Grand Bamboo Sea 3.7/5 (39 on TripAdvisor) · Bamboo Expo Park 4/5 (18 on TripAdvisor). Every quote below is a real public review with author, platform, date and a link to the source. The mixed ones stay in. Google Maps: Yunshang Grassland ↗ · Grand Bamboo Sea ↗

“Discovered a hidden summer retreat treasure in Anji. 38°C heat waves at the foot of the mountain, only 22°C up top. Half thrilling adventure, half magical healing. Sea of clouds, sunsets, fairy tale cottages, and ancient fantasy towns all included.”

Penelope HallTrip.com · Yunshang Grassland · Aug 2026 ↗

“Having checked off almost every park in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, thrill seekers must visit Anji Yunshang Grassland. The various high-altitude attractions are packed with excitement. Weekdays have few visitors, so there's almost no waiting.”

MalinEriksenTrip.com · Yunshang Grassland · Aug 2026 ↗

“Who would have thought! No need to travel far to Hengdian. At the top of Yunshang Grassland, there's a fairy-tale town. Spend the day enjoying thrilling aerial activities. When night falls and the lights come on, you instantly enter an ancient fantasy world.”

Etherealwhimsy3Trip.com · Yunshang Grassland · Aug 2026 ↗

“Clean fresh air and a wonderful climb. It's indeed a sea of bamboo trees! Anji is about 3 hours by driving from Shanghai and it's a nice place for a retreat from the busy city life. This is the venue where Lee Ang filmed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Stephen CTripAdvisor · Bamboo Sea · Aug 2020 ↗

★★★★☆

“Nice viewing, not too commercial. Visited during off season in December… Great views from the top of mountains and local villages. Path to the top of the mountain well kept, easy hike if you can handle steps… Lots of fun!”

wood7TripAdvisor · Bamboo Sea · Dec 2017 ↗

★★★★☆

“The highlight is to climb to the top and get a great view of bamboo 'sea' surrounding you. Mountains filled with just bamboos. 2 hours is more than enough to see everything. Lots of farmer house restaurants nearby where you can stop and their specialty bamboo dishes.”

xally85TripAdvisor · Bamboo Sea · Oct 2016 ↗

Travel news

Anji travel news

Two fresh posts every Friday at 12:00 China time. Tickets, seasons, festivals, rule changes.

All news

Tickets & parks

Two cable cars, one mountain: choosing the right Yunshang Grassland entrance

Shanchuan or Yucun ropeway? How they differ, the 17:00 and 18:30 rules, the night-ticket trap, child fares and the plan that gets full value out of the ¥360 ticket.

Read · 2026-11-06

Autumn colours

Two golden weeks: Anji's money pines turn amber (Nov 10–25)

The county's own forestry calendar gives the golden larch a two-week peak. Where to stand inside the colour — Lingfeng temple, Zimei's dawn pond, and the metasequoia avenue — with timings and one honest caveat.

Read · 2026-11-06

Our promises

Six things we put in writing

Travelling in China should not take blind trust. These are the rules we run by. Our drivers and guides are briefed on them, and the fair-platform page holds us to them.

Published prices

The number on the page is the number you pay. Every quote is fixed in writing on WhatsApp before any money moves. No surprise supplements at the gate.

No forced shopping

No factory stops, no 'silk experience', no commission shops. Ever. If a driver suggests one, that stop is free.

No subcontractor swap

The driver and guide you are quoted are the ones who show up. We do not downgrade vehicles or swap guides to protect a margin.

No paid rankings

Nothing on this site paid to be listed, and we say when a famous spot is not worth your hour. Commission partners are disclosed on the fair-platform page.

Real reviews

Traveller quotes here are real public reviews of Anji, word for word, with platform, author and date. The lukewarm ones stay in. Our own guest feedback will be published the same way, unedited.

Refund rules up front

Non-refundable items (theatre seats, ski passes) are flagged before you pay, never discovered after. Weather cancellations are rebooked or refunded.

Fair Platform

Nobody pays to be on this site.

How this site ranks, earns and stays honest.

Tell us your dates. We will send the plan.

One WhatsApp message gets you a day-by-day plan, a clear price, and our view on what is not worth your time.

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