英德味道

英德味道

Situated in the southeast of Nan Ling (or Nan Mountains) in northern Guangdong, Yingde is a city of tremendous attraction for its black tea, Yingde stone and thermal springs. For a good taste of the land abounding in gifts of nature, you don't want to miss the Baojing Palace (meaning “the palace of treasure and crystal”, a karst cave of massive size), mountain peaks along the Yingde West Corridor, and “smashed tea porridge”.

英德素有『岭南古邑』之称，品红茶，常常与赏英石、泡温泉一起，构成英德最吸引人的三要素。若真要细细品味英德这个得天独厚的地方，不能错过的还有宝晶宫的溶洞和英西走廊的峰林，以及，到村里喝一碗正宗的擂茶粥—— 那才是最古朴的英德味道。

1

YINGDE BLACK TEA

A SELECTED TEA FOR THE BRlTlSH ROYAL FAMlLY

As the most famous trademark of Yingde, black tea is something that goes to the deepest depths of the memories and taste buds of the natives of Yinde.

Yingde 9 is the most famed of all tea products that the city has produced since the Tang dynasty (618-907), and one of the three biggest black tea names in China, together with Qimen Black Tea and Yunnan Dian Hong. Most impressively, it has a thick fl ower aroma and a strong lingering aftertaste. It is as good to be drunk neat like Qimen Black Tea and Yunnan Dian Hong, as it is with milk. The black tea's fl ower aroma and milk's sweet aroma complement each other perfectly. It is no surprise that the product is sold to more than 70 countries. Even Queen Elizabeth II is a lover of Yingde 9 and used to serve her guests with the black tea and its perfect companion – chocolate cake.

英德红茶：英国王室御用茶

红茶是英德最响亮的招牌，是远离故土的英德人留在味蕾最深的记忆。英德自唐代开始产茶，其中以“英红九号”最为有名，与祁门红茶、云南滇红并称中国三大红茶。第一次品味“英红九号”，最令人印象深刻的是花香馥郁、回甘浓烈，闭目闻茶，仿佛置身田园。探茶，也是英德旅行的一大乐趣。相较祁红与滇红，英红不仅适合清饮，更适合加奶品尝，花香与奶的甜香相得益彰，难怪备受西方人青睐，远销七十多个国家。英国女王伊丽莎白二世就是“英红九号”的粉丝，曾将它作为御用顶级红茶招待贵宾，一块杏仁巧克力蛋糕跟它是绝配。

2

YINGDE STONE

A TRlBUTE TO THE lMPERlAL COURT

Yingde stone is another unique offering of Yingde. Its fame dates back to the Song dynasty（960-1279) when stones were specially supplied to the imperial court. It has remained one of the most coveted stones by collectors of all eras since. The stone, hard and crisp, can produce sounds when tapped. It is known for being “thin, crinkled, seeped and permeable”. A 40-km-long corridor is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to appreciate the local stone culture. A new hotel named “Swan” recently added to the Baojing Palace is decorated with 200,000 pieces of Yingde stones, the fi rst starred hotel to do so in China. Don't you want to take a look at it?

英石：宋代皇家贡品

除了红茶，英石也是英德一绝，主产于英德山间，早在宋代已经成为皇家贡品，奠定“名石”身份。英石质坚而脆，叩之有共鸣声，历来为收藏者所喜爱。有“石癫”美誉的宋朝大书画家米芾将英石的玩赏标准归纳为“皱、瘦、漏、透”四个特点，艺术特征显而易见。作为旅游者，赏英石除了到长达40公里的英石文化长廊慢慢逛之外，最近又多了一种新玩法——坐落于英德宝晶宫内，一间名为天鹅的酒店最近建成，选用20万件当地英石作为“瓷片”装点楼体，是国内首座英石附身的星级酒店。你有兴趣看看吗？

3

SMASHED TEA PORRIDGE

A DAlLY MUST-HAVE

There is an old saying widely known to people of Yingde, “I'd rather eat porridge than meat every day.”That porridge refers to the smashed tea porridge, a mixture of smashed tea leaves and rice, among other things. It is most popular among middle aged people as they think of it as having the health benef i ts of helping produce saliva, refreshing the mind, reliving summer heat, and weight loss. If drinking black tea is not an everyday habit for all, eating tea porridge surely is. You'd be lucky to be entertained with the porridge (and another local home-made food, glutinous rice cake) when you visit Yingde. The key to the making of tea porridge is the tea leaves – tea leaves used are often collected between the Qingming Festival (or Ancestors' Day) on the 4th or 5th of April and the Beginning of Summer (the 7th solar term) on the 5th or 6th of May.

擂茶：一日不可食无粥

英德一些老人常说：“宁可食无肉，不可食无粥。”说的是英西风味擂茶粥。当地中老年人对它情有独钟，认为擂茶粥可以生津止渴、提神醒脑、消暑消滞、减肥健身，每日可以不喝红茶，但是擂茶是必须的。到英德逛完茶园，不妨到农村里走走，如果有幸喝到擂茶粥，务必表示感激，要知道，在英西农村，擂茶粥和自家做的黄糍可是当地村民招待客人的高级食品。擂茶一般用大米、花生、芝麻、绿豆、茶叶、山苍子、生姜等为原料，用擂钵捣烂成糊状，冲开水，和匀，加上炒米，清香可口。制作一碗好的擂茶，关键是茶叶，一般采用清明至立夏前后的鲜叶，经蒸烫去除青涩味，烘干或炒干贮藏备用。出产上等茶叶的英德，能制作出上等擂茶就并不奇怪了。

4

THERMAL SPRINGS

ENJOY THE FUN OF BATHlNG lN A NATURAL SETTlNG

You must have had a hot spring experience before, but do you fancy a soak in a cave? What about in a treehouse? The fun of bathing in a hot spring lies in the natural setting. If you agree, Yingde's hot springs won't disappoint you. Qidong Hot Spring in Liwu Village is one of China's rare thermal springs set in a cave. The cave is spacious with awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites. Another great spot worthy of recommendation is the treehouse hot springs at Tianmengou. A good soak in a hot spring surrounded by lush greens is a superb experience. Or you can do that right on the balcony if you treat yourself to a deluxe treehouse.

温泉：天然泡汤趣味

温泉，相信大家一定泡过不少，但是在山洞里泡的又试过没有？在树上泡的又如何？温泉之趣，其实在于天然，以此为标准，英德温泉一定不会令你失望。其中，溶洞温泉在中国温泉界并不多见，英德望埠镇李屋村的奇洞温泉算是一处。温泉区的溶洞宽敞森然，钟乳石、石笋等形态各异，或悬挂洞顶，或拔地而起，洞内泡汤，闭目养神，能听见水滴沿着石壁滴在水面。还有英德九州驿站天门沟树屋温泉也值得推荐，爬上吊脚楼一般的树屋，在绿树环绕中泡温泉，人舒服得就像要飞起来。如果你住的房间够高级，也可以在房间的阳台上泡。

5

YINGDE WEST CORRIDOR OF MOUNTAIN PEAKS

MlNl-GUlLlN lN GUANGDONG

The mountain peaks along the Yingde West Corridor have long been known as a mini version of Guilin, a scenic town and one of the best-known tourist destinations in China. While the beauty of Guilin lies in its picturesque mountains and vibrant rivers, the appeal of the Yingde West Corridor originates from its expansive paddy fi elds and well spaced mountain peaks that contrast fi nely with each other. The corridor stretches for 20-plus kilometres from Jiulong to Huanghua townships in southwestern Yingde, and undulates through more than 1,000 limestone mountain peaks of different shapes. Rivers and streams, large and small, wind through them as misty mountains cast their ref l ections on the water. What an unworldly sight to behold! The best time to visit is the planting and harvest seasons, when the paddy fi elds are a scene of bustle and excitement.

英西峰林走廊：广东“小桂林”

早就耳闻英西峰林有“小桂林”的美名。桂林的美，在于山的秀美和水的灵动；而英西峰林的美，在于广袤的田野和错落有致的山峰相互映衬，和宝晶宫溶洞奇观风格大不同。英西峰林走廊位于英德市西南的九龙、黄花两镇之间，延绵20多公里的峰林地貌走廊之间，一千多座形态各异的石灰岩质山峰纵横连绵，大大小小的河流溪涧穿绕其间，山峰云雾缭绕，遇水倒影，一派离尘绝世的景象。到这里旅游最好的时节是插秧以及收割的时候，田间很热闹。一路穿越广袤的麦田、千姿百态的山峰、神秘莫测的岩洞、迂回的溪流和郁郁葱葱的竹林，你会恍然以为穿越到影视剧中。

6

KARST CAVE

THE LARGEST OF lTS KlND lN SOUTHERN CHlNA

Baojing Palace is Yingde's top scenic spot. The magnif i cent cave with an area of about 30,000 square metres is the result of 200 million-plus years of tectonic plate movements and is the largest of its kind in southern China. In Baojing Palace, you get to see all kinds of stalactites; in one section you see a magnif i cent royal hall and in another you fi nd yourself in a narrow and twisted labyrinth. Tiny hollow stone tubes hanging from the ceiling and giant stone pillars rising from the ground are both to be found here.

溶洞：岭南第一洞天

宝晶宫是经历了两亿多年地壳变化而成的大溶洞，溶洞辉煌气派，面积达到3万多平方米，有“岭南第一洞天”的美誉。虽说是洞，其实内部宽敞雄奇，既有金碧辉煌的大厅，也有迷宫般的通道，更有多层岩洞相叠连通。洞内石笋、石柱林立，石花、石幔千姿百态，石钟乳造型奇特，如花鸟虫鱼，如飞禽走兽，如神仙佛祖，如天池飞瀑。溶洞倒影以及飘雪奇景也是此溶洞的两大看点，身处其中不禁感叹，有此好山好水好地方，难怪会有好茶好石好温泉。

THREE DAYS lN YlNGDE

英德三日

Day1: Zhenyangfang Town (view of Beijiang River)– China Yingde Stone Garden – Jiqingli Black Tea Valley – Xianhu Lake Hot Spring Resort

Day2: Xianqiao Underground River－Baojing Palace (to see the karst caves and rape flowers) –Qidong Cave Hot Spring Resort

Day3: Yingde West Corridor (Dongtian Fairyland Resort, Peng's Ancestral hall, West Yingde's Nine tiers of Sky) – Jiulong or Huanghua Town (to taste Smashed Tea Porridge and Jiulong Toufu)

第一天：浈阳坊旅游小镇（赏北江风情和英石）－中华英石园（赏英石）－积庆里红茶谷（游览茶园、品红茶）－仙湖温泉度假区（泡温泉、住宿）

第二天：仙桥地下河（参观地下洞河）－宝晶宫（参观溶洞、赏油菜花）－奇洞温泉小镇（泡温泉、住宿）

第三天：英西峰林（洞天仙境风景区、彭家祠、英西九重天）－九龙镇、黄花镇（品尝擂茶粥、九龙豆腐）

HOW TO GET THERE?

交通指引

1. 高铁：High Speed Train from Guangzhou to Yingde West Train Station (40 mins)

2. 自驾：Car drive through Guangle (Guangzhou-Lechang) Highway from Guangzhou to Yingde (1 hour)

3. 大巴：Coach from Guangzhou to Yingde (2.5 hours)

6 REASONS TO VlSlT YlNGDE

Text by Chen Yu'si Translation by Leo Photos by Jiqingli Black Tea Valley, Yingde Tourism Board, Wang Ping, CFP & IC