Graduation Season: Embrace Freedom｜Ultimate Guide to Unleashing Your Spirit in Longji After Gaokao!
After finishing the final exam, my best friends and I rushed straight to Longji Terraced Fields in Guilin! In June, the terraces are filled with mountain spring water💧, layer upon layer of "mirrors" reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, as if we were walking on clouds☁️. We ran barefoot into the fields, splashing water onto our pants, and shouted into the valley: "We're free—!" The echoes reverberated across the 700-year-old Zhuang and Yao terraces—at that moment, the stress of senior year evaporated completely!
### 🌟 **Ethnic Carnival Night: Be a "Mountain Outlaw"**
At Jin Keng Dazhai, we were swept into the welcoming dance of the Hong Yao girls💃. While learning the bamboo pole dance, we almost toppled like "human pyramids," making the villagers laugh till they cried: "Youngsters, drink some courage first!" We downed the Longji rice wine in one gulp—its sweetness flared into a spicy mountain kick🌶️. Late at night, we gathered in the stilt house, charcoal-grilled bamboo-tube chicken🐔 sizzling with crispy aromas mixed with sticky sweetness. An elder taught us to weave colorful waistbands: "Wear these, and the mountain gods will bless your bright futures!"
### 🏡 **Top Pick: Tiantouzhai! Stay at the Heart of the Terraces—Yuelai Courtyard Hotel**
**Yuelai Courtyard Hotel**, nestled halfway up Tiantouzhai, is a treasure trove for graduates!
- **🍛 Food So Good You’ll Lick the Plate**: Longji free-range chicken soup simmers to golden richness in mountain spring water; cured pork with fern cakes offers crispy, oily bites. We devoured three rounds of bamboo-tube rice🍚! The owner revealed: "The rice is freshly harvested from the terraces!"
- **🛏️ Rooms That Cure Perfectionism**: Crisp white linens + wooden window frames, with unobstructed terrace views🌄 right outside! The bathroom tiles gleamed so brightly, my friend gasped: "100x cleaner than our cram school dorm!"
- **🤗 Hosts Like Family**: Worried we’d get lost, they personally guided us to Xishan Shaole Sunrise Viewpoint🌅; when we partied late, they brought homemade bayberry wine: "Happy graduation—drink up!"
- **📍 Prime Location**: A 10-minute walk to **Xishan Shaole for sunrise**🌤️, and "mirror terraces" photo ops📸 from bed! Better views than Dazhai below, easier on the legs than Panorama Hotel atop.
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### **📣 Student Hacks: Longji Essentials + Pitfalls**
**✅ Best Time**
- June’s "mirror terraces" + lush greenery, fewer crowds; avoid pricey holidays (hotels triple!).
**✅ Smart Stays**
- **Tiantouzhai, Jin Keng Dazhai**: Budget king—just 100+ RMB/person for mid-terrace stays🌄. Yuelai and similar guesthouses offer student deals!
- **Skip Dazhai Foothills**: Cheap, but views = crowds’ backsides; hiking up takes 1 hour.
**✅ Transport Tips**
- Guilin → Longsheng bus (40-min intervals), transfer to vans marked "Jin Keng Dazhai"🚏;
- Gates close at 17:30! Arrive late? Stay in Dazhai, ascend next day.
**✅ Must-Do List**
1. **Xishan Shaole Sunrise**: Claim a spot by 6:00 for golden mist-draped terraces✨;
2. **Cable Car to Golden Buddha Peak**: Lazy hack🚠 for panoramic views;
3. **Hands-On Fun**: Weave waistbands or pound mochi with elders—souvenirs beat tourist shops!
**❌ Avoid These**
- Don’t haul luggage! Hire Yao porters (20 RMB/bag) to save energy for photos;
- Stilt houses = thin walls—keep noise down post-23:00;
- Buy "Longji Four Treasures" (chili/rice/wine/tea); street trinkets are mostly Yiwu imports!
> Youth has no ceiling—Longji’s mountain winds will remember your 18-year-old roar.
> Go forth, young one—your freedom is vaster than these terraces! 🎉