The author visited Taizhou during the May Day holiday period, traveling off-peak and spending three days exploring the coast of Wenling and the ancient city of Linhai. Wenling’s small fishing villages were quiet and offered a close-up look at local life, making them a good choice for a weekend by the sea. However, transport was inconvenient, roads were narrow, attractions were limited, and the experience depended heavily on the weather. Overall, the trip was only so-so, and renting an electric scooter was recommended. In Linhai, a day was enough to visit East Lake, the ancient city wall, and Ziyang Street. East Lake was scenic, while the imposing wall involved a climb. Ziyang Street was crowded and noticeably commercialized during the holiday. The local snacks and seafood were hit-or-miss: some dishes left the author unimpressed, but the barbecue and snacks were enjoyable, and prices in the small city were reasonable.
Wenling & Linhai
Somewhere along the way — probably after the pandemic — a travel fever has really taken hold. These days, any slightly popular spot is guaranteed to be shoulder to shoulder on every holiday.
That makes choosing a holiday destination all the more important. Crowd levels are now one of the factors that can genuinely make or break the experience. This trip fell on the two days before the May Day holiday plus the first day of the holiday itself. We deliberately left one day to sample the holiday crowds — off-peak travel, but only sort of.
The destination took ages to settle on too. After going back and forth, we finally chose Taizhou. Its attractions are extremely scattered — there are mountains, a coastline, and ancient towns. But we only had three days, and to keep things relaxed we went with the sea and the old town. The mountains can wait until next time!
Wenling
Wenling's main attraction is a small fishing village by the sea. We arrived two days before May Day, when tourists were still few, and it let us catch a glimpse of everyday local life.
Hot take first: this place is not for most tourists. If you're coming to the seaside for seafood, Weihai, Yantai, or Qingdao in Shandong are far better choices. Transport and the tourist experience here are genuinely underwhelming — cramped roads, and a distinct fishy smell the moment you enter the village. There aren't many sights either, just a short stretch along the coast, and they're hugely weather-dependent. If it rains, you might as well spend the trip in your hotel.
But if you travel to take in local culture and character, this place is lovely. There probably aren't many fishing villages like this left in the country, and most villagers here simply go about their own work, so you can watch their lives up close.
A full view of Xiaoruo Village at the foot of Qilin Mountain
Getting around: driving yourself is the way to go. We took the high-speed rail to Wenling Station and then an hour and a half of bus to reach Ruoshan Station. The roads here aren't kind to cars, so if you drive, it's better to park somewhere and rent an electric scooter — it makes getting around easier and lets you feel the sea breeze on your face. The owner said our scooter was brand new, 80 CNY rental and 800 CNY deposit.
As for beaches, we went to Pearl Beach. Golden Beach turned us away because we were 3 minutes late. That said, the beaches here aren't particularly big, but they're more than enough for nice photos.
Pearl Beach
Riding the scooter along the little coastal road was a genuinely magical feeling — the sea looked different around every bend.
Sea
More sea
Anyway, if you happen to be near Taizhou and want a weekend by the sea soaking up a different cultural environment, this might be a good choice.
Linhai
Linhai tourism is mainly the Linhai Ancient City and Ziyang Ancient Street — one day is basically enough for both.
East Lake
East Lake has a 15 yuan entrance fee. There are some gardens inside, which weren't really my thing, so I walked through quickly.
The lake itself is genuinely pretty, the kind of scenery that lifts your spirits.
East Lake
In the park right next to it, we even came across a peacock in trouble — a rare sight.
A peacock that got itself stuck
Exiting East Lake from the north leads to one of the ancient city wall's entrances, Lansheng Gate.
The Ancient City Wall
The city wall costs 60 yuan, or 70 yuan for a combo ticket with East Lake. It involves a lot of stair climbing, which can be a bit demanding if you don't exercise regularly. The wall was exactly as I'd imagined: not flashy like other tourist spots, but more solemn and imposing.
As for the route, we went up at Lansheng Gate and came down at Xingshan Gate — which is also the route I'd recommend. The Lansheng Gate section is extremely steep. Going uphill there at the start is a little tiring, but still better than walking downhill on legs that have gone weak from the climb. At a brisk pace, the whole walk finishes in about an hour and a half. Along the way are a few watchtowers you can climb for the view, though none of them seemed particularly distinctive.
Stairs at Lansheng Gate
Ziyang Street
We visited the Linhai Ancient City exactly on May Day. Even though we'd chosen a relatively low-key city, the number of tourists was still unsettling. Ziyang Street in particular — just feel it:
Ziyang Street
There's not much to say about Ziyang Street. It's as commercialized as a street can get, with snack and specialty shops on both sides. Skipping it feels like a pity, but walking it leaves a bland taste in your mouth.
Eating and Drinking
Our first meal in Wenling was a plate of fried mung bean noodles to tide us over — 40 CNY.
It smelled wonderful when it arrived, full of dried seafood aroma. There were dried shrimp and dried eel in it, yet it didn't taste nearly as good as it smelled. It got a bit greasy after a while.
Fried mung bean noodles
Being by the sea, of course we wanted seafood. The guesthouse owner said any nearby place would do, so we sat down at a small restaurant across the street and ordered three seafood dishes — poached sea snails, stir-fried razor clams, stir-fried squid — for a total of 170 CNY.
The sea snails went into the pot almost untouched. You pick the meat out with a toothpick and dip it in soy sauce and vinegar. The meat was fine, but the reproductive glands and such at the back were a bit bitter, which I couldn't get used to.
The stir-fried razor clams and squid were too bland for my taste, not satisfying at all.
Poached sea snails
Stir-fried razor clams
Stir-fried squid
So we went into the barbecue place next door.
The salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp (58 yuan) were delicious, but the shrimp probably weren't fresh — I'd just learned the peeling technique from Xiaohongshu and couldn't reproduce it at all. The barbecue was good too, tasting of childhood.
Salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp
Barbecue
We rarely eat breakfast, but we made an exception this time, sitting down at a small shop by the Linhai ancient city and ordering bian shi, baked ginger juice, and braised dried tofu.
Bian shi were 15 yuan for 12 pieces — basically oversized wontons, quite light in flavor.
The baked ginger juice was 20 yuan and quite special, with meat and walnut inside and a heavy ginger taste.
The braised dried tofu was nothing special yet delicious, at just 1 yuan. As someone in Shanghai, I almost shed tears.
Bian shi, baked ginger juice, and braised dried tofu
We also ate quite a few snacks on Ziyang Street — the same story of regretting it if you don't try, and finding it bland if you do.
Pao xia is a kind of fried cake with meat and shrimp inside. Not bad.
Mai xia is a kind of flour lump soup with shrimp in it, a bit like Dongyang wo mian.
Wufan mochi is mochi on the outside, with sesame and sweet red bean paste stuffed inside.
Pao xia
Mai xia
Wufan mochi
Teppanyaki squid
We also had a hotpot and a meal of suancaiyu (pickled cabbage fish) in Linhai. The prices were genuinely low — small-city cost of living is wonderful.
Guotiezhu clay-stove hotpot
Jingjiang pickled cabbage fish