Hongmao's Journey of Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight: From Chengdu to Dali, a Gentle Winter Escape

I hope the sun is warm, even under the gray winter sky.
I hope the flowers are fragrant, even when buried in dry, barren soil.
I hope the world is beautiful, even when pain sometimes blinds our eyes.

This isn't a poem. It's a love letter a 25-year-old bride wrote to herself at a turning point in her life. When "Hongmao" — a girl who jokingly calls herself "too poor, with a closet too small" — chose a spontaneous trip after getting married, she didn't pack a wedding gown. Instead, she brought a Nikon D700 and a heart craving freedom.

The Beginning: A Whimsical Pursuit of "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight"

In the winter of 2016, Hongmao got married. In her own words: "I gloriously shipped myself off! Ta-da! All things are happy, and I'm right in the middle of it!" But a honeymoon? No. The bride chose to ditch her new husband and head to Yunnan with her girlfriends.

The reason was simple: her husband, Comrade Xiaorao, is from Harbin. His job is special — stuck in China, unable to set foot abroad, and so busy he "serves the motherland every single day." So Hongmao embarked alone on this journey she called "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight" — starting from Chengdu, passing through Kunming, and finally reaching Dali, Xizhou, and Shuanglang.

"The travel route? I just went with the flow. Eat when I want, sleep when I'm tired." That was Hongmao's most accurate definition of this trip.

Chengdu: A Warm-Up "Drop-In"

Before officially starting her Yunnan adventure, Hongmao and Comrade Xiaorao made a stop in Chengdu. As she put it: "Calling it a trip to Chengdu feels like a stretch. It's more like dropping by a neighbor's house." After all, Sichuan and Chongqing were once brothers — now just friendly neighbors.

About the Snow in Chengdu
Comrade Xiaorao is a born-and-bred Northeasterner, used to winters of minus 30 degrees Celsius, frozen rivers, and snowstorms. When he saw Chengdu's artificial snow machines still spinning, the temperature hovering just above freezing, and the snow half-melted, he turned to Hongmao in confusion: "You call this a snowy mountain?"

Hongmao's reply was classic: "Don't look down on our southern snow. We barely saw snow as kids. Once, when I was little, it snowed, and I was so excited I ran into the street calling myself Snow White — until my mom dragged me home and gave me a spanking. Now that I'm older, I still go to the same ski resort every winter to get my fix. Snow White has become the Snow Queen."

About Winter's Warmth
In Chengdu, Hongmao fell in love with winter. Not because of the snow, but because of "wrapping myself in a down jacket, weaving through the crowd, standing on a cold street, humming a song with the one I love, holding hands. The air is freezing, but my heart is warm."

Those random moments, those moments wrapped in love, melted winter's troubles into strength.

Dali: A "Forced" Journey into Artistry

Hongmao wasn't initially excited about Dali. In her mind, Dali was "a place for heartbroken people to heal, for overly sentimental artistic youths to find inspiration, or — more cynically — for people seeking hookups." But Sister Han was going there to recover from something, and Dandan was coming too. Hongmao thought: "There's winter sunshine to enjoy endlessly. Why not?"

Accommodation: A Night of Terror in a Century-Old Mansion
Hongmao booked the "Liuyuan Inn" inside Dali's old town on Elong for 160 yuan a night. During the off-season, you can easily find a decent place for 100 yuan. But this inn had something special — it was the former home of a Qing Dynasty scholar-official, with a pomegranate tree over 100 years old in the courtyard. "It's practically a spirit now!"

The atmosphere was ancient and charming, the room clean, and the location peaceful yet central. But the service? "Don't expect them to talk to you. If you ask for directions, they'll point you in the opposite direction."

Stranger still: on the first day, after a nap, Hongmao woke up to find the room door wide open. Nothing was stolen. Dandan was terrified. Hongmao, unfazed, said: "When I'm in a bad mood, I'd even drag a ghost out for a fight! I'm the one who wards off evil spirits here. What's there to be afraid of?"

The Camera: A Torturous Upgrade from "Slingshot" to "Cannon"
Hongmao originally used a Canon 60D with its kit lens. This time, she borrowed her mom's Nikon D700 with a portrait lens. The upgrade from "slingshot to cannon" was agonizing:

• Weight: Her hand kept shaking when she held it. "It felt like I was trying to lift a mountain."
• Manual Mode: Her mom taught her how to adjust ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and white balance before the trip. But "no matter how I adjusted it, it was either overexposed or pitch black. I had to keep fiddling with it indoors, outdoors, in sun, in shade!"
• Prime Lens: With an 85mm focal length, "if I got too close, I couldn't focus. If I stepped back a few steps, I could only capture the head. Want a full-body shot? Stand across the street."

In desperation, Hongmao discovered the P mode (auto mode). "Hehehe — watch me tame this beast!" She knew P mode wouldn't give the same results as manual, but "if you don't know how to shoot, manual mode is useless. It's a waste of talent. I admit defeat!"

Dali's "Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moonlight"
"Every town has its past, and Dali has its old dreams. The four words 'wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight' say it all — a dream more enchanting than music and dance, more fleeting than evening rain and morning clouds, yet more deeply embedded in the soul than any romantic charm."

Hongmao said: "I have nothing to do with this dream. I'm not even a dream-seeker. I just happened to pass by."

About Mindset
"In a place like Dali, once you're here, you have to get your mindset right. I'm naturally restless and impatient, preferring grand, majestic landscapes. So I had to force myself into the role of a sensitive, artistic young soul — quiet, calm, melancholy! I had to feel sad over a falling leaf, to meditate! I had to learn to appreciate details, imagine stories, and adapt to the rhythm. Otherwise, you'll be... bored out of your mind."

Food Pitfalls
Hongmao stepped into quite a few traps in Dali: - Zaohuishou Chicken Silk Noodles: Online reviews claimed they were "so good they'd change your idea of noodles forever." Hongmao's verdict: "I never knew noodles could taste this bad..." - Cang'erchun Restaurant: The spicy snails were passable, the pine shoots were refreshing, "but never order the clay pot dish — it tastes like a rat peed in it." - Mengqiyuan (a chain restaurant): "It's way better than those weird little shops, and much cleaner."

Birthday Reflections
The next day was Laba Festival, and also Hongmao's 25th birthday by the lunar calendar. "This past year, I've met different people and experienced different things. I've also lost some people. Some left, some arrived, and some stayed by my side. It's only now that I understand — it's everything I've gained and everything I've lost that makes my life whole."

Xizhou: Bai Ethnic Architecture and a Touch of Jiangnan

Leaving Dali's old town, Hongmao and her group headed to Xizhou. This is a Bai ethnic settlement, home to the most distinctive Bai-style architecture.

"When I arrived in Xizhou, I kept feeling like I was in Jiangnan, but it was different," Hongmao said. "Jiangnan's mood is cold and rainy, while Xizhou's sunshine is warm. The white walls and black tiles glisten under the sun."

The intricate carved doors and windows, the upturned eaves — all looked especially gentle under the winter sun. With her portrait prime lens, Hongmao could only capture small details and corners. But it was precisely these details that made Xizhou's most touching scenes.

Shuanglang: Slow Time by Erhai Lake

Shuanglang was the final stop. Hongmao said: "Shuanglang is a place for zoning out. Sitting by Erhai Lake, watching clouds roll by, listening to waves crash against the shore — doing nothing, thinking nothing."

But Hongmao was clearly not the type to sit still and zone out. She wandered around with her camera, shooting streetlights, street corners, and passersby. She often missed focus — blurring herself while making strangers crystal clear. But she loved it: "Natural is the most beautiful. Because the person behind the lens understands me best."

Final Thoughts: On Travel and Life

Hongmao's trip had no grand plans, no must-see attractions, and not even great photography skills. But she recorded, in the most honest way, a 25-year-old girl's reflections at a turning point in her life.

On Marriage
"A good relationship should be like a true master-disciple bond — no hope or fear, no doubt or regret. It's steady yet not oppressive, free yet not detached. The only thing you worry about is not being good enough, but you also know that even if you're not, he will still love you as always."

On Travel
"I hope the sun is warm, even under the gray winter sky. I hope the flowers are fragrant, even when buried in dry, barren soil. I hope the world is beautiful, even when pain sometimes blinds our eyes."

On Being 25
"Another year older, another step closer to the earth. But what will the 25-year-old me be like? Because it's unknown, I look forward to it. And because I look forward to it, I'll work even harder."

Practical Tips Summary

1. Accommodation: In Dali's off-season, you don't need to book ahead. 100 yuan gets you a decent place. But avoid Liuyuan Inn — the service is terrible.
2. Camera: Beginners, don't mess with manual mode. Auto mode may be amateur, but at least you'll get a photo.
3. Food: Don't blindly trust internet recommendations. Chain restaurants are often more reliable than those "weird little shops."
4. Mindset: Dali isn't for "restless" travelers. Slow down, learn to "meditate."
5. Transportation: Flying directly from Chengdu to Dali is convenient. But watch out for the temperature difference at high altitude — in the sun, you'll be squinting from the glare; in the shade, you'll be shivering.

Hongmao, congratulations on your marriage.
May all true love be devout, and all devotion be pure.
May whether you follow a master or know a partner, you become an even more perfect version of yourself.