Tucked away in Toubei Village, up in the Maofeng Mountain scenic area, Lijing Farm is the kind of countryside escape that feels a world away from the city — all fresh mountain air, green hills, and the smell of something delicious roasting over an open fire.

This is proper farmhouse cooking (农家菜): roasted free-range chicken and pork ribs crisped just right, farm-fresh wild mountain vegetables, and chickens raised the old-fashioned way by the local farmers themselves. Hearty, honest, country food — best shared around a big table with good company and a cold drink.

When the weather warms up there's a real treat: the farm's mountain-fed swimming pool, free to use, open roughly from early May through the end of the October holiday. It's the perfect way to cool off after a hot trail — or just to laze away an afternoon in the hills.