On the western flank of 岳麓山 (Yuelu Mountain), above the university sprawl that crowds its foot, stands a small stone-and-wood lodge among the maple trees that give the mountain its autumn fame. You arrive through a gate that has no sign, climb two flights of stone stairs through the red-rising scent of the leaves, and the city of Changsha becomes a rumour below you. I put my bag down on the landing, turned around, and spent a full minute just looking at the river through the trees before I remembered I was supposed to check in.
The Rooms
The lodge has six rooms and a deliberate allergy to amenities. There is no wifi password written anywhere — it is on the blackboard, but reading it requires a decision. The beds are hard and excellent. The windows are wide and own the best thing on the mountain: the leaves.
- Maple Room — two windows onto the grove, a desk that faces the trees; 268 RMB in autumn, 198 RMB otherwise
- Academy View — the corner room, from which on clear days you can see the rooftops of 岳麓书院 (Yuelu Academy), the thousand-year-old school below; 328 RMB
- Attic Stone Room — a low-ceilinged room under the rafters, coldest and quietest, beloved of students and writers; 158 RMB
Autumn — roughly late October to mid-November — is the season that empties every other mountain cottage in China but books this one solid. The maples of 爱晚亭 (Aiwan Ting, the Evening-Stopping Pavilion) turn a red so deep it looks wet, and guests at the lodge simply walk downhill into it on foot, ten minutes, no bicycle, no queue.
The Mountain Routine
The lodge does not serve breakfast — the treat is to walk down through the leaves to the noodle shop at the east gate, then spend the morning at the Academy, whose courtyards smell of ink and stone. Afternoons are for the small pavilions and the grave of 黄兴 (Huang Xing), a revolutionary general buried up here because he asked to be. By evening the mountain empties again; the last cable car down is a small unpiloted joy, and the lodge lights its courtyard lamps and the leaves stand out against the dark like embers.
flowcloud would say that this is a mountain for solitude disguised as an outing — that the Academy’s scholars and the lodge’s guests are engaged in the same enterprise, four hundred years apart, which is the attempt to think clearly in a noisy province.
Practicalities
Price. The Attic Stone Room is the entry at 158 RMB; the Maple Room runs 198 RMB off-autumn and 268 RMB in the maple season; the corner Academy View is 328 RMB. Rates are per room per night, and the lodge does not charge a resort fee or a service charge on top. Autumn weekends and the 十一 national holiday are the two periods that sell out — book those a month ahead, and expect the autumn rate rather than the off-season one.
Address. North slope of 岳麓山 (Yuelu Mountain), 岳麓区 (Yuelu district), Changsha, Hunan — above the 岳麓书院 (Yuelu Academy) and the university campus, on the northern walking road. There is no street number that will help a taxi; tell the driver 岳麓山北坡, and call the lodge when you reach the north gate and someone will come down for you.
Rooms. Six in total: three doubles and three smaller rooms, including the two windows of the Maple Room, the corner Academy View, and the low-beamed Attic Stone Room. All share the courtyard; none has a television, and only the lower rooms have reliable hot water pressure. Ask for the Maple Room if it is autumn and you can afford it.
Getting there. Metro Line 2 to 溁湾镇 (Rongwan) station, then the east-gate bus up past the Academy, about twenty minutes; from the east gate it is a walk north along the ridge road, or the lodge will meet the last shuttle if you tell them you are coming. To the lodge itself, take the north road and walk the final stretch — the last few hundred metres are stairs and no vehicle goes up them. You are fifteen minutes from 五一广场 (Wuyi Square) and the whole loud glitter of downtown Changsha, which you can choose to ignore or attend as you please.
Where to stay: Yuelu Mountain Lodge (岳麓山山居), north slope of 岳麓山, 岳麓区, Changsha, Hunan. Six rooms from 158 RMB (Attic Stone Room) to 328 RMB (Academy View); the Maple Room is 268 RMB in autumn. Metro Line 2 to 溁湾镇, then the east-gate shuttle, then walk the north road — tell the lodge you are coming and they will meet the last bus. Book late October a month ahead; come in winter if you want the mountain and the rate to yourself.