Like something straight out of a fairytale, the abandoned village of Houtouwan on Shengshan Island     1    the eastern coast of China, has recently become an Internet sensation (网红打卡地)     2     an unusual travel hotspot. Houtouwan     3     (be) once a prosperous fishing village, with more than 3,000 residents. However, because of its remote and hard-to-access location, its residents started to move out in the 1990s. In 2002, the village was     4     (official) depopulated and merged into a nearby village. Deserted for decades, empty houses in the ocean-facing, cliff-side village have been occupied by a blanket of climbing plants.

Houtouwan soared to fame among Chinese netizens in 2015 when     5     series of attractive photographs of the deserted village went viral (走红). Instead of celebrating its new-found     6     (popular), the officials were cautious of the impact     7     (bring) by the sudden boom of tourists. But now, it’s ready for tourists.

After more than two years of planning, Houtouwan—despite still being comparatively off-grid (不入网的) —has implemented a few new     8     (move) to control and take advantage of the boom to develop local economy. Visitors can hike around the     9     (hill) village. Signs are put up outside empty houses     10     (keep) tourists off possible dangers.

2 . The Ragged School Museum

In 1877 Dr Thomas Barnardo opened the Copperfield Road Free School, the largest of three ragged schools (charitable institutions that offered the poorest children a free education) in a row of three storehouses in East London. Now an underfunded, independent museum (opened in 1990), a small exhibition offers an insight into how tough life was in east London in the late 1800s, but the highlight is one of the original classrooms where visitors can attend a lesson led by an actor in Victorian costume. The museum is in the second phase of applying far a lottery grant (彩票福利基金), which will allow it to make vital repairs to the largest of the three storehouses, though the aim is to keep the authentic (真正的) atmosphere of the building.

Easiest by car. The train station is a 30-minute walk away and trains are infrequent. A limited bus service from Liskeard drops you 20 minutes away. Parking is free right outside the gates.

10am—6pm Monday—Saturday. Last entry: 5:30pm. Outside these times the museum runs a schools programme, with 16,000 school children coming through the doors each year.

A little pricey, but the ticket is valid for a year. Entry is £18 adult, £ 13 child, family tickets £37. 60 (1+3 children) or £49. 60 (2+3).

8/10. Lots of ideas, interactive activities and friendly, knowledgeable staff. This is an authentic slice of East End history that strives (努力) to inspire children through its work.

3 . Down House, home of Charles Darwin:

Fun fact

Charles Darwin, his wife, Emma, and their children lived at Down House for 40 years from 1838. Several rooms appear as if the family still live here: with croquet sets thrown into an under-stairs cupboard, a half-played game of backgammon on a side table and Emma’s knitting(毛线) left on a chair in the drawing room. Upstairs, an exhibition showcases Darwin’s voyage aboard HMS Beagle, including a reconstruction of his cabin. Outside, visitors can explore the sheltered gardens which Darwin used as an open-air laboratory, and the greenhouse in which he planted rare plants and devised botanical experiments.

No room at Down House escaped Darwin’s experiments. In the drawing room he once placed a jar of earthworms on the grand piano to see whether they could hear.

Getting there

A 15-minute drive from the A21/Farnborough. Free parking. The R8 bus from Orpington stops nearby (except Sundays) or the 146 bus from Bromley North and South terminates (终点站) in Downe village, half a mile from the property. The nearest railway stations are Chelsfield or Orpington, about four miles away.

Value for money?

It’s ￡12 (adult), ￡7.20 (child), or ￡31.30 (family with 2 adults). Under 5s go free.

Opening hours

Open daily 10am-6pm from 30 March to 30 September; daily 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. between 1 to 31 October. Opening times vary through the winter (check website for details).

Verdict(评价)

8/10. An unstuffy educational, gentle day-trip attraction with friendly, knowledgeable staff.

7 . Weald & Downland Living Museum

Fun fact

Over 50 historic buildings from across the Weald and Downland area have been dismantled (拆除) and then reconstructed across a lovely 40-acre site in the South Downs national park. The collection of buildings represents almost a thousand years of rural life in south-east England: furnished just as they would have been in the past — complete with the homes, farms and public buildings. There’s a sense of exploring a real village as you wander between them along green paths, stopping to climb the stairs of a 17th-century craftsman’s (工匠) cottage to lie on the straw bed or sheltering from a shower in a smoky, 14th-century hall.

Getting there

The Stagecoach 60 bus service from Chichester to Midhurst stops just five minutes away at Grooms Yard, Singleton. The nearest railway stations are Chichester (2 miles) and Haslemere (7 miles). The museum is on Town Lane in Singleton, reached via the A286 from Chichester to Midhurst. Parking is free and there are disabled parking spaces opposite the museum shop.

Value for money?

Yes. It’s not cheap but it’s a special experience that easily fills a day. Plus, it’s a valuable cause worth supporting. Adults ￡14, children 5-17 and students ￡6.50, under-4s free, family ￡38 (two adults and two children) or ￡25 (one adult and three children).

Opening hours

Daily 10am-5pm (last entry 4pm).