When I First Looked At This Photograph,

my thoughts were, a, I have never seen this castle before,

and b, what European country like Germany or France was it in? the sad fact was that not only had I chosen the woung countries, I had chosen the wrong continent! the castle was not in Europe at all, it was in Asia, located on a small island, in the middle of Wanfeng Lake in southwestern China’s Guizhou Province, it is one of the most stunning fairy-tale castles on Earth, only it’s not actually a castle, but a four-star resort. according to some sources the unique resort on Wanfeng Lake is often referred to as the Chinese version of Neuschwanstein castle, the fairytale castle that inspired Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World, built in 2011, the Jilong Castle Country Club, aka Jilongbao Resort, is one of the most impressive, yet unusual sights in all of China. the location, the attention to detail and bridge linking it to the mainland are breath-taking, although China’s fascination with castles, and European architecture in general is well-known, it’s still a bit of an unusual tourist attraction,

not much is known about the Jilong Castle Country Club, apart from the fact that its is a four-star hotel. Back in 2018, Chinese news outlet Global Times reported that one night at the fairy-tale castle cost only 262 yuan, at todays rate £29.60 or $40, the beautiful resort was reportedly built by a local hydroelectric power magnate, and actually has its own hydroelectric plant which produces all the electricity used on the premises, what a fantastical and apparently environmentally friendly pace to stay!