Amid the verdant mountains of southwest Zhejiang province in East China, there is a cool and refreshing place to escape the summer heat: Longnan town.

Located in the county-level city of Longquan, administered by Zhejiang's prefecture-level Lishui city, Longnan town has all it takes to be a perfect summer gateway – fresh air, babbling brooks, dense forests and mysterious ancient villages.

Here are some of its villages you won't want to miss out on!

Old world charms abound in Xingyuan village. [Photo by Ying Xiang/WeChat account: zjlqtour]

Xingyuan village nestles in the southeast of Longquan, in an elevated area with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level. In terms of climate, summer is short, without the extremes of the heat in the land below. The average daily temperatures here are 5-6 C lower than that of the plains. In short, it's a cool resort to hang out during the summer.

Shangtian village is the earliest place in Longnan town known to have planted summer mushrooms. The average elevation of the village is 1,200 meters above sea level. Best of all, it has retained the quaint traditional mountain village style.

Xiatian village has plenty of buildings that evoke the past. [Photo by Zhu Zhulin/WeChat account: zjlqtour]

Xiatian village is one of the key villages in the central region that were the birthplace of the cultivation of the shiitake mushroom, or lentinus edodes. It has a long and fascinating connection with this kind of mushroom.

Yangwei village, backed by glorious mountains and surrounded by water, fully reflects the ideal environment for establishing traditional settlements. The village still retains many ancient trees, a bell and drum tower going back 174 years, as well as  ancient buildings from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).