Moganshan dispatch, week 46: forest fire season and a wet Saturday

Forest fire season, with a squad on the mountain

Deqing has set up a county forest fire brigade (德清县森林消防综合应急救援大队). It has three squads, and one of them works from the full time fire station in Moganshan town. Deqing News (德清新闻网) reported the ceremony on 9 November. Autumn and winter are the critical season for forest fires, the paper says, with more fire, power and gas in use, more festivals and more guesthouse visitors.

A second report, on 10 November, followed the county’s 44 full time forest rangers. Each walks a fixed route of about 8 km, twice a day, logged on a phone. They look for dry fuel under the trees and remind anyone heading into the hills about fire. The paper met one on a path at Gaofeng village (高峰村), in Moganshan town. The county’s natural resources bureau (县自然资源和规划局) asks everyone not to light a fire outdoors, not to carry anything that lights one into the hills (火种), and to report a fire at once.

What this means for a visitor: leave the lighter and matches at your guesthouse when you walk, do not smoke on a forest path, expect a ranger to remind you, and call 119, China’s fire number, if you see smoke. The routes themselves are in our hiking guide.

Source: 德清新闻网 (Deqing News), 9 November 2026, tier 2. https://dqnews.zjol.com.cn/dqnews/system/2026/11/09/035329012.shtml

Source: 德清新闻网 (Deqing News), 10 November 2026, tier 2. https://dqnews.zjol.com.cn/dqnews/system/2026/11/10/035329516.shtml

Three wet days out of four, then a dry Sunday

The national forecast for Deqing, updated at 18:00 on Wednesday 11 November, is wet until the weekend. Thursday 12 November brings light rain, 12 to 18 °C. Friday is cloudy turning to light rain, 13 to 17 °C, and Saturday 14 November more light rain, 15 to 19 °C. Sunday is the dry day: cloudy turning sunny, 13 to 19 °C. Rain comes back on Monday, and Tuesday brings moderate rain with the low down to 7 °C.

The National Meteorological Centre (中央气象台), in its forecast published at 20:00 the same evening, agrees on rain for Thursday and Saturday and a dry Sunday. It keeps Friday dry by day, with light rain at night. Both forecasts are for the county town. The mountain is higher and usually cooler.

Saturday is also the day of the Spartan children’s obstacle race at the resort, covered in our news item of 9 November. Deqing News gave no start time and no entry details.

What this means for a visitor: put the long walk on Sunday; if you bring a child to the race on Saturday, pack waterproofs and a change of clothes, and expect a busy resort.

Source: 中国天气网 (China Weather Network), Deqing forecast updated 18:00, 11 November 2026, tier 1. https://www.weather.com.cn/weather/101210204.shtml

Source: 中央气象台 (National Meteorological Centre), Deqing forecast published 20:00, 11 November 2026, tier 1. http://www.nmc.cn/publish/forecast/AZJ/deqing.html

Fifty days left, and still no visa free extension

The consular notices page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部), read on Wednesday 11 November, has nothing new on the 30 day visa free scheme. Its latest word is still the notice of 3 November 2025, which runs the scheme to midnight on 31 December 2026 for France and the other countries it lists. The only notice added since last week, dated 5 November, reports consular talks with the United Arab Emirates.

That leaves 50 days. The rules as they stand are on our visa free entry page.

What this means for a visitor: if you plan to enter without a visa after 31 December, keep that part of the trip refundable until an extension is announced.

Source: 中华人民共和国外交部 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), consular notices, read 11 November 2026, tier 1. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/wjbzwfwpt/kzx/tzgg/

No red maple season date, a week before last year’s

Last year the scenic area opened its third red maple season (红枫季) on 18 November. By Wednesday evening there was no announcement of a fourth, either in the Deqing News listings from 9 to 11 November or in a Chinese web search.

What this means for a visitor: go for the leaves, not for a ceremony that has not been announced; our red leaves page sets out when the old maples have turned in past years.

Source: 中国新闻网 (China News Service), relaying 潮新闻 (Tide News), 18 November 2025, tier 2. https://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/2025/11-18/9636841.shtml

Lamb and yellow wine season opens in Xinshi

The 30th lamb and yellow wine season (新市羊肉黄酒推广季) opened on 7 November in Xinshi (新市古镇), the old canal town in the same county, on the water stage at Yunhe Xintiandi (运河新天地). Deqing News described long tables of lamb noodles, a market, stalls from past winners of the town’s lamb contest and cooks from five cities. Zhang Yipin (张一品), the best known name, traces itself to 1869 and stews its lamb from 04:30. The paper gives no closing date for the season.

What this means for a visitor: if you pass through Deqing this month, a bowl of lamb noodles in Xinshi is what the county eats in November; for the mountain itself, see what the villages serve in our food guide.

Source: 德清新闻网 (Deqing News), 9 November 2026, tier 2. https://dqnews.zjol.com.cn/dqnews/system/2026/11/09/035329008.shtml

Last checked 12 November 2026 by Cyril Drouin. Prices, timetables and entry rules on this mountain move without notice, so confirm anything you are booking around.