Hengshan MountainMt. Hengshan, also known as Southern Heights Mountain (Nanyue shan), is located about 120km south of Changsha. It is one of the five sacred Buddhist mountains in China, although much of the mountain is also dedicated to Taoist belief. The mountain extends for 80 kilometers and there are a total of 72 peaks in all, the highest of which, the Wishing for Harmony Peak (Zhurong feng), rises to 1,298 meters above sea level. This is a pretty area, that is sometimes a little too popular, although filled with enough charming Buddhist and Taoist temples, some dating back over 1000 years, and pretty scenery to make it worth your while.At the foot of the mountain stands the biggest temple in southern China, the Grand Southern Heights Temple (Nanyue damiao), which covers an area of 100,000 square meters and which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province. The original temple is said to have dated back at least as far as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), although it was destroyed by fire at various stages. The present temple dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) and is based on Beijing\\\'s Imperial Palace. There are nine courtyards here, with the main hall as a highlight, at 22 meters high and supported by 72 stone pillars in tribute to the mountain\\\'s peaks. The temple, glazed in red and yellow, is linked with many other buildings and is a grand palace complex.The area to arrive in for an ascent of the mountain is not the town of Hengshan, but a village nearby known as Nanyue. After finding accommodation (see below), you can visit the above temple and then set off into the heights (the entrance fee includes a crude, but useful, map), for a days walk that is enlivening and fun. The temples on the mountain are mostly austerely charming and small, meaning that an ascent to the top, including visiting numerous temples, and a return to the village, should not take more than around 10hrs (i.e. a long day). The most interesting of the temples here is at the peak, the Wishing for Harmony Palace (Zhurong gong), that is good for its mystical appearance, often through the mist, and the charm of its solid stone walls and iron roof. Other temples definitely worth a visit include the Wishing for the Emperor Temple (Zhusheng si), just out of the village, that was built for an unconsummated imperial visit by the Qing Emperor Kangxi, the Southern Terrace Temple (Nantai si), that was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 AD) and is regarded as the origin of a Buddhist branch in Japan and the Fangguang Temple (Fangguang si), that is quiet and has some breathtaking views. Hengyang Nanyue Great Temple(Nanyue Damiao)Nanyue Great Temple is located at the end of North Street in Nanyue Guzhen under the foot of Nanyue Mountain. It was built at the reign of Emperor Kaiyuan thirteen years in Tang Dynasty. The main hall was rebuilt according to the design and style of Beijing Imperial Palace at the reign of Emperor Guangxu 8 years (1882). It occupies a land area of 98,900 square meters altogether and the height of the palace is 72 feet. It is the biggest and most complete ancient palace like temple in overall layout in our country’s five mountains. Nanyue Great Temple is composed of four groups of courtyards and nine buildings and maintained the Tang and Song’s artistic essence. Nanyue Great Temple is divided into seven entrances. Each entrance possessed its own unique characteristic and purpose where it displayed the architect’s exquisite craft and skill. Lingxin Gate, the entry gate to Nanyue Grant Temple, is 20 meters in height, 20 meters in width and 1.1 meters in thickness. It is the only stone entry gate of such height and width that remains in China. On each side of the gate, there are one side entrances to the Taoism temples and Buddhist temples. In the second courtyard of Nanyue Grant Temple, a stage called Kuixing Pavilion is built to deliver performance to entertain the Gods. The 2 meters high granite stage has been particularly designed and carved to amplify voices of the performers on the stage.Marquis Cai Memorial is originally the residence of Cai Lun, the inventor of paper making skill in Eastern Han Dynasty. People built the memorial in the original place of the residence to memorize Cai Lun. According to Annotation to\\\'Scripture of Hydrology and Geography\\\' by Li Daoyuan, \\\"Lei River passes Caizhou in northwest. The west of Caizhou is the original residence of Cai Lun, near where there is Cai Zi Pool.\\\"   On the bank of Caizi Lake in northern Leiyang City, a memorial hall was built in memory of Cai Lun (A.D. 63-121AD), the inventor of paper-making technology. It occupied an area of 408 square meters. It was made with brick and wood structure and faces the north. The memorial hall consists of three wood-brick bungalow. The hall is elegantly designed and constructed. It houses a statue of Cai Lun and a number of historical documents relating to paper-making technology. The hall is of great historical and cultural value. It is not exactly known when Marquis Cai Memorial was begun to be built. In 1338 AD, Chen Zongyi, the governor of Leiyang city, rebuilt the memorial. Being destroyed and rebuilt for several times, the building remaining today was rebuilt in Qing Dynasty. It is simple, unsophisticated and elegant. Facing the south, it takes an area of 408 square meters and is of brick-timberwork. There are three layers and two courtyards. In the antehall, there are three small housese with green tile roof. There are corridors in the two sides. The middle axis is a paved path with cover leading to middle hall. There are also three houses in the middle and back halls, connected with walkway and corridor. Over the main door, there is a stone plaque of \\\"Marquis Cai Memoriall\\\", a stone couplet of \\\"with beautiful pool and shining moon, the style of the original residence remains here\\\". Cai Lun invented paper-making in A.D. 105 years, made the world first plant tissue paper, rewriting the history of bamboo and cloth writing note. It became one of the four greatest inventions in ancient times of China. More than a thousand years later, the skill of paper- making is passed to the Eastern Asia and Europe. FuShou Culture The South Mountain (MountHengshan) is the Shou Mountain in China\\\'s Five Sacred Mountains.Its blessing and Shou culture has a long history and over a long time it is ahalidome for blessing and begging for long life. South Mountainwas called the \\\"Shou Mountain\\\" since the Han dynasty. Since SongHuizong left the carved stone \\\"Shou Mountain?\\\" in the Jinjian peak of South Mountain, the name\\\"ShouMountain?\\\" was popular. For thousands of years, the South Mountain has been respected as the symbol of long life and prosperity.South Mountain has a prosperous shou mountain culture and the atmosphere is dense. Many architectures and relics are named after \\\"shou\\\", such as Wanshou Palace, Shouning Palace, Shoujian Bridge, Shoujian Stream, Baishou Booth, Yanshou Booth, Yanhou Village, Shoufo Hall,etc. The Tripod is located at the top of Jiahe Peak behind the Nanyue Grant Temple. The Tripod is 9.9 meters in height and 56 tons in weight, representing the unity of the 56 nationalities in China and longevity of its people. A total of 10,000 gold characters of \\\"Shou\\\" (Longevity) in different Chinese writing styles are engraved on the frontispiece of the Tripod, with the biggest cursive script \\\"shou\\\" written by Chairman Mao Zedong. According to the Guinness World Records, the tripod is the tallest, heaviest and largest of its kind in the world.

HOT Changde & Yueyang & Hengyang 2021-10-05 20:21 View：10381

Situated on Luyuan Slope west of Yanling County, it is a national AAAA scenic area. Among the tourist attractions in the scenic area, the most important one is Emperor Yan\\\'s Mausoleum which is a State Preservation Unit of Key Historical Relics and a national AAAA tourist zone. The mausoleum was built in 967 AD during the North Song Dynasty to commemorate Emperor Yan, one of the earliest ancestors of the Chinese people. In 2005 it was listed in the Top Ten Cultural Relics of Hunan Province. Other attractions include Emperor Yan Temple,Chongde Memorial Archway, Luyuan Pavilion, Saint Fire Terrace and Luyuan Cave. Over the past hundreds of years, sacrificial ceremonies have been held in front of Emperor Yan\\\'s Mausoleum. Now it is a sacred place for all the descendants of Emperor Yan and Huang in the world to seek their roots and pay homage to their earliest ancestors. Transport: Buses go from Yanling County to Emperor Yan\\\'s MausoleumTel: (86)731-26100857Admission (for reference): RMB 45yuan /adult Opening hours: 08:00-17:30

HOT Changsha & Zhuzhou & Xiangtan 2021-08-28 17:01 View：4470

Situated in the western border area of Hunan Province, Fenghuang(Phoenix) Ancient City is a famous historic and cultural city. It was ever praised as "the most beautiful small city in China" by Rewi Alley, a renowned author in New Zealand.

HOT Xiangxi & Fenghuang & Huaihua 2021-05-22 16:44 View：9202

With an area of over 5 hectares,ZJJ Tujia Folk Custom Park is a large-scale cultural tourist attraction, which is mainly bulit to demonstrate Tujia people’s folk custom in various aspects such as Architecture, Food, Agriculture, Military art etc. Most of the buildings in Zhangjiajie Tujia Folk Custom Park are constructed with wood and stone with the characteristics of carved girder and painted columns, upturned eaves, especially the exquisite workmanship and ingenious construction are greatly acclaimed by the tourists.What’s more, Tourists express much admiration on the programs held in the park of its splendid culture and magnificent folk custom, In April, 2001, former premier Zhu Rongji visited the park and gave his lavish comments on it. In September, 2002, The park successfully held a large-scale Maogusi Dance Party, and 1,000 dancers participated. This activity and the Nine-layer Diaojiaolou Building were listed in the Record of World Genis. The park was rated as one of the 4A National Tourist Attraction in China in January, 2004.Translated by Sophia

HOT Yongding District 2021-05-02 01:28 View：5456

The Yueyang Tower is an ancient architectural treasure on the shores of Dongting Lake in Yueyang City, Hunan Province. It is known as one of the four famous Chinese towers,. The other three are the Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei Province, the Penglai Pavilion in Shandong Province and the Tengwang Pavilion in Jiangxi Province.The tower was first built around 220 during China's Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), when Lu Su, commander in chief of the forces of Wu, was sent to the area to fortify it and he trained the fleet there. The main tower bears a flying eave and helmet roof with wooden constructions in a unique style.Standing on the tower, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Dongting Lake.

HOT Changde & Yueyang & Hengyang 2021-03-22 01:06 View：6610

Taohuayuan Fairyland is situated in National 4-A Tourism Scenic Spot Taohuayuan, Taoyuan County. Being an extraordinary geographical location, it is adjacent to Wuling on the south and Yuanjiang River on the north. Portrayed as a fairyland by the Eastern Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming (about 365—427) in his famous Records of Peach Blossom Source, Taohuayuan, with a long history of more than 1600 years, is renowned at home and abroad for its pastoral beauty of its mountains and waters, and for the popularity of its temples and tablets..  Shiwaitaoyuan(世外桃源，a hidden paradise) has for generations represented mortal beings’ spiritual dwelling and ideal pursuit. Location: Taohuayuan Tourism Resort is located in the lower reach of the Yuan River and in the southwestern part of Taoyuan County. It includes Taohua Mountain, Taoyuan Mountain, Qin Dynasty Village, Taoxian Mountain, the Lingjintan Scenic Spot, the Yiwangxi Scenic Spot, and the 69 km Yuan River Tourist Line. It has a total area of 157.55 km2. Its scenic area incorporates five villages and towns: Qinglin Village, Zhangjiang Town, Taohuayuan Town, Lingjintan Village and Xinglongjie Village. History: Taohuayuan is the prototype of a wonderful place far from the cruel reign of the Qin Dynasty described in Records of Peach Blossom Source by Tao Yuanming, a famous poet in the East Jin Dynasty. It has a 1,600-year history and has been regarded as a Shangri-la by later generations. Taohuayuan was first built in the Jin Dynasty (256-439 A.D), began to take shape in the Tang Dynasty (618-709), flourished in the Song Dynasty (960-1297), and went to ruin in the Yuan Dynasty (1297-1368). With ups and downs through the Ming Dynasty (1368-1911), it was almost abandoned in the times of the Republic of China (1912-1949). Its restoration began in 1949 and a large-scale expansion and development began in 1990. Even 5,000-6,000 years ago, fishermen lived in the Taohuayan Scenic Area. It belonged to the Chu Kingdom in the Warring States Period, Qianzhong Shire in the Qin Dynasty, Yuannan County of Wuling Shire in the Han Dynasty, and Yuannan County of Jingzhou Wuling Shire in the Jin Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, the government defined the range of the Taohuayuan Mountain. Liu Yuxi, a famous litterateur in the Tang Dynasty, often went sight-seeing in Taohuayuan and wrote Beautiful Scene of Taoyuan when he was demoted here. In the first year of the Qiande Period of the Song Dynasty (963), the government Pided the area into the middle and lower reaches of the Yuan River in Taohuayuan, and it established a new county called “Taoyuan” where there were scenic spots and historical sites. In the first year of Zhenghe, Emperor Hui of the Song Dynasty wrote “Taochuan Longevity Palace” on a stele and sent it to Taoyuanyuan. After that, it became even more famous. Even in the Yuan and Qing Dynasties and during China’s Republican Period when the area found itself intermittently in either prosperity or depression, Taohuayuan was still of great charm.Culture: Since the birth of Records of Peach Blossom Source by Tao Yuanming in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, later generations have continually praised Taohuayuan in writing. As a result, both its scenery and the writings about it became famous. The wonderful place far from the cruel reign of the Qin Dynasty described in Records of Peach Blossom Source by Tao Yuanming was admired and praised by the later litterateurs as the prototype of “Shi Wai Tao Yuan (remote retreat)”. Many famous poets, litterateurs, officials and Taoists since the Tang Dynasty have had a special longing for it and tried their best to praise it. Such famous litterateurs as Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Mu, Liu Yuxi, Han Yu, Lu You, and Su Shi have left a legacy of many valuable poems and proses. There are now 45 volumes of various Collections of Writings about Taohuayuan and Annals of Taohuayuan from different periods, more than 2000 verses, more than 130 thousand characters of prose, 107 horizontal inscribed boards and couplets, 108 pieces of inscribed and engraved stone tablets, more than 600 paintings and more than 40 folklores about Taohuayuan.Brand: In 1959, Taohuayuan was placed on the list of “Provincial-level Key Cultural Relics Under Protection by the Hunan Provincial Government”. In 1987, it was listed as one of the “Top Ten Scenic Spots of Hunan by the Hunan Provincial Government”; in 1992, it was approved as a National Forest Park by the Forestry Ministry of China. In 2001, it was approved to be a National AAAA Grade Scenic Spot by the National Tourism Administration of China; and in 2004, it was approved to be a Key National Scenic Spot by the State Council. On the 24th of March 1995, President Jiang Zemin came to Taohuayuan. After making an inspection tour of cultural relics and natural landscapes, he said “This is the real Taohuayuan described by Tao Yuanming” and he wrote an inscription as a memento. It was also appraised continually for 4 years as one of “the Best Scenic Spots of Hunan” and as a “Civilised Forest Park of Hunan”. In 2000, Taohuayuan was recognised as one of the 50 scenic spots you have to visit in your lifetime. On the 12th of June 1998, in the Fifth International Conference for the Grammy Awards for the Golden Tourism Lines co-held by Tourism Weeks and the Japanese Writers Association in Osaka, Japan, the tourism line of Changsha—Taohuayuan—Zhangjiajie was awarded the “Destination Special Development Award”, being one of the two awarded golden tourism lines of China.Transportation: Taohuayuan, located in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, is the gateway to the western part of China. It is surrounded by Changsha, Shaoshan, Zhangjiajie, Three Gorges, and Western Hunan Autonomous Prefecture and has a distance of about 200 km to each of them. It has convenient air, water and land links, with the National Highway 319 running through the area, the National Highway 207 passing by its eastern part 30 km away, and is 40 km away from the Changsha-Changde Expressway, 20 km away from the Taoyuan Toll Gate on the Changde-Zhangjiajie Expressway, the Changde-Jishou Expressway and the Changde-Shaoyang Expressway, Changde-Yueyang Expressway, Changde-Jingzhou (Hubei Province) Expressway. The Yuan River, a main waterway of Hunan Province, can directly reach Yueyang and the Yangtze River by passing through the Dongting Lake. The Shimen-Changsha Railway (from Shimen to Taoyuan to Changde to Yiyang to Changsha) has a main railway station in Changde which is only 50 km away from Taohuayuan and provides a convenient connection between Taohuayan and the cities along the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway. Taohuayuan Airport, a National Second Level Civil Airport, is only 34 km away from the scenic spot and has already opened airlines to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Haikou, Kunming, Chongqing and so on.Animals and plants: Taohuayuan has a favourable environment for animals to live and has a complex food chain. It has a rich resource of animals and plants. There are 255 kinds of beautiful exhibiting animals, among which 230 are wild, forming 90% of the total, and 25 are tamed, 446 kinds of woody plants, among which 63 are peach species, forming 13.8% of the total, more than 740 kinds of herbs, among which 238 are beautiful and fragrant group plants.Service facilities: In the Taohuayuan Tourism Resort there are more than 10 hotels and more than 30 restaurants, with a reception capacity of more than 2,000 tourists per day; there is a national primary-level power supply line, a waterworks with a production capacity of 40 thousand tons per day, Changqing Gas Station, a petrol station co-managed with the Changling Refinery, a post office, two China Mobile micro receiving towers and two China Unicom micro receiving towers and 2,000 programmed control telephone exchangers.

HOT Changde & Yueyang & Hengyang 2021-03-15 19:38 View：6056

Zhangjiajie Binglang Valley

Yongding District 2020-06-06 15:42 View：4036

Zhangjiajie Heart-shaped lake is located in Xianjiehe Village, Wentang Town, Yongding District,It is just opposite the Huilongguan Wharf of Maoyan River.It is about 28KM from Zhangjiajie downtown.It is part of the Maoyan River Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie.

Yongding District 2020-06-01 09:11 View：3171