Changde

The inspiration for Tao Yuanming's "The Peach Blossom Spring", with the Changde Poetry Wall, evening strolls along Changde River Street, Liuye Lake, the ancient Chengtoushan site, Changde rice noodles and clay-pot dishes.

Changde lies in northwestern Hunan on the western shore of Dongting Lake, with the Yuan River flowing through the city. Known in ancient times as Wuling and Langzhou, it is the transport hub of northwestern Hunan. The "fisherman of Wuling" in Tao Yuanming's "The Peach Blossom Spring" refers to this area, and Taohuayuan in Taoyuan County is regarded as the original Peach Blossom Spring; the Chengtoushan site in Li County is one of the oldest walled towns in China, which is why Changde calls itself "Ten-Thousand-Year Changde".

Where to go: ① The city — the Changde Poetry Wall and Wuling Pavilion along the Yuan River, the Battle of Changde Memorial Park, the Laoximen yinzi-house quarter, Changde River Street on the Chuanzi River (watch the "Changde Memories" show at night), the Changde Museum and Binhu Park; ② Liuye Lake Resort — cycling around the lake, Datang Sima City, Kale Planet and Taiyang Mountain on the north shore; ③ Taoyuan County — the Taohuayuan scenic area (rated 5A, China's top tier) and Taohuayuan Ancient Town, where it's worth staying a night for the evening tour; ④ The outskirts — Gufeng Pagoda on Deshan in the south of the city and Huayanxi Forest Park in Dingcheng; ⑤ Toward Li County and Shimen — the Chengtoushan site and Jiashan Temple, doable as a day trip.

The best times to visit are the Peach Blossom Festival in March and autumn from Sep–Nov; summers are hot and humid, winters damp and cold. Getting there: Changde Taohuayuan Airport has flights, and high-speed trains from Changde Station reach Changsha (about 1 hour) and Zhangjiajie (about 1 hour), with the Changde–Yiyang–Changsha high-speed railway making Changsha even quicker. Allow 2–3 days. Food: Changde rice noodles (beef or shredded pork), clay-pot dishes, spicy braised duck and Taoyuan pounded tea. Tips: the Taohuayuan scenic area is large and divided into zones, so set aside most of a day; River Street is crowded on weekend evenings, and boat tickets should be bought in advance. Hupingshan in Shimen is far from the city and needs a separate trip.

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