Chenzhou & Dongjiang Lake

With the photographers' mecca of misty Xiaodongjiang and the Danxia landscapes of Gaoyiling and Feitian Mountain, Chenzhou's southern Hunan scenery makes it a popular weekend getaway on the Changsha–Guangzhou high-speed line.

Chenzhou lies at the southern tip of Hunan at the northern foot of the Nanling Mountains, bordered by Hengyang to the north and Shaoguan in Guangdong to the south. On the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway between Changsha and Guangzhou, it is known as Hunan's "southern gateway". This destination covers Chenzhou city and the Zixing and Yongxing areas, whose scenery centres on "one lake, one ridge and Danxia". In Zixing to the northeast, Dongjiang Lake is a high-gorge reservoir of about 160 km²; downstream, Xiaodongjiang is famous for its early-morning mist, and the lake area also has Longjing Gorge, the Doushuai Lingyan karst cave and Tian'e Mountain Forest Park. North of the city in Suxian District, Gaoyiling and Feitian Mountain are hiking hotspots where red Danxia rock meets emerald water. In the city itself are Suxian Ridge, Wangxian Ridge, Yuhou Street, the Mausoleum of Emperor Yi, the Xiangnan Uprising Memorial Hall and Chenzhou Museum. To the southwest, Yangtian Lake Grassland and Wanhua Rock are cool summer retreats, and to the north Yongxing County has the ancient village of Banliang and the Danxia scenery of the Bianjiang River. The climate is subtropical monsoon; April–October is the season for Xiaodongjiang's morning mist (most likely on clear mornings after a big day–night temperature swing). In summer Dongjiang Lake's water stays cold and the highland grasslands are cool. Getting there: Chenzhou West Station is on the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed line, about 1 hour from Changsha South and 1.5 hours from Guangzhou South; Beihu Airport has flights to Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere. From Chenzhou West it's about 1 hour by car to Dongjiang Lake and about 40 minutes to Gaoyiling. Allow 2–3 days: day one, Xiaodongjiang at dawn plus a Dongjiang Lake boat trip; day two, Gaoyiling and Feitian Mountain; day three, Suxian Ridge and Yuhou Street in the city, or Yangtian Lake. Must-try foods are Dongjiang fish, Qifengdu rice noodles with fish and Linwu duck. Note: to see the mist you need to reach the viewpoints before dawn (around 5:30–6:00), so staying near Dongjiang Lake in Zixing is more convenient. The Danxia areas are exposed to fierce sun in summer, so avoid midday. Mangshan in Yizhang to the south is a separate neighbouring destination ("Mangshan") and requires an overnight stay in the mountains.

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