Tucheng Ancient Town
土城古镇
A thousand-year-old town on the middle reaches of the Chishui River, once a major center for salt transport and boat guilds, now home to a dozen red-heritage and folk museums, including the Memorial Hall of Chinese Women Red Army Soldiers and a boat guild museum.
Tucheng Ancient Town lies on the east bank of the Chishui River in western Xishui County. Historically, it was an important dock for Sichuan salt entering Guizhou, and the Eighteen Guilds, including the boat and salt guilds, gathered here. The old street runs along the river, lined with stilted houses, salt shops and guild halls. In 1935, the Red Army set out from here on its First Crossing of the Chishui River. As a result, the town holds more than a dozen memorial sites, including the Memorial Hall of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River, the Memorial Hall of Chinese Women Red Army Soldiers, the Red Ninth Army Corps Exhibition Hall and Mao Zedong's Former Residence. It also has folk museums such as the Chishui River Salt Transport Culture Exhibition Hall and the Boat Guild Museum, and is known as a 'museum town.' Visiting: walking the old street to see the museums takes about 2 to 3 hours. In the evening, you can see the river from its banks. Most museums are free, and some close on Mondays. Getting there: it is in the same town as the Four Crossings Memorial Hall, and it is about 1.5 hours' drive from Chishui city center. Local food to try includes Chishui River fish, tofu rice and yellow glutinous rice cakes. Note: the stone-paved streets are slippery when wet. Many distilleries are nearby, and you can learn about the sauce-aroma baijiu culture of the Chishui River, but never drink and drive.
Opening hours
Old town open all day; exhibition hall about 09:00–17:00