Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town
Once the "Great Metropolis of the Southwest" under the Ming and Qing, this well-preserved merchant town is packed with yinzi courtyard houses, with Qianyang Ancient Town, Furong Tower and the Anjiang Agricultural School Memorial Park nearby.
Hongjiang is in Huaihua in southwestern Hunan, where the Yuan, Wu and Wushui rivers meet. This destination centers on Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town (Hongjiang District) and Qianyang Ancient Town (Qiancheng in Hongjiang City), extending to Anjiang, Gaoyi in Huitong, Zhijiang and Zhongfang in Huaihua. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, river trade made Hongjiang a hub for timber and tung oil, earning it the name "Great Metropolis of the Southwest", and large numbers of yinzi houses—enclosed, high-walled courtyard homes—survive today; Qianyang Ancient Town has Furong Tower and intact Ming and Qing streets. Nearby are the Anjiang Agricultural School Memorial Park, where Yuan Longping worked for 37 years; Gaoyi, a Ming and Qing Dong village; and, in Zhijiang, the Japanese Surrender Site, the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall and the Longjin Wind and Rain Bridge, covering both WWII and Dong heritage.
The climate is subtropical monsoon. Spring and autumn (Mar–May, Sep–Nov) are the best times to visit; summers in the Yuan River valley are muggy and rainy, and in winter you can see rime ice on Subaoding, the summit of the Xuefeng Mountains. Getting there: take a high-speed train to Huaihua South Station, then transfer by road—about 1 hour to Qiancheng and about 1.5 hours to Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town; Zhijiang has its own airport. Sights are spread out, so driving or hiring a car is recommended. Stay in Qianyang Ancient Town or Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town and allow 2–3 days: one day for Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town and Gaoyi Village, one for Qianyang Ancient Town, Furong Tower and the Anjiang Agricultural School, and one for Zhijiang. Local specialties include Hongjiang duck with blood rice cakes, Qianyang rock-sugar oranges and Zhijiang duck. Check official sources for ticket prices and opening hours.
Top sights
- Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town – A cluster of yinzi houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties, once known as the 'Metropolis of Southwest China.' Its commercial houses, money…
- Qianyang Ancient Town – A thousand-year-old county town at the confluence of the Yuan and Wu rivers, with its city walls, Zhongzheng Gate, bell and drum towers and…
- Former Site of the Japanese Surrender (Zhijiang) – The site where Japanese forces negotiated their surrender in 1945. The Surrender Memorial Arch is known as the 'Arch of Triumph of China' a…
- Furong Tower – Famous for Wang Changling's line “a heart as pure as ice in a jade jar.” This Qing-dynasty garden tower overlooks the Yuan River and is the…
- Anjiang Agricultural School Memorial Park – Where Yuan Longping worked for 37 years and where hybrid rice research began. Preserved sites include his former residence, laboratory, and…
- Gaoyi Ancient Village – A Ming and Qing Dong ethnic village on a bend of the Wu River, where more than a hundred firewall-style courtyard houses are well preserved…
- Jingping Ancient Village – A thousand-year-old village along the Wu River, where the Pan Clan Ancestral Hall, ancient camphor trees, and stone-slab lanes come togethe…
- Zhijiang Flying Tigers Museum – Built on the site of Zhijiang Airfield, a Allied base during World War II, it presents the history of Claire Chennault and the Flying Tiger…
- Zhijiang Tianhou Temple – A Mazu temple built by merchants from Fujian. Its stone archway carries reliefs of scenes like the “Three Towns of Wuhan” and Luoyang Bridg…
- Longjin Wind and Rain Bridge – A Dong-style wind and rain bridge spanning the Wu River, about 250 meters long, with a covered gallery and drum-tower-style bridge pavilion…
- Subaoding (Xuefeng Mountain) – The main peak of the Xuefeng Mountains, at about 1,934 meters above sea level. Its summit meadows, wind turbines, and sea of clouds are spe…
Where to eat
- Zengfu Home Banquet (Huizhou Guildhall Zengfu Hotel) – A boutique hotel restaurant converted from the Huizhou Guildhall inside the ancient commercial town, named a Huaihua Re…
Itineraries
- Southwest Hunan Road Trip: Xuefeng Mountain to Langshan – A long-distance self-drive loop through terraced fields, Yao villages, ancient commercial towns, Dong villages, Nanshan…
- Road Trip: Zhangjiajie to Guilin via Fenghuang & Dong Villages – Drive south from Zhangjiajie through Tujia and Miao villages, ancient commercial towns, and Dong settlements all the wa…