Guyan Huaxiang & Tongji Weir
古堰画乡·通济堰
A 1,500-year-old ancient irrigation project, the Tongji Weir, together with ancient camphor trees and sailboats along the Ou River, makes this a renowned oil painting sketching base.
Guyan Huaxiang lies along the Ou River between Bihu Town and Dagangtou Town in Liandu District, Lishui. It consists of Yantou Village, where the Tongji Weir is located, and Dagangtou Town on the opposite bank. Construction of the Tongji Weir began in 505 CE during the Liang dynasty. It is one of Zhejiang's oldest large-scale hydraulic projects, with an ingenious arched dam design that still irrigates the Bihu Plain today. It was inscribed on the first list of World Irrigation Heritage Sites in 2014 and is also a key national cultural heritage site. Yantou Village preserves a grove of thousand-year-old camphor trees, the Zhannan Ersima Temples, and an old village with its lanes. On the opposite bank, Dagangtou Town is the ‘Lishui Barbizon’ oil painting base, with galleries, painting academies, and guesthouses along the river. In the evening, sailboats on the Ou River and the sunset form the classic scene of ‘Ou River Sails’. Ferries run between the two banks. Tickets are as announced by the scenic area (combination tickets that include the ferry are common), and a visit takes about half a day. Getting there: from downtown Lishui, a taxi takes about 40 minutes, and buses from Lishui Station also serve the area. Note: the riverbank is slippery, so do not go swimming.
Opening hours
About 08:30–17:00