Le'an

Liukeng, billed as "China's Foremost Ancient Village", has been home to the Dong clan for a thousand years, packed with Ming and Qing buildings, memorial archways and academies, and set among the ancient camphor forest of Niutian, Jinzhu Waterfalls and Mount Dahua.

Le'an County lies in the southwest of Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province, in the hills of central Jiangxi, bordering Chongren and Yihuang to the east and Yongfeng (Ji'an) to the west. The heart of this destination is Liukeng Village in Niutian Town: the Dong clan settled here during the Southern Tang of the Five Dynasties period and has lived here together for more than a thousand years. From the Song dynasty onward the village produced a remarkable number of imperial examination graduates, and more than 200 Ming and Qing buildings, ancestral halls, academies and memorial archways survive. It was among the first villages named a Famous Historical and Cultural Village of China, is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, and is known as "China's Foremost Ancient Village". Around Liukeng, the thousand-year-old Niutian camphor forest stretches for over 5 km along the Wu River, while the hills southeast of the county town hold the Jinzhu Waterfalls, Mount Dahua and the Jiupu Gorge rafting run, making for a two- to three-day "ancient village plus mountains and rivers" itinerary. The climate is subtropical monsoon: spring (Mar–Apr), with rapeseed blossoms and fresh greenery, and autumn (Sep–Nov), with clear, crisp weather, are the best times to visit; in summer the mountain waterfalls and rafting are refreshing, but the village itself is hot, humid and rainy; winter is chilly and quiet. Getting there: take a bus from Nanchang or Fuzhou to the Le'an county town (Aoxi Town), then transfer for about 40 km to Liukeng; driving from Nanchang takes about 3 hours. You can stay in guesthouses inside Liukeng, enjoy farmhouse cooking and ride bamboo rafts on the Wu River. Allow 2 days: one exploring Liukeng and the camphor forest in depth, and one at Jinzhu Waterfalls or Mount Dahua. The village is a living community, so ask permission before photographing people or entering private homes.

Top sights

Itineraries