Ningyuan
Jiuyi Mountain, site of Emperor Shun's Mausoleum and an age-old seat of culture, paired with the exquisitely carved Ningyuan Confucian Temple, the old village of Xiaguan and Zixia Cave.
Ningyuan County is in Yongzhou in southern Hunan, at the northern foot of the Nanling Mountains, and is the heartland of Shun culture. The Records of the Grand Historian state that Emperor Shun was 'buried at Jiuyi south of the Yangtze', so Jiuyi Mountain, about 30 km south of town, has been a place of worship for Shun through the ages. Today it is home to the Jiuyi Mountain Emperor Shun Mausoleum Scenic Area, with a public memorial ceremony held each year around the Qingming Festival. Centered on the mausoleum, the Jiuyi Mountain area also includes Shunyuan Peak, Zixia Cave, Yuguan Cave, the ruins of the Emperor Shun Temple and Sanfenshi, Jiuyi's highest peak (check whether it's open). Most sights are covered by a combined ticket and can be seen in a day. In town is the exquisitely carved Ningyuan Confucian Temple; between town and Jiuyi Mountain lies Xiaguan, a thousand-year-old village famed for its top imperial-exam scholars, next to the old street of Wanjing Town. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; in summer the Jiuyi forests are cool enough for a retreat, and in winter a few mountain roads may ice over. Getting there: Yongzhou has a high-speed rail station and Lingling Airport, Ningyuan has a bus station, and buses run from town to Jiuyi Mountain; sights are fairly close together, so self-driving or a chartered car is recommended. Allow 1–2 days: one for the Jiuyi Mountain scenic area and half a day for the Confucian Temple and Xiaguan village. Local specialties include Ningyuan blood duck, Ningyuan tofu and Jiuyi Mountain rabbit.
Top sights
- Emperor Shun Mausoleum, Jiuyi Mountain – According to legend, Emperor Shun was 'buried in Jiuyi in Jiangnan.' His mausoleum temple is built beneath Shunyuan Peak and is called 'Chi…
- Shunyuan Peak – The first of the nine peaks of Mount Jiuyi, behind the Tomb of Emperor Shun; the climbing path winds through forest, and the summit overloo…
- Zixia Cave – A large limestone karst cave on Mount Jiuyi, originally called Chonghua Cave and ranked among the Twelve Famous Caves of Southern Chu, with…
- Yuguan Rock & Shun Temple Site – An archaeological site of the temple where Emperor Shun was worshipped from the Qin and Han periods to the Song dynasty; the strange rocks…
- Sanfenshi Peak – The highest peak of Mount Jiuyi, with three giant boulders standing on the summit; legend says Emperor Shun was buried beneath them, and it…
- Ningyuan Confucian Temple – An intact Qing-era Confucian temple complex with exquisite stone dragon columns and reliefs, designated a national key cultural heritage pr…
- Xiaguan Ancient Village – A village more than a thousand years old, known as the home of Hunan's first top scholar, Li He, with ancestral halls, old residences and b…
Where to eat
- Jiuyi Renjian – A Ningyuan local restaurant on the Ling River in town, recommended by Hongwang as a go-to spot for blood duck, Zhuangyu…
- Banquet Hall, Jiuyishan Resort Hotel (Ningyuan) – Restaurant at a resort hotel beside Jiuyishan National Forest Park, serving Ningyuan blood duck, stuffed tofu and Yao c…
Itineraries
- Yongzhou: Xiaoxiang Ancient Towns & Villages Road Trip – Head south from Lingling to Jiangyong's Yao ethnic villages, visit the Emperor Shun Mausoleum in Jiuyi Mountain, and re…