Danzhou Ancient Town
丹洲古城
A Ming-era county seat site on an island in the upper reaches of the Liu River, with well-preserved city walls, an academy and pomelo groves. It is ideal for a leisurely half day.
Danzhou Ancient Town is in Danzhou Town, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County. It sits on an island in the Rong River, the upper reaches of the Liu River, surrounded by water and planted with shatian pomelo trees. During the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty, the seat of Huaiyuan County, the predecessor of today’s Sanjiang County, was moved here, and it remained until 1932. The town therefore preserves Ming and Qing city walls and gates, the Danzhou Academy, the Beidi Temple, a Fujian-Guangdong guild hall, historic residences and flagstone streets. The old town is small, and a walk around it takes 1 to 2 hours. It sees far fewer visitors than Chengyang Eight Villages, and the atmosphere is peaceful. In autumn and winter the whole island is fragrant with pomelos, which you can buy directly from villagers. Admission is free. Getting there: drive about 2.5 hours from Liuzhou to Rong’an County, then take a ferry from Danzhou Pier to the island for a few yuan. Alternatively, take the high-speed train to Rong’an Station and then a taxi. It can be combined with Chengyang Eight Villages for a two-day northern Liuzhou route.
Opening hours
All day (ferry runs during daytime)
Nearby sights
- Heli Sanwang Palace & Renhe Bridge
- Sanjiang Wind-and-Rain Bridge
- Sanjiang Drum Tower & Dong Bird's Nest Theatre
- Buyang Xianrenshan Tea Garden
- Chengyang Eight Villages & Yongji Wind-and-Rain Bridge
- Batuan Bridge
- Mapang Drum Tower
- Gaoding Dong Village