Shangcheng & Huangbai Mountain

On the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains, Huangbai Mountain's sea of forest pairs with Tangquanchi hot springs, while Liluocheng's rural autumn colours, Xinxian's former Soviet-base capital and Tianpu Dawan link up into a revolutionary-history and old-village route.

Shangcheng and Huangbai Mountain lie in southeastern Xinyang, Henan, on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains where Henan, Hubei and Anhui meet. The area centres on Shangcheng County and also takes in sights in Xinxian and Guangshan counties to the west. The monsoon climate is transitional between northern subtropical and warm temperate: summers in the mountains are cool, spring brings azaleas and the new tea harvest, the forests turn every shade of colour in Oct–Nov, and winter is the time for hot springs, with the occasional snowfall.

On the Shangcheng side, the highlight is Huangbai Mountain National Forest Park in Changzhuyuan Township in the south, with Jiutan Valley, Jiufeng Peak and the Ming-dynasty Fayan Temple as the main sights. Southwest of the county town are the Tangquanchi hot springs and Nianyushan Reservoir; Liluocheng Village in Fushan Township is a photographer's favourite in autumn and winter for its red Chinese tallow trees; and the county museum covers Shangcheng's history and revolutionary events such as the Shangnan Uprising. To the west, Xinxian was the seat of the Hubei–Henan–Anhui Soviet Area, with the Soviet Capital Revolutionary Museum, the hometown of General Xu Shiyou, Tianpu Dawan, Xihe Village and Jinlanshan Forest Park, while Jingju Temple in Guangshan is one of the ancestral temples of the Tiantai school of Buddhism.

Getting there: both Shangcheng and Xinxian have rail service, and it's about 2 hours' drive from Xinyang city to Shangcheng. Allow 2–3 days: one for Huangbai Mountain, one for Tangquanchi and Liluocheng, and one for Xinxian's revolutionary sites and old villages. Local specialities include Shangcheng stews, tongxian fish, Xinyang Maojian tea and chestnuts.

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