Wangxian Valley & Gexian Village

Wangxian Valley, a "xianxia fantasy town" perched above a cliffside gorge, and the lantern-lit night views of Gexian Village have gone viral on Douyin, joining Lingshan and Hekou Ancient Town as Shangrao's new hot spots beyond Wuyuan and Mount Sanqing.

Shangrao lies in northeastern Jiangxi, bordering Quzhou in Zhejiang to the east and Huangshan in Anhui to the north. Wuyuan and Mount Sanqing within its borders have long been famous (and are covered separately); the recent viral sensations are Wangxian Valley in Guangxin District and Gexian Village in Yanshan County. Both are newly built "xianxia-style" resort towns set in a valley and on a mountaintop: by day you see gorges and streams, and at night thousands of lights illuminate the cliffside buildings, making them some of the hottest night-time destinations on Douyin (Chinese TikTok). In addition, Lingshan in the northern suburbs is a granite peak forest and rock-climbing mecca; Hekou, the Yanshan county town, was a Ming–Qing "wharf of eight provinces" and one of the starting points of the Tea Road, and preserves long Ming–Qing old streets; Ehu Academy witnessed the Southern Song "Goose Lake Meeting" between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan; and the Shangrao Concentration Camp site in the city is a key national Red education site. The best season is April–November; in summer the gorges and mountaintops are cooler than the city, while May–June is the rainy plum-rain season. Getting there: Shangrao Station is the junction of the Shanghai–Kunming and Hefei–Fuzhou high-speed railways, about 1.5 hours from Hangzhou East, 2.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao and 1 hour from Nanchang West; Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport has numerous routes. Wangxian Valley is about 1 hour by car from Shangrao Station; Gexian Village, Hekou and Ehu Academy are all in Yanshan County (about 40 minutes to 1 hour from the city). Tourist shuttle buses serve the scenic areas but run infrequently, so driving yourself is most convenient. Allow 2–3 days: one day for Wangxian Valley (enter in the afternoon for the night views, with the option of staying in the valley), one day for Gexian Village, half a day for Hekou Ancient Town and Ehu Academy, and half a day for Lingshan or the concentration camp site. Try Yanshan blanched rice noodles, dengzhan guo (lamp-shaped rice cakes), red-bud taro and Shangrao "chicken legs" (deep-fried glutinous rice snacks). Note: on holidays, tickets and accommodation at Wangxian Valley and Gexian Village must be booked in advance; night-time crowds are large and transport back is scarce, so stay in or near the scenic areas.

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