Xinhua

The thousand-year-old Ziquejie Terraces, a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, combined with the Meishan Dragon Palace caves, Daxiong Mountain, the old villages of Fengjiashan and Meishan culture.

Xinhua County lies in central Hunan, in western Loudi, with the Zi River flowing south to north through town. Known in ancient times as the land of the Meishan 'barbarians', it is the birthplace of Meishan culture and, by legend, the homeland of Chiyou. The county seat sits on the Zi River, while the higher western uplands, an offshoot of the Xuefeng Mountains, hold the Ziquejie Terraces and many old villages. The area divides into three parts. The west is the highlight: the Ziquejie Terraces are a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, with viewpoints such as Bajiaolou, Jiulongpo and Yaorenchong looking out over tier upon tier of paddies; Zhenglong Village and the old villages of Shangtuan and Xiatuan at Fengjiashan to the north preserve timber houses and are good for an overnight stay to photograph the morning mist. North of town are the Meishan Dragon Palace caves and rafting on the Youxi River, and further north is Daxiong Mountain National Forest Park, rising to over 1,600 m. In town you can see the Zi River and the North Pagoda, and Boyue Cave in neighboring Lengshuijiang is a popular side trip. Seasonally, the terraces are flooded and mirror-like in Apr–May, rice waves turn gold in Sep–Oct, and there is occasional snow in winter; summer is good for rafting and cooling off on Daxiong Mountain. Getting there: Xinhua South Station on the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed line is about 1 hour from Changsha; Ziquejie is about 60 km (around 1.5 hours' drive) from town, and the mountain roads inside the scenic area are narrow and winding, so in peak season take the scenic-area shuttle. Allow 2–3 days: one for Meishan Dragon Palace and town, and one or two for Ziquejie and the surrounding villages. Local specialties include Xinhua sanhe soup, Xinhua cured pork and terrace-grown rice. Check official notices for ticket prices and rafting hours.

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