Xinyang & Jigongshan

The “Jiangnan of the North”: Xinyang Maojian tea hills, the international villas of the Jigong Mountain summer retreat, Haotang Village's rural revival, and revolutionary sites in the Dabie Mountains.

Xinyang lies at the southern tip of Henan, between the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains and the upper Huai River. Sitting in the transition zone between China's northern and southern climates, it is often called the “Jiangnan of the North.” It is the home of Xinyang Maojian tea: tea hills roll across the Shihegang and Nanwan Lake area southwest of the city, and the picking season around the Qingming Festival in April is the most atmospheric time to visit. About 38 km south of the city, Jigong Mountain is one of China's four great summer resorts, with many early-modern Chinese and Western villas preserved on its summit; it is most popular in Jul–Aug. A visit falls into three parts: first, the city and its outskirts — boat trips and island visits on Nanwan Lake, Haotang Village (a model of rural revitalization), tea picking at Wenxin Tea Village, and the Xinyang Museum; second, the southern mountains — Jigong Mountain, Lingshan in Luoshan County, the Dongzhai bird-watching reserve, and Hejiachong, where the Red 25th Army set out on the Long March; third, the Dabie Mountains revolutionary area in Xin County to the southeast — the former capital of the Hubei–Henan–Anhui Soviet Area, General Xu Shiyou's hometown, and the old villages of Tianpu Dawan and Xihe — about 100 km from the city, so plan to spend a night in Xin County. Xinyang East Station is on the Beijing–Hong Kong high-speed line, and the Beijing–Kowloon high-speed line has a station in Xin County; the sights are spread out, so self-driving or hiring a car is most convenient. Allow 3–4 days: one for the city and Nanwan Lake, one for Jigong Mountain, and 1–2 for Xin County's revolutionary sites and old villages. Don't miss Xinyang stews, menguan rou (clay-pot braised pork), Gushi goose and the many dishes made with tea. Thunderstorms are frequent in the mountains in summer, so watch your footing on trails.

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Itineraries