Lonely Planet China
Page 95
1Sights
The Lónghǔ Shān scenic area encompasses 200 sq km, most of which is located along the eastern bank of the Lúxī River. Entrance costs ¥150, but most people buy the combined ticket (¥260), which includes admission to seven sites and a raft ride, as well as transport on miniature trains (at the main entrance to Zhèngyī Temple) and shuttle buses (from Zhèngyī Temple to the Residence of the Celestial Masters). To get the most out of your visit, narrow your sightseeing to two main areas: the Residence of the Celestial Masters and Elephant’s Trunk Hill.
At the main entrance are two small museums, the Taoist Museum (龙虎山道教博物馆; Lónghŭ Shān Dàojiào Bówùguǎn h8am-5pm), with information in Chinese only, and the Geology Museum (龙虎山地质博物馆; Lónghŭ Shān Dìzhí Bówùguǎn h8am-5pm), with detailed explanations of Lónghǔ Shān’s formation. The dinosaur-themed 4D-cinema (电影院; Diànyǐngyuàn ¥25) is above the ticket office.
Residence of the Celestial MastersTAOIST SITE
(天师府, Tiānshī Fǔ )
This is the largest and best-preserved temple in the area. It was originally built in the Song dynasty, thoroughly renovated in the Qing dynasty and then again in the 1990s. The oldest building still standing is the Sanctuary of Triple Introspection (三省堂; Sān Xǐng Táng), which dates to 1865. To get here, walk for 15 minutes through old Shàngqīng village from the shuttle drop-off. Another 500m along Fuqian Jie (府前街) is an abandoned Catholic church (天主教堂; Tiānzhǔjiào Táng).
It's located about 28km from Lónghǔ Shān’s main entrance. Entrance is via the ¥150 scenic area ticket, or the combined ticket (¥260).
Elephant’s Trunk HillHILL
(象鼻山, Xiàngbí Shān )
Close to Lónghǔ Shān’s main entrance, this is the first stop you’ll reach if you catch the miniature train. Here you can hike a loop past rock formations and rebuilt temples, then descend to the river from where you’ll be able to spy the mountain's 2500-year-old hanging coffins (悬棺; xuán guān) on the opposite side of the bank.
4Sleeping
A number of decent guesthouses at very reasonable prices are located just outside the main entrance to the ticketed scenic area.
Lónghǔ Shān KèzhànGUESTHOUSE$
(龙虎山客栈 %0701 665 9506; 39 Xianrencheng Lu, 仙人城路39号 r with/without air-con ¥80/60; aW)
One block back from the main entrance to the Lónghǔ Shān scenic area, this little guesthouse is clean and friendly.
Róngshèng BīnguǎnHOTEL$$
(荣盛宾馆, Róngshèng Bīnguǎn %0701 665 7666; Xin Damen Daimian, 龙虎山新大门对面 tw from ¥168; aiW)
Tasteful and surprisingly sophisticated, Róngshèng is opposite the Lónghǔ Shān park entrance, on the corner.
Ask for a discount. Outside peak periods it can be discounted to ¥150.
5Eating
Hotels and restaurants are conveniently based near the main entrance. There are also small restaurants inside the park, at Shàngqīng village.
8Information
There are internet cafes (网吧; wǎngbā) by the train station in Yīngtán.
8Getting There & Away
Lónghǔ Shān is near the small city of Yīngtán (鹰潭). To get to Lónghǔ Shān from Yīngtán, take bus K2, which runs from the train station, past the bus station (鹰潭客运站; Yīngtán Kèyùnzhàn Jiaotong Lu, Guìxī; 交通路贵溪 ) and on to the main entrance (¥3, 25 minutes, 6.15am to 7pm, every 15 minutes).
Services from Yīngtán bus station (鹰潭客运站; Yīngtán kèyùnzhàn):
Jǐngdézhèn ¥55, three hours (7.40am, 8.40am, 12.40pm and 1.50pm)
Nánchāng ¥42, two hours, hourly (7.30am to 6.15pm)
Wùyuán ¥76, 3½ hours (8.30am, 11.50am and 1.20pm)
The Hángzhōu-Changsha bullet-train line passes through the Yīngtán north train station (鹰潭北火车站; Yīngtán Běihuǒchēzhàn Yingdong Dadao, Guìxī; 鷹東大道贵溪 ). Services include:
AChángshā G-class bullet, hard seat, ¥222, two hours, 30 daily
AShànghǎi Hóngqiáo G-class bullet, hard seat, ¥276, three to 3½ hours, 22 daily
ANánchāng West G-class bullet ¥65, 30 minutes, 40 daily
Services from Yīngtán train station (鹰潭北火车站; Yīngtán huǒchēzhàn):
AHángzhōu D-class bullet ¥148, four hours, five daily (9.17am to 3.42pm)
AHángzhōu T/K-class hard seat/sleeper ¥72/132, six to seven hours, 20 daily
AJǐngdézhèn K-class hard seat, ¥24, three hours, four daytime trains (8.32am, 10.23am, 1.17pm and 2.52pm)
ANánchāng K-class hard seat ¥24, two hours, 20 daily
AYùshān K-class hard seat ¥24, two hours, six daytime trains (6.27am to 5.56pm)
Lóngnán 龙南
%0797 / Pop 152,000
If you have never encountered Fújiàn's famous circular tǔlóu (土楼; roundhouses), try Jiāngxī's equally marvellous rectangular versions. In the verdant Hakka countryside in the south of the province, there are estimates of some 370 such dwellings in Lóngnán (龙南) County. These unusual structures have housed neighbouring families for generations in earthen compounds; the villages of Guānxī (关西) and Yángcūn (杨村) are the most interesting and accessible.
1Sights
Yànyì WéiHISTORIC BUILDING
(燕翼围 ¥10)
The fascinating, 350-year-old, four-storey-tall Yànyì Wéi is the tallest of a number of crumbling old fortified villages in the vicinity of Yángcūn. It's still lived in by villagers and you can climb all four storeys.
Wǔdāng ShānMOUNTAIN
(武当山 ¥15; h8am-5.30pm)
Also known as Xiǎo (little) Wǔdāng Shān, this group of weathered sandstone peaks reward an easy one-hour climb with stunning views of the surrounding subtropical forest. Not to be confused with Húběi’s more famous Wǔdāng Shān.
To get to Yángcūn, take a bus (¥12.50, 1¼ hours, frequent) from the small bus station at 99 Longding Dadao (龙鼎大道99号) in Lóngnán. The bus passes Wǔdāng Shān (one hour).
Guānxī New FortFORT
(关西新围, Guānxī Xīn Wéi ¥10)
Built in 1827 by Xu Mingjun, a wealthy lumber merchant, Guānxī New Fort is the largest and most ornate fortified village in the county. The smaller, more rundown fort just behind it is known as lǎo wéi (old fort) and was built by Xu's father.
COILED-DRAGON HOUSES
If you're interested in further exploring traditional Hakka dwellings – or just fancy taking the back route into Guǎngdōng province – you can catch a bus from Lóngnán's long-distance bus station to Méizhōu (梅州; ¥80, four hours, 7.20am), where you'll find China's largest cluster of wéilóngwū (coiled-dragon houses). From there you can catch a bus on to Yǒngdìng, to see Fújiàn's famed tǔlóu (土楼).
4Sleeping & Eating
In Lóngnán, there are a few passable guesthouses and business hotels, especially around Binjiang Sq.
Lóngnán has a modest selection of places to eat. For cheap fare, stick to the bus-station area or near Binjiang Sq.
Fùyě HotelBUSINESS HOTEL$
(富野酒店, Fùyě Jiǔdiàn 500 Jinshui Dajie, 金水大道500号 r from ¥290; paW)
This gaudy old darling of a hotel on the river is actually quite fun. As long as there isn't a conference in town you can slide across the empty banquet room in your socks. The nonsmoking rooms are pleasant enough, with some thread still left in the carpet, the beds are well presented and the bathrooms have been jazzed up.
Staff don't speak English, but are enthusiastic in their efforts.
8Getting There & Away
Two direct trains to Lóngnán run from Nánchāng (hard seat ¥75, 7½ hours, 3.33pm and 3.47pm) while one runs from Guǎngzhōu East (hard seat ¥87, 5½ hours, 11.25am). Otherwise take a bus from Nánchāng to Gànzhōu (赣州; ¥120, 5½ hours, hourly, 7.20am to 6.50pm), where you can transfer to a Lóngnán bus (¥58, two hours, hourly until 6pm). The bus from Gànzhōu
will stop at Lóngnán's long-distance bus station (长途汽车站; chángtú qìchēzhàn) before terminating at the small bus station at 99 Longding Dadao, which is 200m from Binjiang Sq (turn left).
8Getting Around
Local bus 1 (¥1) goes from the train station in Lóngnán, past the long-distance bus station and onto Binjiang Sq (滨江广场; Bīnjiāng Guǎngchǎng).
Húnán
Changsha
Shaoshan
Heng Shan
Zhangjiajie
Dehang
Fenghuang
Hongjiang Old Town
Furong Zhen
Húnán
Pop 66 million
Why Go?
As the birthplace of Mao Zedong, Communist Party cadres might wax lyrical about the sacred standing of Húnán (湖南) in the annals of Chinese history, but it's Húnán’s dramatic scenery that is the real draw.
A magnificent landscape of isolated mountain ranges and jagged, karst peaks envelops more than 80% of the province. The most astonishing example is found at the phantasmagorical Zhāngjiājiè, one of China's most surreal national parks. Here, as in other parts of the province, geological marvels thrust up majestically from green vales fed by tributaries in the fertile Yangzi River basin.
People have long made a home amid Húnán's natural wonders, taming the rocky slopes into terraces of lush fields, and their distinctive cultures live on in charming villages and towns, the most alluring being the historic riverside settlement of Fènghuáng.
When to Go
AApr & May After a chilly (though not freezing) winter, spring brings welcome warmth, and mountain flowers.
ASep & Oct Temperatures cool after a scorching summer. Autumnal leaves emblazon Zhāngjiājiè.
ADec–Feb Tour groups disappear from Fènghuáng. Zhāngjiājiè is sometimes brushed with snow.
Best Places to Eat
A Huǒgōngdiàn
A Sōnghuājiāng Jiǎoziguǎn
A Miss Yang Restaurant
A Máo Jiā Fàndiàn
Best Places to Sleep
A A Good Year
A Bājiè Youth Hostel
A Guìguān International Hotel
A Sheraton Chángshā Hotel
Húnán Highlights
1 Zhāngjiājiè Hiking among the otherworldly peaks of one of China's most spectacular national parks.
2 Fènghuáng Wandering this gorgeous river town at night, marvelling at its lights.
3 Chángshā Sampling authentic, chilli-laden xiāng cài (Húnán cuisine) in the food-loving provincial capital.
4 Héng Shān Ascending the slopes of the sacred Taoist mountain.
5 Fúróng Zhèn Sizing up the magnificent waterfall alongside this quaint old town.
6 Bīngláng Valley Exploring its magnificent 1km-long pitch-black cave before emerging into the sun on the far side.
7 Déhāng Hiking off in search of waterfalls amid the gorgeous greenery of west Húnán.
8 Hóngjiāng Old Town Meandering around the old town, checking out its good-looking crop of ancient buildings.
History
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Húnán was one of the empire’s granaries, transporting vast quantities of rice to the embattled north. By the 19th century, land shortages and feudalism caused widespread unrest among farmers and hill-dwelling minorities. These economic disparities galvanised the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s, ensuring widespread support by the 1920s for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Húnán’s Mao Zedong.
8Getting There & Around
Chángshā is loaded with bullet trains, heading south to Guǎngzhōu (2½ hours), north to Běijīng (six hours), east to Shànghǎi (seven hours), west to Sháoshān (25 minutes) and northwest to Xī'ān (six hours). It also has flights to every major city.
Local trains can get you around the province, although long-distance buses are more frequent and often faster. Within towns and cities, local buses cost ¥1 or ¥2. Carry exact change.
Chángshā 长沙
%0731 / Pop 2.5 million
For three millennia, this city on the Xiāng River (湘江; Xiāng Jiāng) flourished steadily as a centre of agriculture and intellect. In the 1920s it was still so well preserved that British philosopher Bertrand Russell is said to have compared it to a medieval town, but not long after, the Sino-Japanese War and a massive fire in 1938 gave Chángshā (长沙) an irreversible facelift, leaving little of its early history. These days it's a modern, energetic city, known mainly for sights relating to Mao Zedong, but with its magnolia-lined streets and riverine aspect, it's a pleasant enough stopover and provincial capital.
Chángshā
1Sights
1Old City Walls & Tiānxīn PavilionB2
4Sleeping
2Old Street International Youth HostelB2
3Sheraton Chángshā HotelB1
5Eating
4HuǒgōngdiànA2
5Sōnghuājiāng JiǎoziguǎnD1
8Information
Bank of ChinaD2
6Provincial People's HospitalB2
Transport
Airport Shuttle BusD2
7Bus Ticket OfficeD1
8Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaD2
1Sights
Old City Walls & Tiānxīn PavilionHISTORIC SITE
(古城墙、天心阁; Gǔchéngqiáng、Tiānxīn Gé MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 3 Tianxin Lu; 天心路3号 park free, pavilion ¥32; h7.30am-6pm; g202)
The old city walls, which once stretched for 9km around ancient Chángshā, were built of rammed earth in 202 BC, reinforced with stone in AD 1372 (during the Ming dynasty), damaged by the Taiping in 1852 and finally demolished in 1928, save for this imposing 251m-long section. You can enter Tiānxīn Park for free and wander around the old wall, but you have to pay to climb up on top of it, and to visit the attractive Tiānxīn Pavilion atop it.
The extant section was restored in 1983.
Tangerine IslePARK
(橘子洲; Júzi Zhōu GOOGLE MAP ; h24hr; mJuzizhou)F
The most famous of the city’s parks is a 5km-long sliver of an island smack bang in the middle of the Xiāng River. A reflective 32-year-old Mao immortalised it in 'Changsha', probably his best regarded poem, after standing at its southern tip and looking west towards Yuèlù Mountain one autumn day. A towering granite bust of a youthful Chairman with flowing locks now stands at the spot – but faces in a new direction.
You can walk a circuit of the island on the pleasant riverside promenade, or catch a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing electric trolley (¥20) for the 9km round trip by the metro entrance, or rent tandem bicycles (¥30 per hour).
Húnán Provincial MuseumMUSEUM
(湖南省博物馆; Húnán Shěng Bówùguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; %0731 8451 4630; 50 Dongfeng Lu; 东风路50号 g136 from train station)F
This formerly first-rate museum was undergoing a complete rebuild at the time of research and was far from completion at that time.
4Sleeping
You can find basic rooms clustered around the train station, but you get what you pay for and there are better pickings further afield.
Chángshā International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(长沙国际青年旅舍; Chángshā Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshè %0731 8299 0202; www.hnhostel.com; 61 Gongshang Xiang; 东风路下大垅工商巷61号 dm ¥35-40, s/d/tw/tr ¥88/108/118/138; aiW; g136 from train station)
Chángshā's first youth hostel, and still its best, although rooms – simple, bright and clean – could do with freshening up. The lovely lobby is great for sitting down with a coffee or beer, and there's a backyard with table tennis and a pool table. Travel notices pinned up around the place are in Chinese only, but some staff speak a little English and are happy to help out.
The location is pleasant – tucked away down a quiet, tree-lined residential street – but out of the way. Take bus 136 from the train station and get off at Xiàdàlǒng (下大垅) bus stop. Cross the road, walk along the alley called Dongfeng Ercun Xiang (东风二村
巷), which is opposite the bus stop, and you'll find Gongshang Xiang behind the shops, running parallel to the main road. From Xiàdàlǒng bus stop, buses 112 and 901 go to Jiefang Xilu.
Its sister hostel – Yuèlù Mountain International Youth Hostel (岳麓山国际青年旅舍; Yuèlù Shān Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshè %0731 8536 8418; 50 Xinmin Lu; 新民路50号 dm/s/d ¥40/98/128; g旅1, mYingwanzhen) – isn't as nice, but is OK if this place is full. It's on Xinmin Lu, which is opposite the entrance to Yuèlù Mountain.
Old Street International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(古巷国际青年旅舍; Gǔxiàng Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshě MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0731 8225 3500; gxhostel@126.com; 56 Duzheng Jie; 都正街56号 dm/s/tw/d ¥45/98/108/138; aiW)
This small Hostelling International place, parcelled away along the restored old street of Duzheng Jie, has a fabulous location in a charming area not far from Chángshā's pulsing nightlife. The staff are friendly and speak English. From the train station, take bus 139 to the Tianxinge (天心阁) stop, which takes you close to Duzheng Jie.
oSheraton Chángshā HotelHOTEL$$$
(喜来登酒店; Xǐláidēng Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0731 8488 8888; www.starwoodhotels.com; 478 Furong Zhonglu; 芙蓉中路一段478号 r from ¥750, plus 15% service charge; naiWs)