Located 34 kilometers southwest of Changde City, Hunan Province, the Taohuayuan Scenic Area covers a total area of 157.55 square kilometers, with a core scenic area of approximately 12 square kilometers. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, a key cultural relic under national protection, a national forest park, and a national scenic area. This place combines the beauty of mountains and rural landscapes, the grandeur of temples and pavilions, the richness of poems and inscriptions, and the wonder of historical legends, carrying profound cultural heritage. Ancient trees and bamboo forests are everywhere, and the Yuan River flows through, creating a picturesque scenery that perfectly recreates the beautiful artistic conception of "fresh grass and colorful fallen flowers" described by Tao Yuanming in his masterpiece The Peach Blossom Spring.
Historical Culture
Taohuayuan has a long history dating back 6,000 to 7,000 years, where primitive people lived and multiplied. Throughout history, its administrative division changed many times. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, it belonged to the Baiyue tribe; in the Zhou Dynasty, it was part of Qianzhong; after Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified China, it remained under Qianzhong Commandery; in the early Western Han Dynasty, it was transferred to Linyuan County, Wuling Commandery, and was called Wutou Village at that time. In 48 AD, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, General Ma Yuan camped here during his southern expedition. Nearby, there are still relics such as "Ma Yuan's Stone Chamber" and "Yingpanzhou". When his soldiers suffered from a plague, the local people offered "Sansheng Soup" (ground tea), which cured the plague, and this custom of drinking ground tea has been passed down to this day.
In the Jin Dynasty, the first building, "Taoyuan Temple", was built here. In 421 AD, during the Southern Dynasties, the great poet Tao Yuanming wrote The Peach Blossom Spring and its preface, depicting an ideal utopia, which made Taohuayuan famous ever since. Entering the Tang Dynasty, the scenic area was protected and developed. In the early Tang Dynasty, Taohua Temple was rebuilt. By 781 AD, the architectural complex took shape and its mountain boundaries were defined. In 807 AD, Liu Yuxi visited and inscribed "Peerless Beauty of Taoyuan", which was later engraved on a stele. Many famous poets and literati of the Tang Dynasty left their poems and works here.
During the Song Dynasty, Taohuayuan reached its peak and was developed and restored on a larger scale. In 963 AD, during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song, the area along the middle and lower reaches of the Yuan River was separated from Wuling County to form Taoyuan County, and the name has been used ever since. In 1111 AD, Taichuan Palace was built, and later Emperor Huizong of Song bestowed the plaque "Taichuan Wanshou Palace". Throughout the Song Dynasty, numerous poets and ci writers left their poems and prose here. During the reign of Emperor Shun of Yuan, Taohuayuan was destroyed by war. Although repaired during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it never regained its former glory of the Tang and Song dynasties. Nevertheless, many poets and officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties also left their literary works here.
After the founding of New China, the Party and the government attached great importance to the protection, restoration, and development of Taohuayuan. In January 1959, the People's Committee of Hunan Province announced Taohuayuan as a key cultural relic protection unit in Hunan Province. In March 1964, the Taohuayuan Cultural Relics Management Office was established. In 1987, the Hunan provincial government declared Taohuayuan a provincial scenic area. In June 1992, Taohuayuan was rated as a national forest park. In March 1995, former President Jiang Zemin visited Taohuayuan and left an inscription. In 2011, Taohuayuan was taken over by the municipal government for a series of quality improvements. It reopened to the public on September 22, 2017, and successfully upgraded to a national 5A-level tourist attraction in 2020.
Main Attractions
Ten-Thousand-Mu Peach Orchard
Located in Taoxianling, north of the main scenic area, the Ten-Thousand-Mu Peach Orchard is a world expo garden of peach trees, gathering more than 100 peach tree varieties from around the world. Strolling through it, you will feel as if you are in a sea of peach blossoms. Meanwhile, romantic love legends add a unique charm to this peach orchard.
Taohua Mountain
Taohua Mountain is the "Mountain of Tao Gong" that commemorates and allows visitors to experience the artistic conception of Tao Yuanming's The Peach Blossom Spring. It houses 15 national-level and 1 provincial-level cultural relic protection units, with extremely profound cultural accumulation. Since the Tang Dynasty, the ancient buildings built along the mountain have been scattered in an orderly manner. Countless poems, couplets, and inscriptions left by literati of past dynasties centrally reflect the spiritual core of poetry culture, literati culture, and hermit culture derived from The Peach Blossom Spring, strongly confirming Taohuayuan's status as the prototype of the earthly paradise.
Taoyuan Mountain
Taoyuan Mountain, on the side of the Yuan River, has been a Taoist resort and cultural center since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and is the source of the "Fairyland on Earth" in Taohuayuan. Du Guangting, a Taoist priest in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, recorded in Fairylands and Blessed Regions: "The 35th cave, Taoyuan Mountain, with a circumference of 70 li, is called the Heaven of White Horse and Mysterious Light, located in Wuling County, Langzhou." The architectural complexes such as Shuifu Pavilion, Taichuan Wanshou Palace, and Taichuan Academy in the mountain are magnificent, showing unique Taoist cultural charm.
Wuliu Lake
Named after Tao Yuanming's alias "Mr. Wuliu", Wuliu Lake is located between Taohua Mountain and Taoyuan Mountain and can be called the "open-air cultural living room" of the Taohuayuan Tourist Area. The lake is sparkling, and the mountain scenery is hazy. The folk houses on both sides complement the lake and mountain scenery, showing the idyllic charm. Cultural attractions such as the Taoyuan Arts and Crafts Museum, Liu Yuxi's humble abode, and the stele inscribed with "Peerless Beauty of Taoyuan" are all gathered here, bringing a rich cultural feast to tourists.
Qin Stream
Also known as Shuixi, Qin Stream is an important tributary of the Yuan River and is said to be the only way for the fisherman from Wuling to enter the Peach Blossom Spring. The water surface of Qin Stream is winding, with green bamboo and peach blossoms growing on both sides, presenting a natural and simple scenery. During the day, tourists can take a boat trip on Qin Stream to experience the trace of the earthly paradise; at night, Qin Stream turns into a "river theater" where a large-scale mountain and water real-scene performance The Peach Blossom Spring is staged, vividly reproducing the earthly paradise described by Tao Yuanming through 18 scenes of rural farming life and production.
Qin Valley
About 3.7 kilometers long, Qin Valley is adjacent to Qin Stream in the south and connects to Taohua Mountain in the north. Based on the rural society under the idyllic farming culture, it perfectly presents the scene in The Peach Blossom Spring: "The land was vast and flat, the houses were orderly, and there were fertile fields, beautiful ponds, and mulberry and bamboo groves. The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard." Tourists can experience the self-reliant, self-sufficient, peaceful and tranquil idyllic life here and feel the long-awaited utopian life of the Chinese people.
Local Cuisine
Leicha (Ground Tea)
Enjoying peach blossoms while sipping Leicha is a unique cultural landscape in Taohuayuan. It is said that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, when a general led his army through here, the soldiers contracted a plague. An old woman offered a "secret ancestral recipe of Five-Flavor Soup", which was made by grinding raw rice, ginger, and tea leaves in a mortar and then brewing with hot water. The soldiers recovered after drinking it. Today's "Qin People's Leicha" still follows the ancient method, selecting high-quality local large-leaf tea from Taoyuan, combined with raw rice, ginger, soybeans, sesame, peanuts, dried tangerine peel, licorice, salt, etc. After being soaked in the mountain spring water of Taohuayuan, it is ground into "tea dregs" in a ceramic mortar and then brewed with boiling water, emitting a fragrant aroma. Drinking Leicha is a unique custom in Taohuayuan and a precious gift to entertain guests.
Pot Stew
Pot Stew is a common folk delicacy in Changde and also a dietary feature of Taohuayuan. It inherits the Ding Food Culture characteristic of ancient ancestors, which combines cooking and eating in one vessel. People sit around the pot, eating and cooking at the same time, and the longer it cooks, the more fragrant it becomes. Changde is located in the south with a humid climate. Pot Stew can dispel cold and dampness and increase appetite, and this cooking method can better preserve the color, aroma, and taste of the dishes. People in Changde prefer hot dishes, believing that "a boiling dish is three times more delicious", and the temperature of Pot Stew just meets this requirement.
Rice Noodles
In Changde, rice noodles are the first choice for breakfast, and Taohuayuan continues this dietary habit. In the early morning, locals go to breakfast shops, where the chef skillfully scalds the rice noodles in boiling water, puts them into a bowl, and then pours on toppings such as beef and beef offal. Changde rice noodles integrate snacks, fast food, and banquets into one, combining staple food, dishes, and soup in one bowl. They are known as a unique delicacy in Hunan and are famous throughout the country.
Tickets
The ticket price is 88 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "中国桃花源" to get the latest information or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours
The scenic area is open from 7:30 to 17:30. It is recommended that tourists arrange their visiting time reasonably and try to arrive at the scenic area before the stop of ticket checking to fully visit all attractions. It should be noted that the opening hours of some attractions or projects in the scenic area may be adjusted. Please check the official website or the tourist center for specific information.
Visiting Routes
Recommended one-day tour route: Start from the Taohuayuan Tourist Center and take the regional shuttle bus Line ① to Wuliu Town. First, visit Wuliu Town to feel its unique charm. You can visit the Historical and Cultural Experience Hall and the Leicha Experience Hall. Then go to Wuliu Lake to enjoy the lake and mountain scenery and visit the Humble Abode and other attractions. Subsequently, enter Taohua Mountain and visit the Taohua Mountain Archway, Chrysanthemum Garden, Stele Corridor, Square Bamboo Pavilion, Fairy Meeting Bridge, Taohua Temple, Ma Ji Exhibition Hall, etc. in sequence. After that, go to Taoyuan Mountain to visit the Taoyuan Arts and Crafts Museum, Hundred-Bed Museum, Taichuan Academy, Zhuangyuan Bridge, Shuifu Pavilion, etc. You can also overlook Bailinzhou and enjoy the beautiful scenery of "Fisherman's Village at Sunset". If time permits, you can watch the large-scale stream roaming real-scene performance The Peach Blossom Spring after dinner. The whole journey involves a long walking distance, and you can choose to take the sightseeing bus in the scenic area according to your physical condition.
Two-day tour route: On the first morning, visit Taohuayuan Ancient Town. After lunch, go to Wuliu Town to take a boat tour on Qin Stream, or take the free shuttle bus Line 2 from the tourist center to the entrance of Qin Valley and enter Qin Valley through Tangshi Bridge Wharf to experience rural life. Watch the real-scene performance The Peach Blossom Spring at night. On the second morning after breakfast, visit Wuliu Town and Wuliu Lake, then enter Taohua Mountain, and then go to Taichuan Wanshou Palace. Return in the afternoon. The two-day itinerary is relatively relaxed and allows you to experience the charm of the scenic area more deeply.
Transportation
- By bus: There are several bus stations in Changde City with buses to Taohuayuan Scenic Area. Changde Bus Terminal has multiple buses departing for the scenic area every day, with a journey of about 1 hour.
- By self-driving: Starting from Changde urban area, drive along the Hangrui Expressway, exit at Taohuayuan Exit, and then follow the navigation instructions to the scenic area. The whole journey takes about 40 minutes. The scenic area has a parking lot with a parking fee of 10 yuan per time for small vehicles, 15 yuan per time for medium-sized vehicles, and 20 yuan per time for large vehicles.
Must-Visit Attractions
- Qin Valley: Perfectly restores the scenes in The Peach Blossom Spring, allowing you to personally experience rural farming life and the tranquility and beauty of the earthly paradise.
- Taohua Mountain: Boasts rich cultural relics and profound cultural heritage, making it an excellent place to trace the footsteps of The Peach Blossom Spring and feel the hermit culture.
- The real-scene performance The Peach Blossom Spring: Taking the mountains and rivers on Qin Stream as the stage, vividly reproducing the earthly paradise described by Tao Yuanming. The performance lasts about 90 minutes and is a must-see.
Visiting Suggestions
- Spring (March to April) is the best time to enjoy peach blossoms. At this time, the peach blossoms in the scenic area are in full bloom, presenting a charming scenery. It is recommended to pay attention to the flowering period information in advance to choose the best viewing time.
- The scenic area is large, so it is recommended to wear comfortable sports shoes for easy walking.
- When watching the real-scene performance The Peach Blossom Spring, enter the venue half an hour in advance to choose a better viewing position. The performance is held outdoors, and raincoats will be provided by the scenic area in case of rain.
- When tasting Leicha, you can ask the store about the production process and cultural connotation of Leicha to enhance your visiting experience.
Notes
- Smoking and fireworks are strictly prohibited in the scenic area. Please pay attention to forest fire prevention.
- Take good care of the cultural relics and natural environment in the scenic area. Do not carve or damage them at will.
- When boating on Qin Stream, follow the instructions of the staff and wear life jackets to ensure safety.
- During the tourist peak season, there are many tourists in the scenic area. Please book tickets and accommodation in advance to avoid delaying your itinerary.
- Some projects in the scenic area require additional fees. Please check the fee standards before visiting.