Mengdong River

Overview

About

The Mengdong River scenic area in Yongshun County, north-west Hunan, about 80 km from Zhangjiajie, has five parts: Wangcun, the Mengdong River, the old chieftain’s city of Laosicheng, Bu’ermen and the Xiaoxi primeval secondary forest.

It has more than 190 wild animal species, among them the golden snub-nosed monkey, forest musk deer and barn owl, and rare plants such as the dawn redwood, gingko and dove tree.

The Mengdong region has long been the political, economic and cultural centre of the Tujia people, whose festivals include the Sheba, Tiaonian and Sixth of the Sixth Month festivals. The climate is humid subtropical monsoon, averaging about 16 °C.

The thousand-year old town of Wangcun keeps the Xizhou bronze pillar, a national protected relic, a five-li flagstone street and stilt houses of the Tujia; it became famous as the location of Xie Jin’s film Hibiscus Town.

Rafting on the Mengdong is billed as “the first rafting under heaven”.

The Xizhou Bronze Pillar, cast in 940, bears the peace treaty and boundary agreed between Ma Xifan, King of Chu, and Peng Shichou, prefect of Xizhou; it became a national key cultural relic in 1961.

It is in the fifth batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 2004.

Travel tips

Getting there: the park is in Yongshun county, Hunan, about 80 km from Zhangjiajie. Go first to Zhangjiajie by train or coach and continue to Yongshun by road. Jishou also has buses to Yongshun.

Layout: the park has five parts, Wangcun (now called Furong town), Mengdong River rafting, Laosicheng, Buermen and the Xiaoxi primary forest. The sights are scattered.

Rafting: rafting on the Mengdong River is the main activity and is divided into sections. The upper river is wider and the lower reaches have rapids. You float downstream in rubber boats through the gorge and karst scenery.

Furong town: Wangcun is a thousand-year-old town with stone-paved streets and stilt houses beside a waterfall. It became known through the film Hibiscus Town, which was shot here.

Laosicheng: the site of the Tusi chiefs' city, a World Heritage site since 2015. You can see the ruins and learn about Tusi culture. It is separate from the rafting.

Time: half a day each for rafting and the town. With Laosicheng, two days is usual.

Season: rafting is best in summer, when the water is high and the weather is warm. It is mostly closed in winter.

Where to stay: Yongshun town and Furong town both have lodgings, and Furong town is attractive at night.

Photo credits: Mengdong River gorge, Hunan: Popolon (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

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