Where to Go During the National Day Holiday? There Is a Low-Key Ancient City in Hubei, World-Famous but Still with Few Tourists
This is Liu Xiaoshun's Travel and Life Research Institute.
The National Day holiday is just around the corner, and this year's holiday is different from previous years, as it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it can be extended to 8 consecutive days. However, due to well-known special reasons, many people will not be able to travel abroad during this National Day holiday. Have you thought about where to go in China?
I believe that every National Day holiday, many people are troubled by where to go. They are afraid of too many people, afraid it might not be fun. Finding a place with rich tourism resources and relatively few tourists is indeed not an easy task. So let me recommend a "low-key" ancient city to you, which is Jingzhou City in Hubei Province!
Speaking of Jingzhou, I believe everyone is familiar with this name. As an important birthplace of Chu culture, Jingzhou is a world-famous historical and cultural city. Recently, I came to Jingzhou for a "time-traveling" four-day, three-night trip, which left me with an especially unforgettable travel memory.
My specific itinerary for this four-day, three-night trip to Jingzhou is as follows:
Day 1: Jingzhou High-Speed Rail Station - Songzi Weishui National Wetland Park - Songzi Weishui Auto Camping Site
Day 2: Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy - Jingzhou Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area
Day 3: Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park - Jingzhou Ancient City Wall
Day 4: Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage
[Day 1-1: Weishui National Wetland Park]
The first stop of the Jingzhou trip, we arrived at "Weishui National Wetland Park," located in the southwest of Songzi City, Jingzhou City, at the center of three famous tourist areas: the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, Jingzhou Ancient City, and Zhangjiajie in Hunan. It is also a famous national 4A-level tourist attraction. The most worth seeing here is definitely the "Asia's First Dam."
The "Weishui Reservoir" in "Weishui National Wetland Park" is a famous artificial freshwater lake in Asia, with 500 lake-islands rising in the water, earning it the reputation of "Thousand Island Lake in the Southern Chu Wonderland." The "Asia's First Dam" is the "Weishui Dam," which is the largest artificial earth dam in Asia.
The "Weishui Dam" is located in the middle reaches of the Weishui River, with a total length of 9,868 meters. The main dam axis is in an "S" shape, mainly divided into the main dam and the north and south auxiliary dams. The south end is a homogeneous dam, while the north end is a clay material dam. Construction began in September 1958 and was successfully closed on February 2, 1960. It is also one of the famous landmark buildings in Songzi City, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province.
The crest elevation of the "Weishui Dam" is 98.25 meters. The north auxiliary dam has two three-hole spillway gates: Sunjiaxi and Mujiangwan. At the south end of the dam, there are two irrigation gates: the South Gate and the Lixian County Gate in Hunan, irrigating 520,000 mu of farmland in Songzi, Gong'an, and Lixian counties, turning this land into a famous "land of fish and rice."
As a famous water conservancy project, the "Weishui Dam" not only serves water conservancy purposes but also allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Weishui River and feel the hard work and bravery of the Songzi people in building this dam.
However, as the "Asia's First Dam," the "Weishui Dam" is still not very well-known, with few tourists aware of it, making it a "niche" tourist spot in Jingzhou City.
Attraction Name: Weishui National Wetland Park
Address: Weishui Avenue, Weishui Town, Songzi City, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 24 hours
Ticket Price: Free
Recommended Visit Duration: 1-2 hours
[Day 1-2: Weishui Auto Camping Site]
If you come to "Weishui National Wetland Park," you must not miss the nearby "Weishui Auto Camping Site," which is said to be the first "five-star" auto sports camping site in China!
The "Weishui Auto Camping Site" is built on the Weishui National Water Conservancy Scenic Area, nestled under the Weishui Dam (Asia's First Dam) along the jungle, with a unique style, and has become a popular tourist check-in spot.
The "Weishui Auto Camping Site" integrates outdoor sports, sightseeing, leisure wellness, and vacation accommodation, and has even won the highest award in the camping industry, the "Deer Eagle Award."
Covering an area of 407 mu, the "Weishui Auto Camping Site" is divided into multiple functional areas: the main venue area, main camp area, special accommodation area, activity and entertainment area, and supporting service area.
As soon as I entered the "Weishui Auto Camping Site," I found it truly lived up to its reputation, leaving a particularly deep impression. Unlike ordinary hotels, the rooms are diverse and varied, truly eye-opening and full of surprises.
For example, there is "RV" accommodation, so even if you don't drive an RV here, you can experience living in an RV, which matches the theme of the "Auto Camping Site."
In addition, there are family-themed rooms with slides, and jungle log cabins with curved slides. Doesn't it make you feel like you've suddenly traveled to a fairy-tale world?
The interior decoration of the rooms is also very distinctive, complementing the shape of the room. For instance, the tent is paired with a round bed with a wild touch.
There is also a purely American-style decoration in the jungle log cabin, giving people the illusion of suddenly stepping into a scene from a Hollywood movie.
The Songzi "Weishui Auto Camping Site" fully meets the vacation needs of different groups. No wonder many tourists who visit "Weishui National Wetland Park" also come to stay at the "Weishui Auto Camping Site." Naturally, it's understandable!
Attraction Name: Weishui Auto Camping Site
Address: No. 8, Weishui Avenue, Weishui Town, Songzi City, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 24 hours
Ticket Price: Free for visit, accommodation prices can be checked on relevant websites
Recommended Visit Duration: 1-2 hours
[Day 2-1: Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy]
As we all know, Jingzhou is a famous historical and cultural city with a long history and profound cultural heritage. As the birthplace of Chu culture, Jingzhou was once the capital of the Chu State. It not only has a large number of cultural relics but also has left many precious intangible cultural heritage items.
To better inherit various intangible cultural heritages of the Jingchu region, a "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" has been specially established on Beijing East Road in Shashi District, Jingzhou City, which has become a check-in spot for tourists.
The "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" uses the national secondary vocational education reform and development demonstration school—Jingzhou Entrepreneurship School as its educational platform, and has been approved to establish the first intangible cultural heritage technician college in China, "Hubei Provincial Folk Craft Technician College."
The "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" not only displays a rich variety of Jingchu intangible cultural heritage techniques to the public but also allows every visitor to personally experience the unique charm of Jingchu intangible cultural heritage.
The "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" has specially hired multiple national, provincial, and municipal intangible cultural heritage masters as base teachers, carrying out teaching of traditional handicrafts, protective production, and technical innovation.
Moreover, as the first private intangible cultural heritage museum in Hubei Province, the "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" focuses on inheriting and promoting Jingchu intangible cultural heritage and folk art techniques.
You can see many related students here learning and training in Jingchu intangible cultural heritage techniques, fully embodying the word "inheritance" in the "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy."
In addition, the "Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy" is now a national 3A-level tourist attraction. With the rapid development of Jingzhou tourism, it is believed that its popularity will become higher and higher, and tourists will increase.
Attraction Name: Jingzhou Jingchu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Academy
Address: No. 1, Beijing East Road, Shashi District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 9:00-16:30
Ticket Price: Free
Recommended Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
[Day 2-2: Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area]
As a famous historical and cultural city, Jingzhou naturally has a large number of cultural relics. When it comes to the "most shocking" archaeological site park in Jingzhou City, we must mention the "Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array" scenic area.
The "Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array" is located in Chuandian Town, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, also known as the "Xiongjiazhong National Archaeological Site Park." It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction, about a 1-hour drive from downtown Jingzhou.
The Jingzhou "Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area" is currently the largest, best-preserved, and most complete distribution of high-ranking aristocratic cemetery sites of the Chu State seen at home and abroad. Its important status is evident.
"Xiongjiazhong" is named after the Xiong clan ancestors. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the monarchs of the most powerful vassal state in southern China, the "Chu State," had the surname Xiong. Therefore, some scholars speculate that "Xiongjiazhong" is the burial group of a certain Chu king.
The Jingzhou "Chariot and Horse Array Exhibition Hall" was directly built on the archaeological excavation site, covering an area of over 8,200 square meters, with more than 40 magnificent chariot and horse pits, making it the largest excavated chariot and horse sacrifice site in China.
Among them, the No. 1 chariot and horse pit is the longest chariot and horse pit found in China. Through recent years of archaeological excavation, two-thirds of this large chariot and horse pit have been cleared.
Although one-third of the entire No. 1 large chariot and horse pit has not yet been excavated, based on its axisymmetric characteristics, experts speculate that the entire large chariot and horse pit contains a total of 66 chariots and 258 horses, with a grand scale that amazes tourists!
In 2006, archaeologists began archaeological excavations at the Chu King's Tomb Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area in Chuandian Town, Jingzhou City. In October 2012, the scenic area began trial operation. In December 2013, Xiongjiazhong was officially approved as a National Archaeological Site Park.
From the patterns on the unearthed artifacts and the bronze fittings on the chariot and horse implements, it appears to be from the early Warring States period. Therefore, based on the Chu king's succession table, the owner of this Chu king's tomb is likely King Zhao of Chu or King Hui of Chu.
The "Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array" is an outstanding representative of the highest level of Chu culture during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It is also an important part of the large ancient cultural site of the Chu Capital Jinan City, a national key cultural relic protection unit. Therefore, it has been praised by many as "Terracotta Warriors in the north, Chariot and Horse Array in the south."
However, the Jingzhou "Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array" scenic area is not yet very well-known, with few tourists aware of it. It can only be considered a niche attraction, and its popularity is certainly not comparable to the Xi'an Terracotta Warriors.
But this quite shocking scenic area, as a "unique in China, unparalleled in the world" chariot and horse array site, is believed to become increasingly well-known by more tourists in the near future, and its popularity will grow.
Attraction Name: Jingzhou Chu King's Chariot and Horse Array Scenic Area
Address: Zhangchang Village, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 9:00-17:30
Ticket Price: Standard ticket 60 yuan (currently free with reservation)
Recommended Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
[Day 3-1: Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park]
Although Jingzhou City is an ancient historic city, besides various historical sites, there are also many modern entertainment venues for visitors. For example, "Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park" is a good choice!
"Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park" is located in Shashi District, Jingzhou City, and is an important part of "Jingzhou Ocean World." It is also a "网红" (internet-famous) check-in spot for Jingzhou tourism. When you enter "Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park," you feel as if you have traveled into a magical fairy-tale world, full of strong childlike fun.
"Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park" gathers a variety of marine creatures for visitors to observe, such as dolphins, sharks, seals, beluga whales, penguins, sea lions, jellyfish, and various exotic creatures from the Amazon basin, vividly reproducing the wonders of the underwater world.
In addition, they also offer various performances such as mermaids, human-shark dances, seal performances, underwater ballet, etc., making it a large-scale exhibition hall themed around marine culture, integrating science education, appreciation and entertainment, tourism, and leisure.
Among them, the "mermaid" performance left the deepest impression on me because their mermaid performers perform using breath-hold diving without carrying oxygen tanks, resulting in a better visual effect and higher difficulty.
Moreover, there is a long "underwater tunnel" here. It is said that their "underwater tunnel" uses advanced seamless glass, making the view more realistic for tourists. No wonder many people come to visit Jingzhou specifically for this.
However, many tourists find it strange that "Xiaomeisha" is originally a beach in Shenzhen. It is quite interesting that Jingzhou's ocean park is named after a place name in Shenzhen.
Attraction Name: Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park
Address: Intersection of 318 National Highway and Tiangu Avenue No. 6 Road, Guanzu Town, Shashi District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 9:30-18:00
Ticket Price: Standard ticket 158 yuan
Recommended Visit Duration: 2-3 hours
[Day 3-2: Jingzhou Ancient City Wall and Night Light Show]
When visiting Jingzhou, how can you not come to see the world-famous "Jingzhou Ancient City Wall"? Speaking of cities famous for their ancient city walls, many people first think of famous ancient capitals like Xi'an and Nanjing. But in fact, the Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is also world-famous!
Jingzhou is an important birthplace of ancient civilization in the Yangtze River basin and the center of Jingchu culture. The Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is one of the most complete ancient city walls existing in China and is known as "a rare perfect jade in southern China."
Due to its advantageous geographical location, Jingzhou has been a place of strategic importance since ancient times. It is said that the Jingzhou city wall was first built in the Eastern Han Dynasty, originally an earth wall. A brick wall was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty, demolished in the early Yuan Dynasty, rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, and destroyed in the late Ming Dynasty.
The existing Jingzhou Ancient City Wall was rebuilt on the old foundation in the third year of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1646). It is longer from east to west and shorter from north to south. The city wall, city gates, enemy platforms, battlements, etc., are well preserved, and it is now a "National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit."
The Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is nearly 9 meters high, about 10 meters thick, and has a circumference of over 10 kilometers. There are eight city gates and two gate towers. It is one of the best-preserved ancient city walls among prefectural cities in China.
The Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is ingeniously designed, complete with barbicans, enemy towers, war houses, battery positions, hidden soldier caves, double gates, and other facilities. Its defensive system is comprehensive, making it traditionally difficult to attack, hence the saying "Iron-clad Jingzhou." Therefore, the Jingzhou Ancient City Wall has been built and destroyed repeatedly, but it still stands on the Jingchu land.
However, compared to the ancient city walls of Xi'an and Nanjing, the Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is not yet very well-known, with relatively few tourists, which is somewhat "a pity."
What's more worth mentioning is that the night view of "Jingzhou Ancient City Wall" is also very beautiful. Don't miss it! At 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM every evening, the east gate (Yinbin Gate) of "Jingzhou Ancient City Wall" hosts a colorful night light show, particularly eye-catching.
During the day, you will find the "Jingzhou Ancient City Wall" full of antique charm. At night, it completely transforms into another scene.
The high-tech light show decorates the night of this ancient city in an especially eye-catching way, making tourists feel as if they are constantly traveling between ancient and modern times, leaving everyone in awe.
The moat outside the "Jingzhou Ancient City Wall" is also decorated with colorful lights, reflected in the water, echoing the light show on the ancient city wall, dreamlike and magnificent!
Attraction Name: Jingzhou Ancient City Historical and Cultural Tourism Area
Address: No. 2, Zhang Juzheng Street, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:30
Ticket Price: Standard ticket 40 yuan (currently free with reservation)
Recommended Visit Duration: 1-2 hours
[Day 4: Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage]
Nowadays, when people visit Jingzhou, there is also a large historical and cultural theme park not to be missed, which has become a "new landmark" of Jingzhou. It also left a very deep impression on me and was the "highlight" of my last day's tour.
This large historical and cultural theme park is "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage." I believe that anyone who has recently visited Jingzhou should be familiar with it, right?
"Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" is located in the Jinan Eco-Cultural Tourism Area in Jingzhou City. It is currently the largest and highest-grade historical and cultural theme park in Hubei Province.
Based on Chinese historical culture and Jingchu culture, "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" deeply integrates culture and tourism industry through the combination of high-tech means and cultural creativity.
Therefore, "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" has become one of the must-visit attractions in Jingzhou, bringing new vitality to this ancient city.
"Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" officially opened on September 12, 2019. When I came here, I happened to catch their first-anniversary celebration. What a stroke of luck!
Although "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" has only been around for one year, it has already become one of the most representative theme parks in Jingzhou City and even the entire Hubei Province, attracting a large number of tourists to check in and play.
As soon as I entered "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage," I felt as if I had traveled into a fairy-tale world, with all kinds of novel architecture catching my eye.
Moreover, "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" has typical characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, making you feel familiar no matter which corner you go to.
Besides various amusement facilities, there are also various experience projects beyond imagination. For example, one of the most impressive for me is "Fly with You."
As the name suggests, "Fly with You" takes place in a large-scale theater. Through various high-tech means, visitors experience the feeling of flying over the motherland.
When the show actually started, it was truly shocking. The giant spherical screen comes with a naked-eye 3D effect, and the immersive feeling is amazing!
In the following 8 minutes, visitors will successively fly over the Great Wall, climb Mount Everest, skim over the romantic West Lake, and immerse in the brilliant night of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.
Although it's only 8 minutes, it allows every visitor to travel all over China immersively, seeing the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, making everyone's blood boil.
To pursue the ultimate shocking visual impact, visitors sit on suspended seats and experience simulated actions such as ascending, diving, dodging, bumping, gliding, etc., truly experiencing the feeling of soaring in the sky. Is there any better travel experience than this?
Some even say that if you come to the "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" theme park without experiencing "Fly with You," then you've definitely come in vain.
In addition, "Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage" has many performances with rich Jingchu culture, such as "Chu Music," which is also worth watching!
During the performance, thousands of "chime bells" descend from the sky, arranged in various shapes on the stage, creating a very shocking scene that is unforgettable.
There are also other exciting projects such as "Qu Yuan," "Nüwa Mends the Sky," "Battle of Red Cliffs," etc., allowing visitors to fully appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture during the tour and learn more about this ancient historical city of Jingzhou.
Attraction Name: Jingzhou Fantawild Oriental Heritage
Address: No. 1, Fantawild Road, Jinan Eco-Cultural Tourism Area, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30-17:30; Saturday to Sunday 9:00-18:00
Ticket Price: Standard ticket 280 yuan
Recommended Visit Duration: A whole day
This four-day, three-night trip to Jingzhou passed in the blink of an eye, leaving me wanting more! Jingzhou, this famous historical and cultural city, has both a long history and youthful vitality. When you travel in Jingzhou, it's as if you are constantly traveling through the tunnel of time, with surprises happening at any moment.
In addition, the "Huiyou Hubei, Enjoy Jingzhou" activity is currently underway. All A-level scenic spots in Jingzhou City can be visited for free by reservation. Although Jingzhou is very famous, there are still not many tourists now! What are you waiting for this National Day holiday? Come and travel to Jingzhou quickly!
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