Golden Autumn and My Dream Back to the Three Kingdoms: Exploring Yesterday and Today of Jingzhou Ancient City
“Yu divided the land into nine provinces, and thus Jingzhou came into being...”
Jingzhou is a thousand-year-old ancient city, first built during the Three Kingdoms period, and is known as “a rare intact treasure in southern China.”
Throughout history, many scholars and poets have composed verses in Jingzhou.
In the golden autumn of September, I came to Jingzhou to view the ancient city and savor the Three Kingdoms.
Arriving in Jingzhou, I checked into the “wild” Weishui Auto Camp,
the first five-star self-driving sports camp in China.
The camp features 15 treehouses, 5 wooden cabins, 4 luxury safari tents, 5 stargazing tents, 5 RV garden hotels,
and hundreds of camping tents. Each type has its own unique style, absolutely stunning.
It’s perfect for family outings, gatherings, couples, and group trips.
A neat row of RVs comes with its own small courtyard.
The interior space is very spacious, with a pull-out design on the side to increase space—larger than any RV I’ve stayed in before.
Small but complete: living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom—everything you need.
A family of three can comfortably stay here.
I stayed in the Forest Palace, which comes with a huge outdoor leisure deck.
It has two separate bedrooms and a small loft with a tatami.
There is a large living room and an open kitchen, perfect for parties.
This is a very girly starry sky room, shaped like a cute bubble.
Each room represents a different zodiac sign—very creative.
At night, you can lie in bed and see the brilliant starry sky.
Kids will absolutely love this room, full of childlike fun.
The fairy-tale exterior design is paired with a suspension bridge and a spiral slide,
making you feel like a child again, playing happily with friends.
My favorite was the riverside villa “Shuiyun Residence,”
with a Bohemian design style and rich colors,
giving a warm and relaxing feeling, letting you escape the city’s noise and physical fatigue.
It has three bedrooms, plus a living room and dining room,
perfect for team-building stays with six or seven friends.
Asia’s largest man-made earth dam, primarily for irrigation and flood control, also serves as a large water conservancy project for power generation, aquaculture, shipping, water supply, and tourism.
Today, this dam has become a must-visit spot in the Weishui Scenic Area, with a closure site on the dam.
You must walk across the unsteady suspension bridge—
the photos taken there are really beautiful, especially at sunset.
Besides the unique accommodations, there are many sports and entertainment activities:
high and low altitude exploration, jungle CS, various water sports, etc.
We tried jet skis, flying fish, banana boats, and parasailing—all extremely thrilling.
You can truly have fun here all day long, non-stop excitement!
In search of Jingchu culture and to inherit the spirit of craftsmanship...
This area includes twelve traditional craft workshops, among which is the country’s largest lacquer art center, showcasing the protection of Chu-style lacquerware techniques.
This Jingchu Intangible Heritage Inheritance Institute is actually a school, where different people learn various skills.
After the tour, we could also try our hands at these arts, such as paper cutting and freshwater shell carving.
There is an ancient stage in the courtyard, where Jingchu cultural performances are held every day.
When we visited, we happened to catch students rehearsing and enjoyed a segment.
The lacquer sacred tree is a symbol of life worship in Chu culture.
Chu-style lacquerware techniques matured during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, representing the peak of China’s lacquer craft.
The shapes are bizarre and exaggerated, patterns rich and varied, colors gorgeous and splendid, and the craftsmanship exquisite and ingenious.
This is a work by Master Zou Dexiang, inheritor of Chu-style lacquerware techniques.
He successfully replicated the “Painted Lacquer Bean” with superb skill, every detail perfectly rendered.
Gourd pyrography and freshwater shell carving are both very interesting to me—
intricate patterns can be carved on them, and there are on-site experiences where you can take your work home.
Gourd pyrography is particularly skill-intensive: using a soldering iron as a pen and high heat as ink, it requires long practice to master.
It incorporates techniques from Chinese ink painting and Western painting’s treatment of light.
This embroiderer is an inheritor of Chu embroidery.
Jingzhou Chu embroidery encapsulates the long history and culture of the Chu state,
spanning over three thousand years, and is known as a “living fossil” in Chinese embroidery history.
The patterns mainly feature dragons and phoenixes, with the primary stitch being chain stitch—very exquisite and beautiful.
Mr. Shen Congwen called it “water ballet” and “super embroidery.”
This is the inheritor of the grinding eagle kite technique. The teacher spoke with great humor and wit.
The kite in the teacher’s hand had won an award at the Weifang Kite Festival!
He explained in detail the construction principle of the kite and how to design it so it can fly even in windless conditions.
The process involves splitting nanmu bamboo into shape, removing the skin, heating the bamboo strips with an alcohol lamp to the required size, bending them into shape, pasting and trimming, painting, and other steps.
Making an eagle kite tests not only your craftsmanship but also your painting skills.
Only then can you create a perfect and exquisite eagle kite—when the wind blows, the eagle’s eyes even blink.
The Wan Gu Qin created by the master of Chu-style guqin displays various antique-style qins, bringing peace to the mind and heart.
When we visited, we happened to catch teachers and students rehearsing, so we couldn’t resist sitting down to listen to a piece—it was truly moving.
Visited the childlike Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park,
which houses a wide variety of marine life.
The building has four floors, comprising multiple halls and areas: an underwater tunnel, jellyfish maze, ocean theater, ice and snow world, ocean exploration, tropical rainforest, and happy castle.
You can see all kinds of marine creatures and exciting underwater performances.
Look at the wonderful performances of dolphins, seals, and Xiao Bai!
They are so cute and endearing...
Children can get up close with them after the show.
You must visit the jellyfish hall—every snapshot is a stunning masterpiece!
The entire hall has various exhibition areas of different sizes, with lights shifting between blue, purple, and white.
Find a nice jellyfish display as a backdrop and take silhouette photos when the lights change to a pretty color.
The ocean park not only incorporates the local characteristics of the Jianghan Plain in Jingzhou but also adds a lot of popular science knowledge.
Here you can see and learn about thousands of different marine creatures,
each with different appearances, habits, and evolutionary histories.
“In the north, there are the terracotta warriors of Qin; in the south, there are the chariot and horse pits of the Chu king,” filling me with anticipation for the “world’s number one royal mausoleum.”
The Chu King’s Chariot and Horse Pit is adjacent to the “underground treasure house” of Baling Mountain and Ji Mountain,
surrounded by 13 extra-large ancient tombs, dozens of large and medium-sized ancient tombs, and nearly a hundred small ones.
This is a concentrated distribution area of high-ranking Chu state tombs from the Eastern Zhou period, which is very rare nationwide.
The chariot and horse pit exhibition hall is about 133 meters long from north to south and about 12 meters wide from east to west—the longest chariot pit discovered in China.
Archaeological excavations have cleared about two-thirds of this large chariot pit, roughly 79 meters long,
unearthing 43 chariots and 164 horses, including 7 two-horse chariots, 33 four-horse chariots, and 3 six-horse chariots.
Looking at these rows of excavated horse pits, I was deeply awed—unable to help but marvel at the greatness of the ancients.
The Chu king’s status was indeed extraordinary; the burial objects were so abundant!
Besides the chariot and horse pits, there is also a traditional Chinese learning hall, pottery workshops, and archery experiences.
I tried archery with friends and felt the thrill.
Jingzhou Ancient City sits on the western edge of the vast and fertile Jianghan Plain.
We visited the most beautiful section this time, entering through the Old East Gate.
The ancient city has three layers: the outer water city, the middle brick city, and the inner earth city.
Standing on the city wall, you can see the moat and the beautiful scenery of Jingzhou.
The most famous historical allusion here is Guan Yu’s “careless loss of Jingzhou.”
It takes some stamina to walk around the entire ancient city, about 4–5 hours for a full circuit.
Those who love ancient styles can bring their own costumes and travel back in time, leaving themselves in history.
The night view of Jingzhou Ancient City is not to be missed either. When the lights come on, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
From the ancient city to both sides of the moat, everything is lit up.
Light and shadow shows are projected onto the ancient city wall, telling you the storied past of Jingzhou.
To reach Jingzhou, the Nine-Dragon Bridge is a must-pass route, the throat of entry into the city.
At night, you can take a boat to enjoy the scenery along the moat and the Nine-Dragon Bridge.
Under each stone arch of the bridge, there is a stone dragon head, from which the murmuring water flows
into the moat with a “ding-dong” sound, like beautiful music.
Fantawild Oriental Heritage is quite different in design style from other amusement parks.
It is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity, a passionate collision of history and art.
Stepping into it, every scene makes you feel as if you’ve returned to the Chu state,
presenting the profound cultural connotation of Chinese history to visitors—a perfect immersive play experience.
On the day we visited, it happened to be the park’s first anniversary celebration, with many wonderful performances.
A performer was showing us magic tricks, and the surrounding children were laughing happily.
I was also lucky enough to receive a first-anniversary birthday cake—very thoughtful!
It kicked off my day of fun in high spirits.
This is a must-try; I suggest queuing for it first after entering.
It feels like flying in an airplane, soaring through the sky.
With naked-eye 3D effects, the experience is superb—eight minutes to tour China’s most beautiful landscapes.
The visuals are incredibly realistic: flying over the Great Wall, skimming over West Lake in Hangzhou, bird’s-eye view of the Oriental Pearl Tower at night…
Accompanied by the background music “My Motherland and Me,” it was truly moving—our country is getting better and stronger.
Many of the places shown I have visited before, making me want to travel again.
If you’re traveling with kids, the “Boonie Bears Valley” is a must.
It features “Boonie Bears Theater,” “Flying Over the Bear Ridge,” “Corgi Racer,” “Bear Pirate,” etc.
It’s a must-visit for photo ops, full of childlike fun.
Thrill-seekers must not miss the “Circus Carnival,”
a suspended roller coaster over 30 meters high—upside down, 360-degree twists…
You’ll scream nonstop throughout, and when you get off, you’ll shout with exhilaration.
“Qu Yuan” takes visitors across a thousand years, back to the Chu era,
witnessing Qu Yuan’s classic historical scenes from his confident prime to his exile, and his patriotic spirit of caring for the world and unyielding perseverance.
How much of his poem “Li Sao” do you still remember?
“If what I spoke were not loyal, I call on Heaven to witness it.”
The combination of live performance and grand scenes blurs reality and illusion,
immersing you completely in Qu Yuan’s deep and steadfast patriotic passion.
The romantic Chu Ci poetry, together with the splendid scenes, truly gave me a taste of the gorgeous and romantic Chu style.
“Chu Music” tells the legendary life of a Chu palace dancer, showcasing the colorful Chu music, dance, folk customs, architecture, and other cultural features,
truly reproducing the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, taking visitors on a cultural journey.
It includes Chu shamanism, Chu dance, Chu songs, and chime bells, leading us to feel the magic and splendor of Chu culture.
You can travel through time to see Chu shamans communicating with heaven and earth, praying for blessings; admire the graceful slender-waisted Chu dance; listen to the soft and plaintive Chu songs.
Finally, hundreds of chime bells descend from the sky, paired with the elegant dance of tilted sleeves and bent waists—absolutely magnificent,
making it impossible to extricate yourself, deeply intoxicated with Jingchu charm.
Many parks have song and dance performances, but this one shocked me the most.
Only at Jingzhou Fantawild can you enjoy it—so don’t miss it!
When in Jingzhou, you must order the “head” dish—fish cake, one of the signature local dishes.
It’s praised as “eating fish without seeing fish; the fish has meat flavor, the meat has fish aroma; fragrant, smooth, tender, and melts in your mouth.”
It’s truly fragrant and tender, very suitable for children and the elderly.
Boiled snakehead fish is another must-order delicacy in Jingzhou.
The aroma hits you; when you take a piece of fish, it’s tender and delicious,
the spicy and fragrant flavor makes it a perfect accompaniment to rice.
You definitely have to eat crayfish in Jingzhou!
This is one of the largest crayfish production areas in China.
Crack open the crayfish; the meat is tender, paired with garlicky broth.
One bite—soft, tender, and savory—it’s irresistible.
Put the fatty and lean pork belly in a bun,
take a big bite; the braised pork is rich but not greasy, very tasty!
The cute pearl meatballs are wrapped in translucent, shiny glutinous rice.
The combination of rice and meat gives a soft, savory flavor.
I couldn’t help eating several, yet they didn’t feel greasy at all.
For those with a sweet tooth, especially those who love eating dry cereal,
you absolutely can’t miss this honey-baked golden pumpkin with malt.
Sweet and soft pumpkin coated with childhood-favorite cereal—
a gentle bite, sweet and sticky—it lifts your mood.
“The sound of drums and horns has faded, but Jingchu’s brilliance shines through the ages.”
Jingzhou’s yesterday and today are rich and profound, colorful and vivid.
Itinerary:
1. Childlike Weishui Auto Camp
2. Generational Jingchu Intangible Heritage Inheritance Institute
3. Ocean Exploration at Jingzhou Xiaomeisha Ocean Park
4. Historic Chu King’s Chariot and Horse Pit
5. Dreamy Jingzhou Ancient City
6. Endless Fun at Fantawild Oriental Heritage
7. Indulging in Jingzhou Cuisine
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