【Checking in at Songzi, Hubei】Let's go, take a vacation at windy Weishui

📍 St. Petersburg · 👁 6 reads · ❤️ 119 likes

Spread out the map, connecting the three famous tourist areas: the Yangtze Three Gorges, Jingzhou Ancient City, and Zhangjiajie.

The central area is Songzi, Hubei.

And 【Weishui】 is situated on such a golden tourism route in Songzi.

It boasts the beauty of the Three Gorges' mountains and waters,

the heritage of Jingzhou Ancient City,

and the perfect blend of mountains, waters, caves, forests, springs, and islands of Zhangjiajie.

It has Asia's largest artificial earth dam,

the nation's first five-star self-driving sports campground,

the natural beauty of a hundred islands,

and a charm that allows people to set aside worldly distractions and quietly appreciate the beauty.

This is the ideal 'windy place' in the hearts of Hubei locals.

Let's go, let's take a vacation at Weishui together.

Weishui has a long history, with the earliest records even dating back to the Stone Age.

Heaven-bestowed Weishui is a place of exquisite beauty and outstanding people.

But Weishui's beauty reached its peak only after the construction of Weishui Lake and Weishui Dam.

Weishui Lake is an artificial freshwater lake, also commonly known as a large reservoir. There are over 500 large and small lake-islands within the lake. The lake has islands, and the islands have lakes, with scenery quite similar to Thousand Island Lake, hence it is also known as the 'Thousand-Island Lake, a fairyland in southern Chu.'

From Wuhan to Weishui, the total distance is 300 kilometers, about a 3-hour drive. Park your car at the Weishui Auto Campground, and then officially start your Weishui journey from the Weishui Dam.

The Weishui Dam began construction in 1958, was closed in 1960, and fully completed in 1970. It has a total length of 8,968 meters, divided into a main dam and auxiliary dams. It was built manually for flood control, power generation, irrigation, and other civilian purposes. Today, it is not only Asia's largest artificial earth dam but also a national 4A-level scenic area.

Although built over fifty years ago, when machinery was not advanced and most of the work was done by hand, layer by layer, the Weishui Dam still looks very impressive today. A stone tablet stands by the dam, inscribed with the words 'Asia's First Dam.' There is also a water diversion point and a record of the Weishui River closure.

Walking on the dam, on one side is clear lake water, on the other is fresh greenery.

This is also a famous local check-in spot.

Following the dam forward, you reach the boat dock, from where you take a boat to the islands.

Along the way, you can see hundreds of lake-islands embedded in the heart of the lake. The name 'Hundred-Island Gallery' is by no means undeserved.

The entire tour takes about 3 hours, with two stops to go ashore: one at Nanshan Viewing Island and one at Ecological Island.

Nanshan Viewing Island has a mountain, not high in altitude, but with over 700 steps. Walk forward steadily, unhurriedly, and it takes about half an hour to reach the top. The view from the top is excellent: the dam, islands, green mountains, and clear waters—all the surrounding beauty is in full view. There is also a Baiyun Pavilion at the top, with a simple and elegant exterior, displaying various types and vintages of Baiyunbian liquor.

Ecological Island has large areas of clean grassy slopes that complement the sky and water, making it a real-life version of a 'windy place.'

A travel companion said,

'Just this one spot, I could take photos all day.'

There are tents, orchards, and gardens on the island. When fruits are ripe, you can experience picking.

After the boat tour, return to the dock. Opposite is the Weishui Auto Campground.

I had heard of the Weishui Auto Campground before, but coming here for the first time, I was still a bit shocked. This campground relies on the Weishui National Scenic Area, built among the jungle on one side of the Weishui Dam, taking advantage of the terrain. The surrounding natural features are diverse: forests, wetlands, islands, etc., with an excellent environment.

The entire campground has five functional zones: main venue area, main camping area, special accommodation area, activity and entertainment area, and supporting services. It is also the nation's first five-star self-driving sports campground integrating outdoor sports, sightseeing, leisure and wellness, and holiday lodging.

The accommodations are very diverse. First, there are RVs. The campground has its own RVs for lodging, and can also supply water, electricity, gas, and other energy to external RVs. There are also public shower areas and laundry rooms, making camping here SO EASY.

Besides RVs, there are romantic fairy-tale tree houses, camphor wood cabins, dome tent rooms, lakeside villas, and parent-child castles to choose from, as well as a 4-star standard holiday hotel.

My travel companion and I stayed in a romantic fairy-tale tree house. Among the green trees, two houses face each other, each independent, yet closely connected from the outside. Intimate yet with proper distance, just the right sense of proportion.

Some cabins even have slides, which are perfect for families with children. No child can resist such a fairy-tale castle, right?

The park also has many experience activities: various high and low altitude adventures, jungle battlefield park, parent-child tribe, inflatable castle, off-road motorcycles, boat archery, golf, and so on. Different seasons offer different picking activities. In summer, you can enjoy various water activities.

There is also a restaurant. When eating in Weishui, you must try the local specialties.

First, of course, is fish. Weishui has mountains and waters together. Beautiful water yields fresh fish. Locals say: 'Among the delicacies of lakes, none surpass Weishui.'

The locals also know how to cook fish. Besides the usual braised fish and sauerkraut fish, there is Jingzhou-style fish cake: eat fish without seeing the fish; the fish has a meaty flavor, the meat has a fishy aroma, light and smooth, without the worry of bones.

Another must-eat is Songzi chicken. It is not only a local specialty but also one of the national geographical indication agricultural products. Specially selected free-range local chickens from Songzi are cooked, resulting in golden color, fresh and appealing aroma, tender and chewy meat, the more you chew, the more flavorful.

1. Weishui Dam is an open attraction, no ticket required.

Hundred-Island Gallery boat tour: 100 yuan per person, all-inclusive ticket; subsequent island visits require no additional tickets.

2. Weishui Auto Campground ticket: standard ticket 30 yuan per person (free for children under 1.2 meters).

Bring your own tent and stay overnight: 50 yuan campsite fee.

Wood cabin tent rooms: normally 150-1500 yuan, may vary during holidays.

Travelogue directory:

1. Preface

2. Weishui Dam

3. Nanshan Viewing Island

4. Weishui Auto Campground

Travel information

Hotel index