Wuyuan County – China’s Most Beautiful Countryside

Wuyuan County (婺源), located in the Shangrao City of Jiangxi Province, is one of the six counties of ancient Huizhou and a birthplace of Huizhou culture. Renowned as the “Home of Literature” and “Tea Country,” it has earned the title of “China’s Most Beautiful Countryside.” Spanning an area of 2,900 square kilometers, Wuyuan is famous for its picturesque landscapes, combining ancient villages and towns, natural mountains and waters, idyllic scenery, and stunning gorges and caves.

The scenery of Wuyuan unfolds like a scroll painting, with each view seamlessly transitioning into the next, showcasing a harmonious blend of natural beauty and traditional Huizhou architecture. Each village appears as a painting, with scenic views surrounding them. Among its most famous attractions are the vibrant rapeseed flowers and exquisite Huizhou-style buildings. From a distance, the ancient black-and-white Huizhou houses, with their dark tiles and powdery walls, seem like enchanting musical notes nestled among the lush green mountains and clear waters.

Wuyuan’s vast fields are adorned with countless terraces of rapeseed flowers, blooming in their most beautiful forms, covering paths and swaying gently in the soft breeze and light rain, exuding a shy charm that captivates the heart.

Today, Wuyuan has developed three premium tourist routes – East, West, and North – allowing visitors to experience the gentle beauty of its mountain towns and the captivating Huizhou culture through diverse scenic spots along each route.

Travel Information about Wuyuan County

Ticket Prices and Opening Hours

Tickets: A combined ticket costs 210 yuan (valid for 5 days) and includes access to 13 scenic spots: Likeng, Wangkou, Jiangwan, Xiaoqi, Jiangling, Sixi, Rainbow Bridge, Shicheng, Lingyan Cave, Dazhang Mountain, Wengong Mountain, Yantian Ancient Camphor, and Baizhu Ancestral Hall. Individual ticket prices and opening hours for each scenic spot are as follows:

Eastern Line Attractions

Northern Line Attractions

Western Line Attractions

Best Time to Visit

The best season to visit Wuyuan is during March and April when the rapeseed flowers bloom. At this time, peach and pear blossoms dot the golden fields, enhancing the charm of the white-walled and gray-tiled Huizhou architecture.

In summer, Wuyuan is lush and green, with comfortable temperatures, making it an ideal escape from the heat. Autumn often brings morning fog and a bustling harvest scene, but there can be significant temperature differences between day and night, so it’s advisable to dress accordingly. Winter in Wuyuan is particularly quiet and not too cold.

Scenic Ratings

• Cultural Experience ★★★★
• Features ★★★
• Leisure ★★★
• Beauty ★★★★★
• Romance ★★★
• Adventure ★★

Highlights of Wuyuan County

Eastern Route of Wuyuan

The main attractions on the Eastern Route include Jiangwan, Huangling, Likeng, Wangkou, Xiaoqi, Jiangling, and Qingyuan. Jiangling is famous for its rapeseed flowers, while Jiangwan is known for its elegant Huizhou architecture and profound cultural heritage. The serene and ancient village of Likeng features small bridges and flowing water, and Xiaoqi, as a representative village of Huizhou architecture, exudes a tranquil and rustic atmosphere. The quiet mountain village of Huangling, with a history of over 500 years, is renowned for its stunning “sun-drying” scenes, adding further charm to the Eastern Route.

Northern Route of Wuyuan

The Northern Route mainly showcases the authentic ancient villages from the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as pastoral natural scenery. Attractions such as Sixi Yancun, Changtan Photography Site, Rainbow Bridge, Lingyan Cave, and Wulong Valley in Dazhang Mountain have long been gathering places for literati and scholars, rich in cultural significance.

Western Route of Wuyuan

The Western Route is a concentration of Wuyuan’s excellent ecological environment. The Yuanyang Lake Scenic Area is the world’s largest habitat for wild mandarin ducks, with picturesque lake and mountain scenery. Wengong Mountain Scenic Area is a culturally significant mountain in Jiangnan, balancing culture and ecology. It is named Wengong Mountain because the ancestral tomb of Zhu Xi (Wengong) is located at its waist. Traveling along this route offers a different perspective of Wuyuan.

Visitor Guide for Wuyuan County

Transportation within Wuyuan County

The transportation schedule between various attractions in Wuyuan County is not detailed, but here are a few suggestions for reference.

Traveling from Wuyuan County Town to Attractions (Various Towns):

Minibuses typically depart from various towns to the county town between 6:30 and 7:30 AM, with returns around noon. Therefore, for trips to remote attractions like Likeng, Hongguan, Qingyuan, Duancao, and Dazhangshan, the best time to travel is from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. After this time, the only option is to take a farm vehicle into town.

If you’re heading to the county town from these attractions (towns), it’s essential to start early. If you wake up at 7:30 AM and look for a bus at 8:00 AM, you may miss the minibus to the county town (typically for more remote attractions). In that case, you’ll need to go to larger towns to transfer to another bus. Hence, it’s generally impractical to use the county town as a hub for daily trips to various attractions and back.

Travel from Central Towns to Remote Attractions:

Central towns act as a bridge between the county town and remote attractions. There are many buses running daily between the county town and these central towns, which also have numerous farm vehicles heading to remote attractions. So if you can’t find a bus in the county town, consider transferring at these towns. These central towns include:

• Qinghua on the Northern Route, which has buses running daily from 6:30 AM to 5:40 PM, every 20 minutes to and from the county town. This town connects to Dazhangshan, Gutian Lingyan Cave, Tuochuan Likeng, and Zheyuan Hongguan.
• Jiangwan on the Eastern Route has very convenient transportation to the county town, facilitating access to Xiaoqi, Xitou, Dagui, and Duancao.
• Fuchun on the Western Route offers convenient transportation to the county town and connects to Xucun, Zhentou, and Jialu.

Cuisine in Wuyuan County

Wuyuan’s cuisine follows the traditions of Huizhou cuisine, specializing in local dishes such as steamed fish (粉蒸鱼) and steamed pork (粉蒸肉). The flavors tend to be relatively salty and spicy. The beauty of the dishes lies in their authenticity. Delicious steamed fish and steamed pork are sure to make anyone’s mouth water. It is said, “No meat, no steam; no vegetables, no mash.” In addition to steamed dishes, mashed dishes are also a significant feature, including mashed pumpkin (糊南瓜), mashed tofu (糊豆腐), and mashed bottle gourd (糊匏瓜).

Accommodation Options

For spring travel, whether self-driving or traveling as a group, it is recommended to book hotels in Wuyuan at least seven days in advance. From March to May, standard rooms in star-rated hotels in Wuyuan County typically cost over 500 yuan per night; standard rooms in ordinary hotels range from 200 to 400 yuan per night; and guesthouses near scenic areas charge around 100 to 200 yuan per night.

You can choose to stay near scenic areas (Xiaoqi, Jiangwan, Likeng, and Qinghua Town have many guesthouses) or in the county seat. Accommodations near scenic areas are relatively more affordable, but the conditions may be slightly inferior to those in the county hotels. Good accommodation options in the county include the Zhuzi Hometown Resort (朱子故里度假村), Mowen · Shanshui Hotel (墨问 · 山水酒店), and Zhi Zai Tang (志在堂) near Rainbow Bridge.