14 Days in Loudi

Settle in near Loudi South station, see the city museum's regional-history rooms, then an evening walk by the Lian river with a bowl of Xinhua sanhe soup.

1. loudi city museum
2. loudi lian riverfront

The county-town memorial presents the life of Cai Hesen (1895-1931). About 40 km further southeast, Fuhou Tang — begun in 1865 and nationally protected since 2006 — pairs its courtyards with book towers that once held some 300,000 volumes.

1. loudi caihesen memorial
2. loudi fuhou tang

About an hour northwest in Lianyuan: the Guanyin Cliff temples, the Xianren Fu caverns, the Saihai pool and a five-kilometre limestone wall known as the 'ten-li gallery'. The loop road links the sights at an easy pace.

1. loudi meijiang geopark

An honestly labelled neighbour day — Shaoshan lies about 90 km east, in Xiangtan prefecture. The brick house where Mao Zedong was born in 1893, the memorial halls and the statue square are seen on a free reservation; crowds peak on national holidays.

1. shaoshan

A slow day — riverside park loops, teahouses and a market lunch; useful for laundry and train bookings before the Xinhua block.

1. loudi lian riverfront
2. loudi city markets

Drive west about 100 km to Xinhua county town and drop the bags, then the 4.66-km Dragon Palace cave 28 km out, with its boat ride on the underground river; Xiangdong Street's red-broth beef noodles finish the day. Overnight in Xinhua.

1. loudi meishan longgong
2. loudi xiangdong street

Over 2,000 years of rice planting across some 5,300 hectares of Shuiche terraces between 500 and 1,200 m, stepping up slopes of 30-50 degrees on spring water alone. Stay by the fields tonight for the sunrise; walk Zhenglong village at dusk.

1. loudi ziquejie terraces
2. loudi zhenglong village

About an hour north of the county town, the national forest park climbs toward Jiulongchi at 1,622 m — the highest point of central Hunan. Legend has it the warrior chief Chiyou made these ridges his home. Overnight in Xinhua.

1. loudi daxiongshan

On the road back east, stop in Lengshuijiang for the Boyue Cave, where the 1986 Journey to the West TV series filmed its Water Curtain scenes; an underground river runs through the chambers. Reach Loudi by evening.

1. loudi boyue cave

Another labelled neighbour day, and a long one — around three hours each way by car to Tantou in Longhui county, where workshops still pull woodblock New Year pictures, on China's first national intangible-heritage list in 2006.

1. shaoyang

South of Lianyuan, the Longshan forest park climbs to Yueping Peak at roughly 1,500 m, where the Yaowang Temple honors the Tang physician Sun Simiao — legend says he gathered herbs on this mountain. A full mountain day; go with a driver.

1. loudi longshan forest park

Back to Shuangfeng: Baiyu Tang is the house where Zeng Guofan was born in 1811, in the same He-ye township as Fuhou Tang and far quieter. Pair it with a slow village lunch in Yongfeng, the county seat known for its chilli paste.

1. loudi baiyu tang

A loose last full day — riverside walks, teahouses, and a repeat visit to whatever pulled you back, whether the museum rooms or the night stalls.

1. loudi lian riverfront

A market breakfast and final errands, then the HSR from Loudi South — Changsha's airports and hubs sit under an hour away by train.

1. loudi city markets