14 Days in Shiyan

Settle into the city that grew around the Second Automobile Works from 1969; the museum covers the truck-era story and water-diversion archaeology, then a short forest walk on Niutou Hill.

1. shiyan shiyan museum
2. shiyan niutoushan forest park

The HSR link (opened 2019) reaches the mountain in under half an hour; building ran from 1412 under the Yongle Emperor and the 1994 UNESCO listing covers the complex — Purple Cloud Palace of 1413 and the Nanyan halls.

1. shiyan wudang mountain
2. shiyan nanyan palace

A full mountain day to Tianzhu Peak at 1,612 m and the gilded bronze Golden Hall, cast in 1416 and hauled up piece by piece; overnight at the mountain town.

1. shiyan wudang golden summit

An easy water day on the reservoir arm below the mountain — boat landings, shoreline paths and temple-town lanes at Taiji Lake; back to Shiyan by evening.

1. shiyan taiji lake

About 100 km north-east, the dam first finished in 1973 and raised to a 176.6-m crest heads the Middle Route, whose 1,432-km main canal began sending water toward Beijing and Tianjin in December 2014; overnight in Danjiangkou.

1. shiyan danjiangkou dam

A slow shoreline day around the reservoir arm — the 400-km-plus loop road along the shores is best sampled in one short section, with fishing-town lunches; return to Shiyan for the night.

1. shiyan danjiangkou reservoir

The Xuetangliangzi skulls found in 1989, 1990 and 2022 are dated to about a million years ago; Qinglongshan's egg-fossil clusters surfaced from 1995. Back to Shiyan for the night.

1. shiyan yunxian man site
2. shiyan qinglongshan dinosaur eggs

South about 100 km to Fang county, a karst cave built around the local "wild man" legend — folklore, with no track confirmed despite decades of searching; the county town recalls the Tang prince exiled here from 684 to 698.

1. shiyan fangxian yeren cave

About an hour east by rail along the 2019 line to Xiangyang, where Zhuge Liang farmed at Gulongzhong before 207 and the Han-founded wall still rings the old town; evening return.

1. xiangyang gulongzhong
2. xiangyang ancient city wall

The honest way to the neighbouring forestry district is a long drive — roughly 3.5 hours south through Fang county to Muyu, the visitor town of Shennongjia, UNESCO-listed for its forests in 2016; settle in early.

1. shennongjia muyu town

A mountain day around Shennongding, the 3,106-metre roof of the reserve, with boardwalks through old-growth forest; second night in Muyu.

1. shennongjia shennongding

The long ride back north to Shiyan — three and a half hours or so — then a slow evening of market streets and truck-city noodle suppers.

1. shiyan city markets

A second, gentler mountain day for the valleys most day-trippers skip — the ravine walks and smaller courtyards off the main axis; evening back in Shiyan.

1. shiyan wudang mountain

A last market breakfast, one more lap of the museum quarter if the schedule allows, then HSR from Shiyan East.

1. shiyan city markets