14 Days in Xianning

Arrive at Xianning North (on the 2009 Wuhan-Guangzhou HSR) or Xianning South (end of the 2013 intercity line). Climb the bamboo paths of Qianshan, then soak at Hot Spring Valley — locals count a dozen springs in the city, the "one city, twelve springs" tag.

1. xianning qianshan forest park
2. xianning hot spring valley

About 1.5 hours' drive to Chibi city. The battle of 208 AD is fixed in cliff inscriptions — the site gained 5A status in 2018 — with the Wu-Lord worship terrace and Fengchu hermitage nearby. Sunset boat on Lushui Lake, dotted with wooded islands.

1. xianning chibi ancient battlefield
2. xianning lushui lake

Stop at Tingsiqiao, a Southern Song stone-bridge town on the old Guangzhou line where the 1926 Northern Expedition fighting is commemorated. Continue to Yangloudong, ruts worn into the flagstones by tea barrows, and taste the local brick tea.

1. xianning tingsiqiao old bridge
2. xianning yangloudong ancient town

Morning in the Xingxing bamboo sea of Xian'an district — a cool green maze even in summer — then the Ming-Qing houses and covered bridge of Liu Family Bridge, about 20 km from downtown.

1. xianning xingxing bamboo sea
2. xianning liujiaqiao ancient village

The cave at Dafan runs just over 5 km, toured partly by boat and partly by mini-train — cool inside even in August. Overnight in Tongshan county town to set up the mountain.

1. xianning yinshui cave

First mountain day for Yunzhong Lake at about 1,230 m and the 1,656-m Laoyajian summit — the top of southern Hubei — plus the memorial where Li Zicheng's 1645 campaign ended. Sleep on the mountain or in the county town.

1. xianning jiugong mountain

A second, softer mountain day for the Shilong gorge walk, streams and prayer flags of the Taoist temple above the lake; descend by evening to a hot-spring night back in the city.

1. xianning jiugong mountain

A recovery day in the wooded pools of the Langkou forest hot springs in Chongyang county, south of the city — different scenery again, with hillside paths between soaks if the legs still work.

1. xianning langkou forest hot spring

Honestly labeled — neighboring Wuhan, not Xianning, and Wuhan has its own city guide on this site. About 25 minutes north by HSR from Xianning North — the provincial museum with its Marquis Yi chime bells, then the Yellow Crane Tower above the Yangtze.

1. wuhan provincial museum
2. wuhan yellow crane tower

Another honest side day, across the border into Hunan — roughly half an hour by HSR from Xianning North to Yueyang East. Yueyang Tower has watched Dongting Lake since Tang times; walk the lake shore before heading back.

1. yueyang tower
2. yueyang dongting lake

A slow morning in the forested pools of the Sanjiang resort, a different bathhouse again; afternoon walk along the Gan River through town, where the springs' outflow runs clear and warm.

1. xianning sanjiang forest hot spring

A far-corner day, honestly flagged — about two hours each way to Huanglong Mountain in Tongcheng county, where the ridges of Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi meet and the old Tianyue Pass sits on the crest. Start early, check the weather.

1. xianning huanglong mountain

A rest-day rhythm — back up Qianshan's easy paths, then tea shops and osmanthus sellers downtown; pack the brick tea, osmanthus wine and bamboo goods for the ride home.

1. xianning qianshan forest park

Market breakfast, one last wander through the old food streets, then the train from Xianning North — Wuhan in about 25 minutes, Guangzhou in around four.

1. xianning city markets