7 Days in Ziyang
A week covers the whole county — Ziyang's riverside, all six Anyue grotto sites from the reclining Buddha to the wind-worn Mingshan Temple, and a Lezhi day at Chen Yi's home.
Quick Answer
Is 7 days enough for Ziyang?
7 days is the sweet spot for Ziyang: enough time for the must-sees plus one day trip or food/rest day.
Source: NihaoVisit Ziyang guide
7-day Ziyang itinerary at a glance
Use our full Ziyang travel guide as the base and adapt it to 7 days. Keep the city's three signature attractions as the backbone; fill the rest with neighborhood walks, food markets, and an easy day trip.
Arrival — Sanxian Park & the Half-Moon Buddha
From Ziyang North, start at the riverside park honoring three ancient Ziyang notables, then the roughly 22-metre Tang-carved Buddha at Banyueshan, half an hour south of town. Evening on the Tuojiang embankment.
- ziyang sanxian culture park
- ziyang banyueshan buddha
- ziyang tuojiang riverside
Anyue Town — Yuanjue Cave & Lemon Market
About 1.5 hours by road to Anyue, which has no rail yet. Yunju Hill holds the twelve Song bodhisattvas and the tomb of Taoist sage Chen Tuan; after lunch, browse the lemon markets — the county grows about 80 percent of China's lemons.
- ziyang yuanjue cave
- ziyang anyue lemon orchards
Woyuan — the Reclining Buddha
A full morning some 40 minutes north of the county town, where a 23-metre Tang reclining Buddha lies along the cliff and sutra caves nearby keep over 400,000 carved characters. Back to Anyue for a slow afternoon.
- ziyang wofoyuan grottoes
Qianfozhai & Xuanmiaoguan
Two sites around the county town — the hundred-odd niches and 3,000-odd figures of Qianfozhai, then Xuanmiaoguan at Yuanda town, one of the few large ensembles of Tang-era Taoist carving in a region better known for Buddhist images.
- ziyang qianfozhai grottoes
- ziyang xuanmiaoguan grottoes
Shiyang — Guanyin & Huayan Cave
An hour southeast to Shiyang town. The Northern Song Purple Bamboo Guanyin, about 3 metres tall and praised as the Venus of the East, pairs with Huayan Cave, roughly 6 metres high and 10 metres wide, its principal figures about 5 metres tall. Overnight in Shiyang or back in Anyue.
- ziyang piludong grottoes
- ziyang huayan cave
Mingshan Temple & the Lemon Groves
The Song figures of Mingshan Temple on Hutou Hill have been sanded by a thousand years of wind into soft, faceless curves — a striking contrast with the crisp Buddhas of Shiyang nearby. Groves and orchard stalls line the roads on the way back.
- ziyang mingshansi temple
- ziyang anyue lemon orchards
Lezhi — Chen Yi's Home & Departure
About an hour's drive north into Lezhi. The Qing-era courtyard at Laodong town where Chen Yi was born in 1901 pairs with the memorial hall and the Chen family ancestral shrine. Afternoon road back to Ziyang North for the half-hour train toward Chengdu.
- ziyang chenyi former residence
- ziyang chenyi memorial hall
Budget for 7 days in Ziyang
| Tier | Per day | 7 days total |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | USD $50–$80 | USD $350–$560 |
| Mid-range | USD $100–$200 | USD $700–$1,400 |
| Luxury | USD $300+ | USD $2,100+ |
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Frequently asked questions
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See also: Ziyang travel guide, China visa 2026, China trip cost.