Located on eastern part of Guizhou Province, Zhenyuan is a 2000 year old Han town set on a bend in the Wuyang River. It has a permanent population of 40,000 residents. It grew up as a garrison outpost on the trade route from Yunnan to Hunan. Located at the edge of Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, Zhenyuan is sheltered by the mountains.

The Wuyang River splits the town in half, with the original town site on the northern side (traditionally known as Fucheng) and the more recent sections of the town on the southern side (known as Weicheng). The town covers only an area of 3.1 square kilometers (about 1.2 square miles) but is home to more than 160 scenic spots including caves, palaces, pavilions, temples and rivers. Among them is the famous Wuyang River Scenic Area, packed with white limestone gorges, weirdly shaped rocks, waterfalls and lush green vegetation and the Black Dragon Cave (Qinglong Cave), a pretty Taoist and Buddhist complex of pavilions, grottoes and temples that seem to fuse with the mountainside.

Just to the north of the town of Zhenyuan, you can climb up a hill called Sigong Si (Four Generals Hill) which is named after the four generals of the Warring States Period (453-221BC). At the top and to the right, you will come to the old city walls which snake over the countryside like a mini Great Wall of China. It’s a strong reminder of the warring history of this area.

View map l See trip pics from Zhenyuan