Tourist Destination

Yueyang is one of the most important cradles of Chinese culture and a well-known tourist resort throughout the world. The city boasts the Great Mountain, lake, famous pavilion, outstanding celebrity, and reputable literature. Known as Ximi under the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu) and the Warring States (Zhanguo) periods (770-476 B.C. and 475-221 B.C., respectively), it is one of the most ancient cities on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a history dating back some 2,500 years. It has been rewarded the national famous historical and cultural city, top tourist city of China, couplet culture city of China, and city of Chinese poetry and verse. There are 193 scenic spots including the Yueyang Tower, the Junshan Island, the Quzi Memorial Temple, and the ancient Zhang Guying Village; and 22 revolutionary cultural relics such as the site of Pingjiang Uprising and Ren Bishi Memorial Hall.

 

The everlasting masterpiece of "Records of the Yueyang Tower",the beautiful and romantic Junshan Island, the literature source-Miluo River where the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan (340-278 B.C.) ended his life, and the literati's sacred place of Pingjiang County where the prominent Chinese poet Du Fu of the Tang dynasty (618-907) laid his body, are unique marks of Yueyang. The exploring culture represented by Qu Yuan, the culture of concerning about country and people symbolized by the Yueyang Tower, and the "Camel Spirit" of bearing hardship without complaining incarnated in Ren Bishi are well preserved and pass down for generations.

 

With the Yueyang Tower and Junshan Island upgraded into the National 5A scenic area, the city is accelerating construction of the Dongting Lake Expo Park of China, and the transport tri-cycle around the Nanhu Lake, building up a national Dongting Lake Tourist Resort.

 

A Bright Pearl Beside the Dongting Lake

Dongting Lake, which is so vast and mighty that it seems boundless, is like a fancy satin belt encircling the ancient city of Yueyang. In Yueyang Tower, Fan Zhongyan, an outstanding official in Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), sighed and said: "Be the first to worry about the affairs of the nation and the last to enjoy oneself." The tower stands on the ancient city, and looks down at Dongting Lake covered by mist and fog. In the long process of history, Yueyang Tower has attracted numerous literati, where they composed poems and appreciated the fascinating scenery, making the tower a cultural landmark of the city. The Yueyang Tower stands on the west gate of the Yueyang city wall, looking down at the Dongting Lake, facing the Junshan Island in the distance, and linking the Yangtze River to the north and the Xiangjiang River to the south. Standing on the tower, one can gaze at the distant view of the mists and ripples of the Dongting Lake, with boats sailing on the vast lake.

 

The City of Dragon Boat

Yueyang, also known as the City of Dragon Boat, where Miluo River runs through, is the cradle of dragon boat culture. The event was originated from a piece of Chinese history; which says that on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar in 278 BC, Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet, drowned himself in the Miluo River. In order to commemorate him, Yueyang held 10 consecutive international dragon boat races in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, the Yueyang International Dragon Boat Festival has been held every year, and these days, more than 100 teams from all over the world participate in the competitions.

 

Chinese source: yueyang.gov.cn