Things to do in Taoyuan

2026 Global 100 - Night Attractions

Du Fu Pavilion

Du Fu Pavilion is a Tang-style garden architecture built to commemorate the great Tang dynasty poet Du Fu. It stands on the Xiang River scenic belt in Changsha, gazing across the river at Orange Isle and Yuelu Mountain. In his later years, Du Fu lived in Changsha twice, renting a simple building by the Xiang River; because the house faced the river, he named it "River Pavilion," where he spent the final years of his life and wrote a large number of poems. The present pavilion was completed and opened to the public in 2005. Its main structure has four stories and stands approx. 18 m tall, with vermilion columns paired with antique lattice windows and a roof covered in dark blue-green glazed tiles, making it a highly recognizable landmark on the east bank of the Xiang River. The pavilion houses a Du Fu memorial hall, with a statue of Du Fu standing in the center. The poet's life is depicted on the walls in the form of paintings, and works by renowned calligraphers and painters such as Zhang Daqian and Lin Sanzhi are also displayed in the hall. The exhibitions on each floor follow Du Fu's travels and poetic works in Hunan as the main thread, presenting the wandering trajectory of the Poet Sage in his later years and the poems he composed during his time in Hunan through steles, calligraphy and paintings, and multimedia means. The pavilion also features a tea room where visitors can sip tea while gazing at the scenery on both banks of the Xiang River in the distance. After nightfall, the pavilion lights up, and the warm yellow glow reflects on the surface of the Xiang River, making it a popular night-view photo spot along the river. The pavilion also offers an immersive night tour experience, based on Du Fu's life experiences wandering in Xiaoxiang in his later years. With the help of digital light-and-shadow technology, the artistic conception of Du Fu's poems is transformed into real-life scenes. As visitors stroll through the corridors, they may unexpectedly encounter "people in the poems" dressed in ancient-style costumes, experiencing a thousand years of poetic charm among the corridors and pillars of the pavilion.

No. 1 of Family-friendly Attractions in Hunan

Yue Yang Tower

"Be the first to worry about the world's worries and the last to enjoy its pleasures"—this line from Fan Zhongyan's Northern Song dynasty essay "Yueyang Tower chronicle" made Yue Yang Tower by Dongting Lake a household name. The main tower, Yueyang Tower, is said to have evolved from a naval review tower built by Lu Su of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. Alongside Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei and Tengwang Pavilion in Jiangxi, it is hailed as one of the three great towers of southern China. Poets like Li Bai, Du Fu, Meng Haoran, and Bai Juyi once climbed it to compose verses. From the top floor, leaning on the railings, you can take in the vast expanse of Dongting Lake stretching hundreds of miles, with Junshan Island visible across the waters—where timeless verses and the lake's beauty converge in this moment. The tower itself is an architectural treasure: its three-story, triple-eave structure is built entirely of wood with mortise-and-tenon joints—no iron nails used—and four golden nanmu pillars run straight from the ground to the rooftop. The helmet-shaped roof, called "helmet crown," is supported by layered ruyi bracket sets, a rare design among surviving ancient towers in China. Inside, carved Qing-dynasty panels of "Yueyang Tower chronicle" are preserved—pause to admire them when ascending. The small attractions within the attraction each have their own highlights: near the gate, the "Five-dynasty towers" use bronze miniature models to recreate Yueyang Tower's different architectural styles from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, showcasing a millennium of changes at a glance. On the lakeshore in front of the main tower, ancient iron artifacts resembling shackles and weighing several tons are displayed—their casting era and purpose remain debated, forming a long-standing historical mystery. Additionally, there are the Shuanggong Shrine commemorating Fan Zhongyan and Teng Zijing, the stele corridor engraved with poems about the tower from various dynasties, and the Xiaoqiao Tomb—said to belong to the wife of Three Kingdoms general Zhou Yu—waiting to be explored. If you wish to extend your itinerary, you may also take a boat tour of Dongting Lake and visit Junshan Island on the opposite shore. The nearby Bianhe Street, a cobblestone-paved antique-style street, is lined with local snack stalls and souvenir shops, making it convenient to explore along with the nearby Baling Square.

Qinxi Cruise Center (Large-Scale Live Performance of "Peach Blossom Spring")

No. 13 of Best Things to Do in Hunan and Hubei

Enshi Grand Canyon

Enshi Grand Canyon National 5A Scenic Area and National Geopark is a world-renowned "natural museum" of composite karst landforms with "ground fissures, cenotes and rock pillars" coexisting at the same time. Its ecological environment is unique, and its natural scenery is primitive and simple, with a gallery of ten thousand meters of cliffs, a thousand-foot waterfall, hundreds of unique peaks, and ten miles of deep ravines. Yunlong Ground Fissure is called "the beautiful scar of the earth"; "One Incense Stick" was rated as one of the 40 famous scenic spots in China by foreign media. Yunlong ground seam Yunlong Ground Fissure Scenic Area covers an area of ​​11.3 square kilometers and has an altitude of 600-800 meters. The main landforms in the scenic area include ground fissures, waterfalls, deep pools, karst caves, underground rivers, pictographic stones, and geological profiles. Yunlong Ground Fissure is zigzag-shaped in plane, extending nearly north-south, with a total length of 3.6 kilometers, an average depth of 75 meters, and an average width of 15 meters. The river valley is deep and the bank is steep. It is known as the "ten-mile and hundred-foot cliff". It is the main sightseeing area of ​​Yunlong Ground Fissure Scenic Area. The two walls of Yunlong Ground Fissure are steep and nearly parallel, and the width is basically the same from top to bottom. The cross section is "U"-shaped, which is extremely rare and unique. A stick of incense Karst stone pillars. A stick of incense is a landmark of the Enshi Grand Canyon and a very rare landscape among similar karst landforms. A stick of incense is 150 meters high, with a diameter of 6 meters at the bottom and a minimum diameter of only 4 meters. Its rock type is Triassic limestone. Because the strata here are horizontal, and the rock has a high compressive strength (800 kg/cm3), and there is no tilt or slip, it cannot be moved by the wind or knocked down by the rain. It has stood proudly among the peaks for tens of millions of years, guarding this mysterious land, which is rare. Cliff plank road The Cliff Plank Road, also known as Buyuntian Plank Road and Cliff Corridor, was built in August 2006 and took 1 year and 8 months to complete. The plank road is located on the mountainside of the vertical cliff on the east side of the mountain, with an altitude of about 1,700 meters, a total length of 488 meters, a height difference of 300 meters, and 118 stone steps. It is integrated with the mountain cliffs. Because the plank road is built on the cliff, some people call it the Cliff Corridor, or the "Cliff Plank Road". The project is a combination of the manufacturing technology of the ancient Bashu plank road with modern reinforced concrete building materials and advanced construction technology. It is scientific, safe, and magnificent. Welcome Song The Welcoming Pine, which is estimated to be nearly a thousand years old, grows proudly on the cliff, as if opening its arms to welcome tourists from all over the world.

2026 Global 100 - Night Attractions

Fenghuang Ancient Town

The ancient town of Fenghuang is located in the southwest of Xiangxi, Hunan Province. The ancient city was built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with the Tuojiang River running through the city. The red sandstone walls stand on the shore, and the Nanhua Mountain is set against the city towers from the Qing Dynasty. A narrow wooden bridge with stone piers is across the river under the north gate of the ancient city. It was the passage out of the city in those days. The bluestone streets in the city, the stilt houses by the Tuojiang River, the numerous ancient buildings and the rich customs constitute the unique charm of western Hunan. The main attractions include the former residence of Shen Congwen, the ancient city museum, Chongde Hall, etc., which are worth visiting.

No. 5 of Night Attractions in Hunan

72 wonder tower

The Zhangjiajie Seventy-two Strange Towers Attraction is located at No. 1 Wuling Mountain Avenue, with a very advantageous geographical location. It is divided into three major sections: Tiangong Strange Towers, Fireworks Old Street, and Seventy-two Strange Villages. It is known as the "Zhangjiajie Cultural Landmark" and the "New Engine of Night Economy." Tour Zhangjiajie and visit the Seventy-two Wonderful Towers! The Seventy-two Wonderful Towers deeply implement the core idea of ​​"host-guest sharing and industrial integration" of the whole-region tourism, restore the mysterious legend of "Nine Bows, Eighteen Villages and Seventy-two Wonderful Towers" in Wuling Mountain Area, and create an immersive local style national trend theme Attraction. The project takes the 109.9-meter Guinness World Stilt House and the 360° immersive real-life performance block as the core creativity, and the first food street in Hunan and the One Thousand and One Nights theme hotel as the core business format. It integrates a variety of leisure formats such as characteristic bars, national trend travel photography, intangible cultural heritage workshops, and "Eight Views of Wonderful Towers". There is everything for eating, drinking, playing, and shopping. With cultural empowerment, it creates a model of diversified night economy consumption formats! It has become a milestone in Zhangjiajie's transformation from mountain sightseeing tours to cultural leisure tours!

No. 8 of Night Attractions in Hunan

Mount Hengshan

Mount Hengshan is located in Nanyue district, Hengyang. Its highest peak is Zhurong peak, at an elevation of approx. 1300 m. Among the "Five Great Mountains", Mount Heng is located furthest south. Its relatively favorable climate means the mountain is verdant all year round, with lush trees, earning it the reputation of being the "most beautiful of the Five Great Mountains". Mount Hengshan is mainly composed of the central attraction and a few other small attractions. When most visitors refer to "Hengshan," they mean the central attraction. The "Nanyue Grand Temple" in Nanyue Town at the foot of Mount Hengshan is an important attraction besides the central attraction, and it is a massive ancient palace-style architectural complex in southern China. Mount Heng is a sacred site of Chinese Buddhism, where the "Nanyue school" of the Southern Chan tradition was founded, and its dharma lineage gave rise to the Weiyang and Linji schools, which spread throughout China and overseas. In addition, this is also a sacred site of the War of Resistance in southern China. At the foot of Xianglu Peak, the "Nanyue Martyrs' Shrine" commemorates and buries Chinese soldiers who died on the frontal battlefields of the War of Resistance. When visiting the central attraction, you can choose to walk the entire way, or combine walking with the eco-friendly bus (including the cableway). For most ordinary visitors, the latter is recommended, as it will leave you with more energy to appreciate the beautiful scenery in the mountains and experience the cultural connotations of Nanyue. Route recommendations If you choose to travel on foot and by eco-friendly bus (including the cableway), then visiting Mount Heng in one day is not a particularly strenuous task. You can first visit the "Nanyue Grand Temple" in Nanyue Town, and then enter the central attraction. The basic route is:Martyr's Shrine-Hengyang Mount Hengshan Tourist Area-Banshan Pavilion-Magu Wonderland-Mojing Terrace-Hengyang Mount Hengshan-Hengyang Mount Hengshan Tourist Area-Nantianmen-Zhurong Peak. If you have more time, then spending two days touring Mount Hengshan will yield more rewards. The general route is similar to the "1-day tour" above; since you have ample time, after visiting the Fuyan Temple in Mount Hengshan in Hengyang, you can then go to the Sutra Library Hall in the Mount Hengshan tourist area in Hengyang and stay for a while—it is extremely tranquil there. In the early morning of the second day, you can also head to the "Sun-Watching Terrace" to watch the sunrise.

qin xi

Qinxi, also known as Shuixi, is an important tributary on the south bank of the Yuanjiang.

No. 19 of Best Things to Do in Hunan and Hubei

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is located in Cili County, Zhangjiajie City. The canyon features lush vegetation, fresh air, and cascading waterfalls, streams, and springs everywhere, making it a natural oxygen bar. In addition to enjoying the natural scenery, the must-try experience at the attraction is the Glass Bridge — Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon (Glass Bridge). Standing on the bridge, you can take in the canyon floor nearly 300 m below, a true test for your heart. There are direct buses from Zhangjiajie city center and Wulingyuan attraction to the Grand Canyon, taking about 20-30 minutes to arrive. Upon entering the attraction, the first thing that catches your eye is the glass bridge spanning both sides of the canyon. The bridge deck is entirely paved with transparent glass. Friends who love taking photos can lie on the bridge and start snapping away. When you reach Yixiantian (One Line of Sky), you can get up close and personal with the canyon's cliffs. Continue walking forward, take the slide down to the bottom of the mountain, and then board a cruise to exit the attraction.

No. 4 of Night Attractions in Hunan

Furong Town

Originally named "Wang Village," Furong Town is an ancient town with a history of over two thousand years. In 1986, the film *Hibiscus Town*, directed by Xie Jin and starring Liu Xiaoqing and Jiang Wen, was shot on location here, bringing the ancient town widespread fame, and in 2007 it was officially renamed. The center of the ancient town is built atop a massive rock formation, with a waterfall dropping dozens of meters flowing through the town. Tujia stilted houses are built right next to the waterfall, earning it the name "the thousand-year-old town hanging on a waterfall." Strolling along the five-li-old street paved with bluestone slabs, you can see many local residences on both sides constructed from wooden planks, many of which have darkened with age, bearing clear traces of the passage of time. The Xizhou Bronze Pillar in the town is a precious historical witness, inscribed with a treaty of truce and alliance between the King of Chu and local chieftains during the Five Dynasties period, recording a chapter of Tujia history. The Tusi King's Palace next to the waterfall served as a summer retreat for successive generations of Tusi kings, and the area nearby is also a great spot to overlook the entire town, taking in the stilted houses, the waterfall, and the Youshui River below all at once. After nightfall, the ancient town lights up, the waterfall is illuminated with colored lights, and the night scenery is gorgeous and enchanting. Mi doufu (rice tofu), made famous by a film, is now the town's signature snack, with shops bearing "mi doufu" signs everywhere, and the one where the film was shot being especially popular. The town also offers specialty goods such as Tujia brocade, bamboo tube wine, and Guzhang Maojian tea, which you can keep as travel souvenirs.