Wuyuan is dubbed as the most beautiful countryside in China for its vast golden rapeseed flowers, colorful Shai Qiu scenery, and ancient Hui-styled dwellings. Historically it has been a part of Anhui and now it is under the jurisdiction of Shangrao, a prefectural-level city in Jiangxi Province. Natural and cultural resources are intact in the less-developed place for its remoteness.
The small county is a truly enchanting destination with its incredible sights, tranquility, and antique flavors. Near Yellow Mountain and Jingdezhen, tourists usually take a side trip to Wuyuan with a convenient train for about 1 to 2 hours.
Why visit this county:
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Vast Blooming Yellow Rape Flowers: Springtime(Mar. to Apr.) brings a sea of golden yellow as the rapeseed flowers come into bloom and the air is filled with the sweet scent. The bright colors stand out in sharp contrast with the black tile roof and white wall, which provides a visual feast for nature lovers.
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Beautiful Autumn Scenery (Shai Qiu):Apart from spring, autumn scenery in Wuyuan also worth a visit. Tourists can wonder around the ancient village shrouded in the mist and appreciate red leaves and colorful corps. Especially Shai Qiu scene, villagers dry their harvested corps and displayed them in bamboo baskets, showing the precious gifts of nature.
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View Garden of Hui-style architecture: Historical relics spread all over the county, with 28 Chinese traditional villages, 8 Chinese historical and cultural villages, and more than 4,100 ancient buildings, making it a Grand View Garden of Hui-style architecture.
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Unique Local Customs: Anhui Opera, Nuo Dance, Huizhou “three carvings” (wood carving, brick carving, stone carving), Wuyuan Green Tea, and Jialu Umbrella Making Technique are listed as national intangible cultural heritage.
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Zhu Xi’s Hometown: Zhu Xi (朱熹) was a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher during the Song Dynasty (960~1279), and had a profound impact on Chinese philosophy and education. Travel to Wuyuan, so you can walk the path once Zhu Xi has stepped before.
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Dream Place of Photograph: If you are a photography enthusiast, Wuyuan lanscape of spring and autumn is unmissable. Tourists will catch the beautiful picture of nature which is the most precious gifts.
Wuyuan Top Attractions
Wuyuan is not very large, but it has several attractions for travelers, including ancient villages, terraced fields, lakes, etc. Here are the best places to go for your Wuyuan trip.
Huangling Village
Huangling village is a mountain-dwelling village that covers an area of 7 square kilometers, featuring ancient trees, a sea of rapeseed flowers, terrace fields, Shai Qiu, etc. It was awarded the national 4A level tourist attraction and listed as one of “China's traditional villages” in 2014.
Likeng Village
Likeng Village covers an area of 1 square kilometer. The scenery in this area is characterized by Ming and Qing Dynasty merchant houses dotted with bridges and small rivers. It was awarded as a national 4A level tourist attraction in 2010 and a “traditional village in China” in 2013.
Jiangwan Village
Jiangwan Village covers an area of 3 square kilometers. It was awarded as a national 5A-level tourist attraction. There still remain ancient buildings such as Xiaojiang ancestral temple, Jiang Yong Memorial Hall, Nanguan Pavillion, etc.
Xiaoqi Village
It is a typical Hui-style folk culture village and most of the houses were built in the Qing Dynasty. Xiaoqi Village is recognized as a National Agricultural and Ecological Model Village for its well-preserved Qing Dynasty dwellings and alleys and intact ecosystem.
Moon Bay
Moon Bay is a small island resembling a half-moon and an ideal place to paint from nature. Black tile roofs, white walls, and clear water are shrouded in the mist in the morning, inspiring painters and photographers to create artistic works.
Wunvzhou
It is a popular holiday resort with Hui-styled buildings and is also called Grand Tang Dynasty Everlast City in Jiangxi. Tourists can appreciate the stunning light shows, firework shows, eye-catching molten iron throwing shows, and live-action performances.
Wuyuan Featured Activities
Apart from ancient villages and beautiful flower sceneries, you also can catch a glimpse of the local life through its featured activities in Wuyuan. Once Shai Qiu shows the creativity and wise of villagers and Nuo Dance express the best wish for health and happiness. As a part of Anhui before, Wuyuan also develop Anhui Opera for entertainment.
Shai Qiu
Shai Qiu (晒秋) is to dry the harvest under the sun. It is not only a practical method of food preservation but also a cultural celebration of the harvest, representing the intelligence and lifestyle of locals. In autumn, corps of different colors are newly harvested. Peppers, rice, and soybeans are displayed in bamboo baskets with various images on the rooftop.
Nuo Dance
Nuo Dance is a traditional folk dance and a part of primitive sacrificial ceremony, usually performed during the Lantern Festival. Dancers may wear hideous masks, hold weapons, and carry torches, performing a variety of complex dances from door to door. In this way, dancers pray to the immortal to prevent plague from people and bless people to live a peaceful and happy life.
Anhui Opera
Anhui Opera is an ancient drama with a long history, which is known as the origin of Peking Opera. It is mainly distributed in the territory of Anhui Province and the area of Wuyuan County in Jiangxi Province. Anhui Opera belongs to the school of “Shipai” and also has the distinctive flavors of Xipi, Gaoqiang, and Kunqiang.
Wuyuan Weather and When to Go
Wuyuan belongs to the subtropical humid monsoon climate zone. It is characterized by four distinct seasons, with hot, rainy summers and mild, wet winters. The average temperature in January is generally above 0°C, and the average temperature in July is generally around 25°C.
Spring (Mar. to May) and autumn (Sept. to Nov.) are the best viewing times. Rapeseed flowers are blooming in the region especially from mid-March to early April, transforming the landscape into a vibrant canvas (Please note that the flowering period may be a little different according to specific temperature of each year). While in autumn, you can enjoy the most comfortable weather with fewer rainfalls and moderate temperatures. Most villagers dry their newly-harvested corps, creating a vivid and colorful picture of autumn scenery, namely Shai Qiu.
Wuyuan Location & Transportation
Wuyuan is located in Shangrao municipal City, the northeastern part of Jiangxi Province. It is not as convenient as other major cities with various kinds of transportation and frequent schedules. However, high-speed trains and normal trains are well offered at Wuyuan Railway Station for easy transfer from or to other cities such as Jingdezhen (about 0.5 hrs), Huangshan (about 0.5 hrs), Shanghai (about 3 hrs), Nanjing (about 3.5 hrs), Beijing (about 7 hrs), Xi’an (about 8 hrs), etc.
Though there is no airport in Wuyuan County, tourists can take a flight to nearby airports such as Shangrao Sanqingshan Airport and Jingdezhen Luojia Airport first and then proceed to Wuyuan. Buses and taxis are major transportation traveling between Wuyuan attraction spots. Most buses usually run between 6:30 and 19:00 (subject to the operating hours of specific bus routes). Since the buses are not fixed, it is highly recommended to travel with China Discovery, and our local guide and driver will escort you by private car.
Wuyuan Routes & Ticket Fee
There are three routes covering 11 attractions for tourists to choose from, including the east route, the north route, and the east route. Tourists can buy tickets according to their interests and time.
East Route (5 attractions): Likeng Village, Wangkou Village (汪口村), Jiangwan Village, Xiaoqi Village, Jiangling Village (江岭)
North Route (5 attractions): Siyan and Xi Village (思溪延村), Rainbow Bridge, Yantian(严田), Lingyan Cave(灵岩洞), Shi City (石城)
West Route (1 attraction): Wengong Mountain (文公山)
11 Attractions for 5 days - 210 CNY/Adult; 11 Attractions for 1 day-150 CNY/Adult
East Route Ticket - 60 CNY/Adult; North Route Ticket - 55 CNY/Adult; West Route Ticket - 55 CNY/Adult
Wuyuan Accommodation
Tourists usually spend one or two nights in Wuyuan. There are not many hotels in Wuyuan. The luxury-starred hotels are rather limited, but tourists can still find some wonderful hotels and homestays with well-appointed facilities and good service.
Tourists can lodge in the county town with more hotel options and convenient transportation, or choose to stay in scenic areas such as Huangling Village or Wunvzhou which is more expensive but with easy access to the scenic site. Since the attractions are scattered around Wuyuan, it is recommended to stay at the hotel near the attraction according to the tourists’ itinerary.
Wuyuan Maps
For a better understanding of the location of Wuyuan County and how to travel in Wuyuan, here we provide some Wuyuan Maps for you, including Wuyuan Location Map and Wuyuan Tourist Map.
Wuyuan Location Map
Wuyuan Tourist Map
Other Popular Destinations in Jiangxi
Jiangxi, a lesser-known province in south China, owns not only cultural treasures but also captivating natural sights. Famous mountains like Wugong Mountain, Mount Lu, and
Sanqing Mountain
are all located in Jiangxi, showing nature's superlative craftsmanship and magnificent life movement. Arriving at Jingdezhen, the Capital of porcelain, you can experience special ceramic culture. Reaching Wangxian Valley, you will marvel at the majestic canyons, the clear streams, the energetic waterfalls, and the special rocks.
Other Popular Destinations in China
China is vast and diverse. You can choose your favorite destinations among more than 70 tourist destinations and regions, like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, etc. Following are 4 popular destinations you may be interested in. Check all destinations in China.
Chinese Name: 婺源
Chinese Pinyin: [wù yuán]
Language: Mandarin
Tel Code: 0793
Zip Code: 333200
Time Zone: (UTC+8)
How to Plan Wuyuan Tour
Wuyuan is home to Hui-style architecture and a popular flower-viewing trip destination. Usually, tourists spend 1~2 days in Wuyuan, visiting ancient villages such as Xiaoqi Village, Huangling Village, Likeng Village, etc. to go for a walk between ancient Hui-style buildings and alleys, appreciate fields of rapeseed flowers and terraces. Stunning night scenes are unmissable in the Wunvzhou Scenic Area where various shows are performed. If you are planning a Wuyuan tour,
the Top 3 Wuyuan Idyllic Tour will not let you down.
Wuyuan is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, between Huangshan City and Jingdezhen City. It’s a good idea to extend your Wuyuan trip to Yellow Mountain and other tourist spots in Jiangxi if time permits more days.
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