[2025 Yongzhou ] Travel Guide for Pingzhou Academy (Updated Apr)

A 3-Day Travel Guide to Yongzhou A 3-Day Travel Guide to Yongzhou‼️ Ancient Charm, Natural Beauty, and Food Paradise!🏞️🍜 Ladies! Yongzhou, this low-key treasure of a city, is absolutely stunning!🌄 Let's take a spontaneous weekend trip!🚗💨 Save this comprehensive 3-day Yongzhou travel guide that covers everything from food to fun!👇 🌟 Itinerary Day 1: Cultural Heritage Tour Morning: Linglin Ancient City🏯 Visit Liu Zongyuan Temple to experience the thousand-year cultural heritage! Recommended route: Liu Zi Street → Dongshan Scenic Area → Pingzhou Academy Afternoon: Wuxi Stone Inscription Forest📜 A paradise of stone carving art with rich cultural atmosphere! Evening: Lingling Old Street🍢 A traditional pedestrian street with delicious food and beautiful night views! Day 2: Natural Scenery Tour Morning: Jiuyi Mountain National Forest Park🌲 Visit Emperor Shun's Mausoleum and experience the perfect blend of history and nature! Afternoon: Yangming Mountain🏞️ Rare southern alpine meadows with sea of clouds, unique rocks, and forests - breathtakingly beautiful! Evening: Yongzhou Night Market🍜 Recommended: Lengshuitan Night Market for stinky tofu, BBQ skewers, sweet rice cakes, and more until you're full! Day 3: Food Discovery Tour Morning: Yongzhou Blood Duck🦆 Must-try! Recommended "Time-honored Blood Duck Restaurant" - tender and absolutely delicious! Afternoon: Yongzhou Rice Noodles🍜 Fresh soup, smooth noodles, rich toppings - perfect for breakfast! Evening: Dong'an Chicken🐔 Yongzhou specialty - sour and spicy, absolutely addictive! 🚗 Transportation Bus: Well-developed bus network, 2 yuan per ride, mobile payment accepted! Taxi: Starting fare 7 yuan, convenient for city attractions! Charter: Recommended for Jiuyi Mountain and Yangming Mountain - convenient and time-saving! 🍜 Local Cuisine Yongzhou Blood Duck: Tender, flavorful, and spicy - must try! Yongzhou Rice Noodles: Fresh soup, smooth noodles, rich toppings - perfect for breakfast! Dong'an Chicken: Sour and spicy, tender meat - local specialty! Stinky Tofu: Crispy outside, tender inside, perfect with chili sauce! Sweet Rice Cakes: Sweet but not greasy, love that chewy texture! Local Recommendations Accommodation: Stay near Lengshuitan District - convenient transportation and amenities! Shopping: Lingling Ancient City Walking Street and Lengshuitan Commercial Street - shop till you drop! Nightlife: Lingling Old Street Bar Street - experience Yongzhou's nightlife! 🌟 Tips Jiuyi Mountain Scenic Area is large - wear comfortable shoes and bring sun protection! Yongzhou cuisine is spicy - remember to mention if you can't handle spicy food! Weekends are crowded - book hotels and tickets in advance! Ladies, Yongzhou is truly a hidden gem!🏞️ Start planning your weekend trip now!💖 Don't forget to like, save, and share with friends who might need this guide!

Yongzhou is not a well-known tourist destination. I discovered this hidden gem with its unknown history and beautiful scenery by chance during a two-day stopover on my way to Guilin. Yongzhou is a place where history, culture, and natural landscapes blend together, as depicted in Liu Zongyuan's "Record of the Little Stone Pond." It boasts well-preserved ancient cities and temples, rustic traditional villages, and picturesque karst geological landscapes. If you're curious about this place, you can follow my two-day one-night Yongzhou travel guide. Itinerary Day 1: Lingling Ancient City—Liuzi Temple—Little Stone Pond—Wumiao Temple—Wenmiao Temple—Xiangling Mountain—Yongzhou Museum—Pingzhou Academy—Huilong Tower Day 2: Zhou Family Courtyard—Ningyuan Wenmiao Temple—Jiuyi Mountain—Yunlongfang—Shanggan Tang Ancient Village Attraction Highlights Pingzhou Academy: Known for the "Spring Flood at Pingzhou," one of Yongzhou's eight scenic spots, featuring numerous famous poets' inscriptions. Huilong Tower: A unique and photogenic tower with blue and white colors. Wenmiao Temple + Wumiao Temple: Although under renovation, these sites record the traces of Yongzhou's history. Lingling Ancient City + Liuzi Temple: A temple built to commemorate the Tang Dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan, featuring ancient architecture and cultural relics. Jiuyi Mountain: The burial site of Emperor Shun, with a rich historical and cultural background. You can visit Emperor Shun's Mausoleum to learn about his legends and history. Zhou Family Courtyard: A well-preserved ancient village from the Ming and Qing Dynasties with unique architectural styles. Stroll through the village to experience the charm of ancient architecture and the lifestyle of the past. Shanggan Tang Ancient Village: A tranquil and beautiful ancient village with a long history. The ancient buildings and stone-paved roads reveal the passage of time. Local Food Recommendations: 1. Yongzhou Blood Duck: Tender duck meat with duck blood, spicy and flavorful, perfect with rice. 2. Dong'an Chicken: Tender chicken with a sweet and sour taste, offering a unique flavor. 3. Ningyuan Stuffed Tofu: Tofu filled with meat, pan-fried until golden, then cooked, offering a rich texture and delicious broth. 4. Yongzhou Braised Rice Noodles: Smooth and chewy rice noodles with a savory broth and various seasonings, very tempting. Practical Information 🚄 Transportation: Yongzhou has an airport for direct flights, or you can first reach Guilin and then take a train to Yongzhou. Once in Yongzhou, you can rent a car on the Trip.com platform to complete your two-day tour. 🏨 Accommodation: Yongzhou city is not large, offering a variety of accommodation options to suit different budgets.

Yongzhou Pingzhou Academy: Poetic Xiaoxiang, Ancient Charm In the gentle spring rain, we followed the trail to Pingzhou Academy, where the two rivers of Xiaoxiang converge. The name "Bai Pingzhou" or "Pingzhou" comes from the poetic realm of "Climb the white duckweed and look far, meet the beauty at dusk" in "The Nine Songs: The Lady of the Xiang River" in "The Songs of Chu", like the ancient charm in the long river of time, lingering and lingering. This is the location of the first of the eight ancient Xiaoxiang scenic spots, "Xiaoxiang Night Rain", and one of the eight scenic spots in Yongzhou. Every time the spring tide rises in Pingzhou, the misty water is vast, and the small island is like a light boat, swaying gracefully on the blue waves, showing the gentle and beautiful water town of Jiangnan. 🎫 Ticket price: CNY 30 🛥 Transportation: You need to take a boat to get there, and the round-trip ticket is CNY 20. Enjoy the scenery along the shore on the leisurely waterway, which is a unique charm. 📌 Travel tips: 1. The ancient poetry stele forest corridor is engraved with many ancient poems related to Xiaoxiang, but there are printing flaws in it, and exploring these small mistakes has become a different kind of fun in the tour. 2. The original banana forest in the academy has disappeared, leaving only a trace of doubt, which is thought-provoking. 3. The courtyard is deep, and the door holes are scattered, and every step is a scene, which can be painted. Supermodel Liu Wen also left a picture of fashion and ancient charm intertwined here, which is a check-in place for photography enthusiasts. 4. Surrounding attractions such as Huilong Tower, Liuzi Street, Xiaoshitan, Gumu Pool, and Dongshan Scenic Area are scattered, connecting the cultural context and natural beauty of this land, which is worth exploring one by one, allowing the soul to travel freely between history and mountains and rivers.

🏝Pingzhou Academy was first built in 1739 by Sui Wenhui and his son, who were from Lingling and the magistrates of Taoyuan County (now Siyang County) in Jiangsu. In 1754, the academy was destroyed by a flood. In 1887, Wang Debang, a general of the Xiang Army, rebuilt the academy. The following year, eight students from the academy passed the imperial examination, and the academy became famous. It is one of the Four Great Academies of Hunan, along with Yuelu Academy, Dongshan Academy, and Shigu Academy. 🏝Pingzhou, also known as Pingdao and Fuzhou, is located 4 km north of Lingling District, where the Xiao River and Xiang River meet. It is surrounded by water on all sides and is a quiet and elegant place. It is about 600 meters in circumference. It is home to two of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yongzhou: Xiaoxiang Night Rain and Pingzhou Spring Flood. 🏝Pingzhou Academy is one of the Four Great Academies of Hunan, along with Yuelu Academy, Shigu Academy, and Chengnan Academy. Pingzhou Academy was first built in 1739 by Sui Wenhui and his son, who were from Lingling and the magistrates of Taoyuan County (now Siyang County) in Jiangsu. 🏝The academy is located on Pingdao, where the Xiao River and Xiang River meet. The literati have always praised this place. Ouyang Xiu said he wanted to move here: "I want to buy three mu of land by the Yuxi River and build a house to live in." Lu You said: "I need the help of the mountains and rivers to write. How can I write poetry without going to Xiaoxiang?" 🏝The "White Pingzhou" in Liu Zongyuan's poem "I am not a guest on White Pingzhou, but I will ask Xiaoxiang about my distant thoughts" refers to the location of Pingzhou Academy. 🏝The sound of the guqin makes the academy even more tranquil. The fragrance of the 300-year-old osmanthus trees fills the entire island. It is a pleasant place that makes people reluctant to leave. 🚥[Transportation Guide] ⭐️ Take a high-speed train or train to Yongzhou Station, then take bus 303, 13, 5, 7, 17, 31, or 25 to Lingling Ancient City, and then take a boat to Pingzhou Academy.

In the embrace of Yongzhou, there lies a hidden paradise that brings peace and joy to the heart—Pingzhou Academy. It is located on Ping Island, the very site of the natural wonder 'Spring Tide at Pingzhou'. When the sunlight gently sprinkles, the two waters (Xiao and Xiang Rivers) leisurely converge here, adding a touch of liveliness and beauty to the small island, as if stepping into a flowing ink painting. 🌟【Convenient Island Access Guide】 No hassle needed, there is a ferry waiting for you under the Pingzhou Bridge. With just 20 yuan, a round-trip ticket in hand, you can easily reach this secluded paradise. What's even more delightful is that there is a large area of old factory buildings by the island where parking is completely free, making your journey worry-free from the start. (Don't forget to check the last picture, where a parking secret is hidden!) 🎟️【Ticket Discount Information】 Stepping into Pingzhou Academy feels like traveling through time. The original ticket price is 40 yuan, but if you wisely choose to book online in advance, you can enjoy a great discount of 30 yuan. This not only saves money but also adds more anticipation and fun to this ancient charm journey. 🏛️【Strolling in the Academy, Enjoying the Tranquility】 Although the academy on the island is small, it is well-equipped, with every inch of land exuding cultural fragrance. As you stroll around, you will be attracted by the well-arranged stele forest, the lush banana grove, and the simple and elegant Chinese architecture. There is no noisy commercial atmosphere here, only pure tranquility and beauty. Remember to bring your water bottle, because in such a scenery, even a cup of plain water can taste extraordinarily sweet. (Recommended playtime: 1-2 hours, enough for you to savor this rare tranquility and elegance.) 🏷️ Coming to Yongzhou, you must visit Pingzhou Academy; visiting Pingzhou, you must appreciate the infinite scenery of 'Spring Tide at Pingzhou'. Let's meet on this small island favored by both nature and culture, and weave an unforgettable travel memory together!

Located at the confluence of the Xiao River and the Xiang River, eight miles northwest of the ancient city of Yongzhou, there is a small island called Ping Island. It is surrounded by water on all sides, like two dragons playing with a pearl. The island is full of ancient trees and lush bamboo and banana trees, with a quiet and elegant environment and beautiful scenery. On the island, there is the Pingzhou Academy, which was established in the fourth year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1739). The academy is in the form of a quadrangle, with gray bricks and green tiles, and a sense of age. The Pingzhou Academy is known as one of the four major academies in Hunan, along with Yuelu, Shigu, and Chengnan. The unique and beautiful natural landscape of Ping Island has long attracted people's appreciation. During the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou, where he traveled by boat on the Xiao and Xiang rivers and visited Ping Island. He wrote the poem 'Xiangkou Pavilion, where the two waters of Xiao and Xiang meet'. As soon as you enter the 'Xiaoxiang' gate, you can see an arc-shaped stele forest arranged on the left, with both sides, there are many famous people's handwriting, worth slowly tasting. The Pingzhou Academy is simple and quiet, and some viewing platforms in the style of Han white jade have been added to the back of the academy, which are also very beautiful for taking pictures. To visit Pingzhou Academy on Ping Island, you need to take a boat, which costs 20 yuan for a round trip. Taking photos in Hanfu on the boat is also very harmonious.

🚣‍♂️ Along the Xiao River, it feels like traveling through a thousand years. Walking in the poetic land under the pen of Liu Zongyuan, Pingzhou Academy is a historical relic of the four major academies in Hunan, like a quiet literary hall, bathed in a long history, as if you can hear the low chant of the Xiao Xiang night rain. 📜🌙 🛥️ Take a boat up, pass through the ancient city of Lingling under the Dongfeng Bridge, come to Xiakedu, the floating bridge in the rain and the Xiao River reflect each other, like a classical landscape painting, intoxicating. ⛵️🌧️ 🏞️ Chaoyang Rock, Liu Zi fishing alone in the cold river snow, along the Xiao River, the rock with many inscriptions records the vicissitudes of a thousand years, as if time is frozen here. 🌄📜 🏔️ Xiangling Mountain is like a watcher, standing tall on the bank of the Xiao River, the huge rocks in the river witness countless stories about Xiao Xiang, walking through the floating bridge of Xiangling Mountain Village, feeling the precipitation of a long history, as if in the ideal country under the southern sky. 🏞️📖 On this mysterious and distant land, the soul of Lingling wakes up in the cold river and dusk rain, and the heart with sorrow and resentment pursues the open-minded realm between the mountains and rivers. Everyone who has walked through Lingling will suddenly become enlightened in the melodious Eina sound, feeling the deep affection of Xiao Xiang. 🌿🌧️

Coming from the bustling metropolis to the Pingzhou Academy, the body and mind are as comfortable as if they have been bathed and incensed. The Pingzhou Academy was built in the Qing Dynasty, located on Ping Island in Yongzhou, where the Xiao River and Xiang River converge, and you must take a small boat to get to the island. The island is full of ancient trees and abundant bamboo and bananas. The bluestone path in the academy is planted with 320-year-old ancient osmanthus trees. Although the osmanthus has withered, the four seasons osmanthus is in full bloom, and the fragrance is attacking people's hearts. The lingering piano sound is revolving around the ears, strolling in it, enjoying the tranquility of the island, and the beauty seeps into every cell. It can be described as 'When you wield a brush, you should get the help of the country, and if you don't go to Xiaoxiang, how can there be a poem'.

Hunan Yongzhou's lesser-known attractions, starry sky, sea of clouds, sunrise, didn't expect Hunan to have such beautiful places🥰 You can see the starry sky, sunrise, tea fields, and sea of clouds❗️ ⛰️Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area📍Shuangpai County, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province The navigation to the tea field is more accurate, or navigate to Yuntai Mountain and continue to drive forward until you find the wooden mountain trail and Sanhe Farmhouse sign and then park) 90 kilometers from the city, two hours by car. ⛰️The scenic area is in the picturesque Yao village by the Xiaoshui River~ There are quite a few wooden stilted buildings with charm p12, and many ancient pine forests 🌄Sunrise needs to check the time and weather, arrange reasonably! It is recommended to leave enough time, because all five of us feel that the stars above the clouds and before sunrise are more beautiful! ☁️The sea of clouds needs good weather and good luck! It's best if it rains the day before, and the sun comes out the next day, the chances will be great! 🏠Accommodation is the Starry Sky Homestay on the top of the mountain, including standalone villas/standard rooms; Sanhe Farmhouse at the foot of the mountain; accommodation and dining next to the tourist center in the scenic area (five minutes by car) 👑The tea field should also be good for taking pictures, didn't go, the ethnic characteristic corner tower looks very good~ The next day we went to Lingling Ancient City, also known as Yongzhou Ancient City, which was built in 124 BC and has a history of more than 2000 years. Lingling is a city where mountains, rivers, and rivers blend Detailed address丨Lingling Ancient City, Lingling District, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province 🎫🎫🎫About tickets丨Free 1⃣️Some attractions require tickets→Liuzi Temple Tickets 25/person Time: 8:30～17:30 2⃣️Pingzhou Academy Tickets 50/person (On Pingzhou Island, take a 10-minute boat ride from Lingling Ancient City to the island 3️⃣Rent costumes, you can bargain. Makeup + clothes + headwear around 75. ✅About eating Eat→Yongzhou Blood Duck→Coming to Yongzhou without eating blood duck is equivalent to coming in vain, to eat authentic Yongzhou blood duck, you must come to experience it locally.