[2025 Chongqing Attraction] Travel Guide for Tujia Shisanzhai Sceneic Area (Updated Jun)

So Surprising, Can't Keep It a Secret! With the hot weather lately, I went out to escape the heat and discovered this hidden gem—a true treasure! If you're unfamiliar with this spot, let me give you a quick introduction. 🖼 **Xiaonanhai National Geological Park**: This is an ancient earthquake site. During the summer of the Xianfeng era in the Qing Dynasty, a massive earthquake struck here. Originally a stream, the quake caused a mountain collapse that blocked the water, forming a **barrier lake**. It’s now one of the most well-preserved earthquake relics in China. The site is a **AAAA-level national scenic area**. ⛰ **Attraction Guide** 📍 **Address**: Nanhai Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Qianjiang District, Chongqing 🚗 **Transportation**: About 30+ km from Qianjiang city center—**self-driving is recommended**. There’s reportedly a direct shuttle from Qianjiang East Station (¥10/person). 💰 **Ticket Price**: ¥60/person. **Free for seniors 65+ and children under 1.2m**. 🌟 **Highlights**: ✅ **Xiaonanhai is a high-altitude lake**, combining mountains, water, islands, and gorges. Aerial shots reveal its stunning beauty. 😻 ✅ **Earthquake Relics**: - **Dakua Rock & Xiaokua Rock** (sheer cliffs in purplish-red) are earthquake-collapsed formations, still barren to this day. - Various fractures, cracks, and deformed mountains. - **Haikou Dam** has a massive boulder split by the quake, forming a natural dam. Great for teaching kids about earthquakes while touching these "scars of the earth." ✅ **Barrier Lake (Main Attraction)**: Three islands of different sizes: **Niubei Island, Laohe Island, and Chaoyang Island**. Walk around the islands—**sapphire-blue water💎** surrounded by emerald-green mountains—absolutely enchanting! 😍 - **Niubei Island**: Pine forests, birdsong, and a long, narrow stream resembling a ribbon. 🤩 - **Chaoyang Island**: Home to **Chaoyang Temple**, shaped like a butterfly 🦋. Rare flora and fauna can be found here. The lake is dotted with uniquely shaped rocks. During dry seasons, it feels like a **stone forest maze**—perfect for quiet reflection on its 160-year history. ✅ **Golden Beach**: East of the lake’s central island, shaped like a toad 🐸, covered in pebbles. Features a **suspension bridge**—not too high, even those with mild acrophobia can try it. ✅ **Lakeside Boardwalk**: Stroll along the **crystal-clear, turquoise-blue lake**—it’s like a "mini Erhai." On sunny days, the sky and clouds reflect perfectly—**wallpaper-worthy views**. ✅ **Camping**: **Shuangyan Village Qingyun Camping Base** offers tents, farmhouse meals, and lakeside relaxation. 📌 **Tips**: - **Aerial photography is a must** for panoramic shots—**breathtaking!** 👍 - Catch the sunset 🌇 for a magical "fishing boat at dusk" moment. - **Drive in** if possible—cars are allowed inside. - **Morning visits** are best to avoid the heat. 🥵 - Nearby **Tujia Thirteen Villages** (10+ km away) offers water play, fish-catching, traditional dances, and local snacks. (I’ll share a guide later—see **Photos 1, 2 & 9**). 🍽 **Food Recs**: - **Qianjiang Spicy Chicken Gizzards** - Mung Bean Noodles - Stir-Fried Beef with Greens - Rice Tofu - Fried Crab & Mini Fried Fish/Shrimp (crispy, fresh, fragrant).

In this vast land, there are always places that are so beautiful they take your breath away. I thought the strange mountains and rivers of Wulong were the ultimate, but I never imagined that the scenery of Qianjiang would have its own unique charm.🌄 Day 1: Chongqing-Zhushui Ancient Town-Puhua Dark River In the early morning, the sun spreads across the land, and we set off on our journey to Qianjiang.🚗 Upon arriving at Zhushui Ancient Town, it's as if we've traveled through time, back to the era of Tang and Song dynasties. Walking on the ancient town's bluestone slabs, we feel the weight of the years and admire the world-famous covered bridges.🌉 In the evening, we take a night tour of the ancient town, enjoying the tranquil beauty of the dimly lit streets. Next, we head to Puhua Dark River.🌊 Following the downhill plank road, passing through caves, and taking a boat through a 2-kilometer dark river, the 150-meter-high natural triple bridges are breathtaking. As the boat moves along, it's like being in a landscape painting, making it hard to leave. Day 2: Shuicheping-City Grand Canyon On the second day, we go to Shuicheping, a mountain camping base where we can barbecue and stay overnight.🏕️ Here, we enjoy the tranquility and comfort of nature, as if cut off from the world. In the afternoon, we visit the City Grand Canyon. It is the only grand canyon in a city in China. Qianjiang itself is a small mountain city. We walk along the mountain wall, passing by the statue of Guanyin, feeling the magic and grandeur of nature. The scenic area also has aerial plank roads and glass bridges, but we choose the mountain trail, climbing step by step, enjoying the pleasure of conquering nature. Day 3: Shengui Gorge-Xiaonanhai-Tujia Thirteen Villages On the third day, we go to Shengui Gorge. It's a 40-minute drive from Zhushui Ancient Town, mainly for boat tours on the Apeng River.🚣‍♂️ The two mountains at the mouth of the gorge look like a pair of male and female turtles lying opposite each other, and the scenery is comparable to the Lesser Three Gorges. We take a boat tour, feeling the natural wonder. Then, we head to Xiaonanhai. This is a barrier lake formed by an earthquake, one of Chongqing's top ten summer resorts. We walk along the lake, enjoying the lake and mountain scenery, feeling the tranquility and beauty of nature. Finally, we arrive at the Tujia Thirteen Villages. Thirteen Tujia villages and one museum allow us to deeply understand the history and culture of the Tujia people.🏞️ Food Recommendations On a trip to Qianjiang, of course, you can't miss the local cuisine. Qianjiang chicken giblets, green vegetable beef, mung bean noodles, and other dishes are all worth trying. Each bite is memorable, as if the entire taste of Qianjiang is fused into the mouth. This trip to Qianjiang has allowed us to appreciate the magic and beauty of nature, feel the tranquility and charm of the ancient town, and taste the local food.🍽️ Every trip is a purification of the soul, making us cherish the beauty of this world even more.

🌈Attraction Features: Authentic and ecological Tujia characteristics 🎟️Ticket Information: Free 🕐️Opening Hours: All day 💗Other tips: Such a beautiful village, with clear mountains and waters, wildflowers, farmhouses, chickens and ducks, small bridges and flowing water, it satisfies all your imaginations about rural life. It's only a half-hour drive from the city center, making it very suitable for a weekend or holiday stay. In the village, we heard the locals calling their home-raised chickens back home, using a unique tone that their chickens can understand, which was really interesting.

Thirteen Tujia Villages Located in Xinjian Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Qianjiang District, Chongqing City, it is adjacent to the Xiaonanhai Earthquake Relics Park in the east (now actually in the Xiaonanhai Scenic Area), Bamianshan Natural Scenic Area in the south, Wuling Fairy Mountain in the west across Cizhu Creek, and Jigong Mountain, a scenic spot in Chongqing and Hubei, in the north. This is where the two provinces meet. Once I received a text message, I had already passed Hubei. It is about 30 kilometers away from the main urban area of ​​Qianjiang. It is recommended to drive there. The scenic area covers an area of ​​6.5 square kilometers and has 13 typical Tujia courtyards. There are more than 200 households and nearly 1,000 Tujia people living here. Now the scenic area is in the Xiaonanhai Scenic Area. You can check your ticket at the entrance of the scenic area and then drive in. Thirteen Villages, as the name suggests, means thirteen Tujia villages. These thirteen households are relatively large families. Thirteen Villages are distributed along both sides of Banjia Creek. The villages are in various styles, including semi-enclosed Pin-shaped, fully enclosed quadrangle, and stilted buildings. The roof has flower ridges and corners, railing corridors around, and carved railings and flower windows. The original Tujia stilted houses, the original ecological production and living style, the original Tujia folk customs, the landscape, farming fields, Tujia houses, folk customs. After entering the scenic area, you can walk slowly and leisurely, visit the village. The first few are not far away, there are special walking paths, and it is very pleasant to have mountains and water. Going upstream along the Banjia River, starting from Xuetangwan near Houba Xinjie, to Tanjiayuan at the foot of Jigong Mountain, the source of Banjia River, there are 13 primitive and simple Tujia mountain villages. The Tujia people live here by the water, gather in tribes and form villages, forming a typical Tujia residential community. There is a Wuling Mountain Folk Ecological Museum next to the first village. You can go to visit it together, a Siheyuan. There are some special snacks at this point, which are not expensive and taste good, and you can replenish them. The Thirteen Tujia Villages retain the original Tujia stilt houses, the original production and living style, the original Tujia folk customs, the landscape, farming fields, Tujia houses, folk customs, which constitute the tourism characteristics of the Thirteen Banjiaxi Villages. The pole-rail wooden structure stilt houses are the main characteristics of the Thirteen Villages. Each village has a minimum of more than ten families and dozens of people, and a maximum of dozens of families and hundreds of people. Most of them are named after their surnames. In 2015, it was rated as "Chongqing's Top Ten Summer Resorts". It is indeed very cool here in summer. Since we came during the Qingming Festival, there is a slight coolness on rainy days. Tickets: 80 (other online platforms will be cheaper) Opening hours: 8:30 to 16:30 Tour time: 3~4 hours