Yongzhou offers several distinct cultural themes: personal remembrance, the history of a street, named cultural motifs, and an interactive theme park. This variety is more useful for planning your trip than a simple list of attractions: you can first decide whether you are more interested in Liu Zongyuan, historic urban landscapes, cultural motifs, or folk culture and leisure. The following places each showcase these themes in their own way.
Liuzi Temple: Remembrance and Inscription
The people of Yongzhou built Liuzi Temple in 1056 to commemorate Liu Zongyuan. Liu Zongyuan is known as a thinker, politician, and writer, as well as the Sima of Yongzhou. On the rear wall of the main hall is a stele known as the Three Wonders Stele. Han Yu composed its inscription, and Su Shi wrote it; it honors Liu Zongyuan and begins with “荔枝丹兮焦黄”. Because of this opening, the stele is also known as the Lychee Stele. Several layers come together in understanding the temple: the remembrance of a specific person, Liu Zongyuan’s different roles, and a literary monument with its own name. The stele thus offers a concrete way into the history of commemoration that goes beyond the temple’s name.
Liuzi Street: A Historic Thoroughfare
Liuzi Street offers a different historical perspective. It lies on the west bank of the Xiaoshui River, is more than 550 meters long, and belongs to China’s first group of historic and cultural streets. In earlier times, it was a postal road heading toward Guangxi. This brings together two aspects: its former role in transportation and its designation as a historic and cultural street. Its length gives the street a tangible sense of scale, while its former function points to a direction of historic travel. Whereas Liuzi Temple centers on the remembrance of Liu Zongyuan, Liuzi Street can be understood through its history as a transport route.
Dongshan: Cultural Motifs and Monuments
Dongshan Scenic Area includes Fahua Temple, associated with the motif “Evening Bells at the Mountain Temple” from the Eight Views of Yongzhou, as well as Lütiang Monastery, associated with the motif “Banana Shadows of Lütiang.” Yongzhou Wumiao and more than 100 cultural relics are also part of Dongshan Scenic Area. The two named motifs offer different cultural points of reference, while the extensive collection of monuments adds another perspective. Dongshan can thus be understood both through individual sites and their motifs and through its larger number of cultural relics.
Lingling Ancient City: Folk Culture and Leisure
Lingling Ancient City is an interactive cultural theme park that combines ecological recreation, folk culture experiences, shopping in local commercial districts, and themed leisure activities. This focus differs from the commemorative and heritage connections of the other places described: here, the emphasis is on several interconnected experience areas. You can travel between Dongshan Scenic Area and Lingling Ancient City on foot or by vehicle. You can also watch folk performances in Lingling Ancient City. Individual shops and events may change. If a particular performance is important to you, check what is scheduled for your travel dates before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Changde, Zhangjiajie, Chenzhou, Shaoyang, Zhuzhou, Loudi, Xiangtan, Hengyang.
For the overarching travel overview: Hunan.
