Gu Yan Hua Xiang is located in Da Gang Tou, southwest of Lishui. It is known for its naturally beautiful and grand water town scenery, which is particularly stunning for photography or sketching. Many art schools choose this place as their sketching base, earning the reputation of ‘Painting Town’. Along the ancient riverbank street, people with easels can often be seen creating art, exuding an artistic atmosphere. The more than a thousand-year-old water conservancy project, Tongji Weir, is a must-visit spot for tourists coming to Gu Yan Hua Xiang.
The Ou River divides the scenic area into two parts. ‘Gu Yan’ refers to Yan Tou Village on the north bank, while ‘Hua Xiang’ refers to Da Gang Tou Town on the south bank where the town government is located. The two areas face each other across the river without a bridge and are only accessible by painted boats shuttling between the banks. Tourists usually arrive at Da Gang Tou first and then take a boat to the opposite Yan Tou Village. There are visitor centers on both sides, and tickets can be bought separately, but a joint ticket is slightly cheaper.
The highlights of Da Gang Tou are concentrated on a riverfront street with red lanterns – the ancient riverbank street. Although it doesn’t show its ancient charm after being newly built, it is still picturesque. Most shops on both sides of the street are studios or shops related to painting. You can find some unique trinkets in the artistic specialty shops along the street, or send a postcard to your relatives and friends at the ‘Their Love Post Office’.At the eastern end of the street, there is an ancient camphor tree and the Shuang Yin Pavilion named after it, which is quite charming. Next to the pavilion is the Xiangxiang Ancient Wharf. You can take a boat to Yan Tou Village from here or walk along the street to the Tongping Wharf near the photography exhibition hall.
The waters of the Ou River are calm and clean, and the surrounding natural scenery is also very good. There are often small boats with white sails on the river, suitable for collecting wind and taking photos. By taking a painted boat, you can soon reach Yan Tou Village on the other side of the river. Note that there are no boats in the afternoon after five o’clock, so be mindful of the time for sightseeing.
Along the scenic road from the Gu Yan dock to the village, there are many statues representing politicians, water conservancy scientists, and poets related to Tongji Weir throughout the ages. After walking a section of the dike, you can go straight to Tongji Weir at the fork, or turn right to the Wenchang Pavilion in the north of the village. Walking west from the Wenchang Pavilion also leads to Tongji Weir. Along the way, there are many ancient camphor trees and ancient dwellings, making the cultural landscape richer. The Wenchang Pavilion is a small two-story building surrounded by a large number of ancient camphor trees, next to the Sandong Bridge with three water diversion holes. To the south is the ‘Xiao Jie Liu Fang’ chastity archway from the Jiaqing period and the ‘Prohibition’ stone tablet.Tongji Weir is an arch-shaped stone dam lying across the clear water. One side is the calm surface with ripples, and the other side is the surging water inlet. Contrasting with the river beach covered with shrubs and scattered seagulls, it is quite eye-catching. Next to Tongji Weir, in the Zhan Nan Er Sima Temple, there are more than twenty water conservancy inscriptions from the Yuan Dynasty, which can be used to understand this large water conservancy project in Zhejiang over a thousand years.
There are many places to stay in Dagangtou. Most of them are inns and farmhouses with a simple and unsophisticated style. The price of a standard room is around 200 yuan. If the budget is sufficient, you can stay in a better river-view room. In addition, the local fish is very famous. Of course, the price is also not cheap. A catty of stream fish is about 45 yuan.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 17:30; Open all year round from 08:00 to 16:30.
Preferential policies:
Children: Free for those under 6 years old (inclusive) or under 1.2 meters (inclusive) in height; For those with a height of 1.2 meters (excluding) to 1.5 meters (inclusive), half price.
The elderly: Free for those over 70 years old (inclusive) with senior citizen card and ID card; For those aged 60 (inclusive) to 69 (inclusive) with senior citizen card, discounted ticket.
Journalists: Free with valid certificates.
People with disabilities: Free with valid certificates.
Retired cadres: Free with valid certificates.Full-time college students: Half price with valid certificates.
Active servicemen: Half price with valid certificates.
Teachers: Half price with valid certificates.
Writers, artists, and photographers: National-level members of writers’, artists’, and photographers’ associations (with relevant membership cards) are free.
Service facilities:
Parking lot: [Ancient Weir Painting Township Parking Lot]. Reference price: free. Address: Near the Ancient Weir Painting Township Scenic Area. Parking spaces: 500.
WIFI: Account: cmcc-gyhx-free. Password: no password. Coverage: full coverage.
Transportation within the park: Reference price: 20 yuan/person. Address: Camphor Tree Wharf/Baoding Wharf. Only for Liandu District, Lishui. The regular tourist tickets already include round-trip ship tickets and there is no need to purchase separately.
Toilets: There are multiple toilets in the scenic area. Near the ticket hall and scenic area entrance, there are eye-catching signs.
