Things to do in Lishui
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Top 10 attractions in Lishui
Xiandu Scenic Area
Xiandu Scenic Area is located in Jinyun, Lishui, Zhejiang, where the Hao River meanders through mountain valleys with nine winding turns. This landscape has long been praised as "possessing the elegance of Guilin, the wonder of Huangshan, and the precipitousness of Huashan." The attraction's name has an interesting origin: legend says during the Tang Tianbao era, colorful clouds enveloped Jinyun Mountain with faint celestial music, prompting Emperor Xuanzong to bestow the name "Xiandu" (immortal capital), which remains in use today. The centerpiece is the 100-meter-high Dinghu peak, a giant stone pillar resembling a bamboo shoot. Flanked by Buxu Mountain to the east and the Hao River to the west, this sheer column features a small lake and ancient pines atop its summit. Folklore claims the Yellow Emperor once refined elixirs here, and when he ascended to heaven on a dragon, his cauldron fell to form the lake—hence the name "Dinghu" (cauldron lake). From nearby Buxu Mountain's peak, visitors can closely observe this sky-piercing pillar. Across the river at Zhutan Mountain, morning mist often blankets the water, framing the stone peak, bridge, and reflections like a flowing ink painting—the setting for that widely circulated photo of an old farmer leading an ox across the stream. Along the Hao River lie attractions like Little Red Cliff, Niweng Cave, and Dufeng Academy: the former features reddish cliffs stretching along the river; Niweng Cave preserves cliff carvings across dynasties, notably the precious Tang-dynasty seal script inscription by calligrapher Li Yangbing; Dufeng Academy commemorates Zhu Xi's lectures during the Southern Song. Below Dinghu peak stands the Yellow Emperor Temple, hosting solemn sacrificial ceremonies annually during Qingming and Chongyang festivals. This natural scenery has long been a favored filming location, featured in hundreds of productions from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" to "Swords of Legends" and "The Journey of Flower"—many ethereal wuxia scenes were shot on location rather than in studios. While exploring, visitors might recognize familiar scenes from these dramas.Jinyun · 5 km from downtown
YunHe Rice Terraces
The YunHe Rice Terraces are one of the larger terraces in Eastern China. Apart from the terraces and clouds, sunrises can be seen from May to June. These are mainly divided into two major tourist areas, Silver Valley and Jiuqu Yunhuan. Among them, there are two viewing platforms named "Sunrise amongst Sea of Clouds" and "Sky and Cloud", between which the former is suitable for watching sunrise and has a nice sea of clouds landscape.Yunhe · 11.9 km from downtown
Ancient Weir Home of Painting
The Ancient Weir Home of Painting is located on the banks of the Oujiang River in Lishui, Zhejiang. It consists of two major areas facing each other across the river: one side is the "Ancient Weir" where Yantou Village is located, and the other is the "Home of Painting" where Dagangtou Town is situated. The two sides are connected by cruise boats, with the journey taking about 10 minutes. Enjoying the scenic views of the Oujiang River from the boat is itself a highlight of this itinerary. On one side of "Ancient Weir" stands the Tongji Weir, the protagonist built during the Southern Dynasties and operating for over 1,500 years: the arched dam lies across the Songyin Stream, diverting water into canals that traverse the Bihu Plain, still irrigating tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland today. Together with the Tongji Sluice, the Three-Cave Stone Culvert, and the Ye Channel, it forms a complete ancient water conservancy system. Among them, the Three-Cave Stone Culvert allows the canal and mountain stream to flow separately at different levels, vividly dubbed the ancient "overwater interchange." Stone inscriptions from various dynasties, including the "Tongji Weir Regulations" established by Fan Chengda during the Southern Song Dynasty when he served as the prefect of Chuzhou, still stand beside the weir. Within Yantou Village, the camphor trees planted to stabilize the dam have grown into clusters of thousand-year-old ancient camphors. Walking along the cobblestone country path, the Wenchang Pavilion from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, ancient streets, pavilions, and celadon kiln sites are scattered throughout. The "painting village" on the opposite bank has a distinct character: Around the 1980s, artists from various regions gathered in Dagangtou to sketch by the river, gradually forming an oil painting community known as the "Lishui Barbizon." Today, the old riverside street in the town is lined with galleries and art sketching bases. On clear days, you can often see rows of students painting by the Oujiang River with their easels. It's recommended to explore both riverbanks during your visit: take a boat across the river to see the ancient weir, then return to the painting village's old street. The sunset over the Oujiang River is a signature scene here, with occasional white sails gliding by—a sight many photography enthusiasts wait patiently to capture.Lishui · 25.9 km from downtown
Yangjiatang Village
Yangjiatang Village is hidden among the mountains of Sandu Township, Songyang County. The entire village faces west, situated on a steep and narrow hillside. More than 20 Qing Dynasty residences with timber-earth structures are arranged up the slope, with a vertical drop of several m. From a distance, it looks like a massive building facade covering the hillside, with the rammed earth walls glowing warm gold in the sunlight. At its center is the Song Ancestral Hall, first built during the Qianlong era. Old buildings like the Dide School and the rice-pounding workshop are arranged around it, with layers of horse-head walls facing each other. The beams, pillars, doors, windows, and corbels and brackets are covered with wood carvings of auspicious patterns. The rammed earth walls of every household are inscribed with sentences from "Zhu Zi's Family Maxims," the "Classic of Filial Piety," and the Song family precepts, interspersed with murals. Although weathered after hundreds of years, one can still read the family tradition of valuing culture and education here. From afternoon to evening, the setting sun shines directly on the layered rammed earth walls, covering the entire village in a warm golden hue. Walking up the stone steps from the old camphor tree at the village entrance, if you turn back as you walk, you can see different village facades from different heights.Songyang · 6.5 km from downtown
Deep World
Dixin hot spring Deep world hot spring originates from natural underground thermal waters rich in minerals like fluoride, metasilicic acid and strontium, with notable effects for fatigue relief and circulation improvement. Features 13 themed bathing pools. Earth core rafting Spanning 858 m with a 50 m vertical drop, the light and shadow waterway takes you from the middle layer of the earth's core to its deepest point, delivering a breathtaking audiovisual experience. Time shuttle The inclined shaft cable car to the deep world. The track extends downward at a 29-degree angle, with a total length of 323 m, leading directly to the deep world. Heart of the earth ladder One of the unique transportation methods at the earth's core. With a vertical depth of over 200 m, it is the deepest underground shaft elevator in Asia.Suichang · 25.3 km from downtown
Chenjiapu Village
Chenjiapu Village is hidden in the mountains of Lishui, Songyang. It is situated on a steep hillside, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a valley on one. Old houses built with rammed earth, timber, and stone are layered up the slope following the terrain, forming a typical cliff-dwelling terraced layout. From a distance, it looks like it grew out of the cliff. When the weather is clear, the view is expansive, allowing you to overlook the valley below, and the distant Songyang county seat is faintly visible. In the early morning, clouds and mist often rise from the valley floor, with houses appearing and disappearing in the sea of clouds, a scene that many photography enthusiasts wait specifically to capture. The Avant-Garde Bookstore, Pingmin Bookstore, renovated from an old cultural auditorium, is often called the bookstore on the cliff by tourists and is a must-visit spot after entering the village. The Bao Ancestral Hall, ancient trees, and old residences and paths preserve the original appearance of the clan village.Songyang · 8.6 km from downtown
Heyang Ancient Dwellings
The Heyang Ancient Dwellings is a provincial-level historical and cultural protection zone in Zhejiang Province. It is located in the newly constructed village within the Xiandu Scenic Area of Jinyun County. Because he was from Xinyang in Henan, he chose the name Heyang for himself. The existing village layout of the one street and five lanes was designed during the Yuan Dynasty, while most of the builds were constructed later during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and are in the manor-style typical of ancient dwelling clan buildings.Jinyun · 10.9 km from downtown
Songyang Old Street
Songyang Old Street is located in Xiping Town, the county seat. The old street is over 300m long, with two-story wooden buildings on both sides. These are historic structures from the Ming and Qing dynasties, possessing a rich historical and cultural atmosphere. It is said that since the Tang Dynasty, this Ming and Qing street has been a commercial and trade hub in Songyang, known as the "Five-Li Long Street." Despite the vicissitudes of time and the wear of the years, the old street retains its charm, opening to the north and south, embracing the dawns, dusks, and the trivial daily lives of the people here, year after year. The mud-and-wood buildings lining the street stretch out in a continuous line, resembling a contemporary "Along the River During the Qingming Festival." The Ming and Qing Ancient Street District is an area in Songyang County with a long history and deep cultural heritage. It preserves a wealth of Ming and Qing architectural styles and remnants of agricultural culture. These residential shops are all in the Ming and Qing style. Those rows of neighborhoods, weathered and mottled by the storms of history yet possessing a unique charm, are a very unique and attractive cultural landscape, and it is a rare historical and cultural street in the province.Songyang · 697m from downtown
Dinghu Peak
Dinghu Peak is the core of Xiandu Scenic Area, the main scenic area of Xiandu Scenic Area. With Dinghu Peak as the center, there are Huangdi Temple, the main place for worshipping and paying homage to the ancestor of Chinese civilization in southern my country (a large-scale ceremony of worshipping Huangdi is held here every year), Buxu Mountain, Lianjin Creek, Yangfeng Island, Tongzi Peak, Yangzhi Pavilion, and the cliff inscription of "Dufeng Mountain Inscription" by Ye Qingchen.The area now uses light and shadow effects to show people a "dream fairyland" that integrates night, scenery, water and sky, expanding the space for night tourism activities at the scenic spot and becoming a major feature of the scenic spot.Dinghu Peak is the symbol of Xiandu. It has a base area of 2,468 square meters, a top area of 710 square meters, and a height of 170.8 meters. It is shaped like a spring bamboo shoot, rising from the ground and piercing the sky. It is also known as "Tianzhu Peak" and can be called "the best peak in the world" and "the best bamboo shoot in the world".In the Records of Famous Mountains written by Xie Lingyun of the Jin Dynasty, it is recorded that "beside Jinyun Mountain, there stands a solitary rock, 200 feet high, with a lake on the top and lotus flowers growing on it". No one has ever climbed up the steep cliff. According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, an old man who collected herbs risked his life to climb the mountain top. Since then, only one person has climbed up the mountain in the past 80 years.According to legend, Emperor Xuanyuan once placed a furnace on the top of the peak to make elixirs. When the elixir was ready, cranes danced. Emperor Huangdi rode a red dragon to heaven. His ministers wanted to follow him and scrambled to climb the dragon's whiskers. They fell to the ground and turned into a "dragon whisker pole". The dragon whisker pole grows on Dinghu Peak in Xiandu. Li Mingzhen of the Ming Dynasty recorded the dragon whisker pole in the Compendium of Materia Medica, saying that it can cure all diseases.Jinyun · 6.2 km from downtown
Yunzhong Daji
Daji is a beautiful valley and village in Jingning. It is appropriate to take photos and to draw pictures. It hasn't undergone large-scale tourism development and because the traffic is not very convenient, there are not many tourists. There are many locals living in the village and there is a very peaceful feeling. The signs along the road in the area are all very clear. The road is also well-developed. It is very pleasant to climb the hill and stroll around the ancient village.Jingning · 18.6 km from downtown
Experiences you can't miss in Lishui
Featured Day tours in Lishui
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Featured Cultural experiences in Lishui
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![[Hangzhou Departure]Hengdian World Studios Day Tour: Private Car Transfer](https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0355412000sw8xeho256F_C_568_320.jpg?_fr=wc)
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![[Urgent Guide Service in Lishui] Last-minute guide requests welcome for in-depth live guide services at Xiandu, Guyuan Painting Village, Yunhe Terraces, Songyang, and surrounding areas.](https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0356z12000kxf1jitE27E_C_568_320.jpg?_fr=wc)
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More things to do
Free things to do in Lishui
Yangjiatang Village
Songyang · 6.5 km from downtownChenjiapu Village
Songyang · 8.6 km from downtownSongyang Old Street
Songyang · 697m from downtown
Songzhuang Village
Songyang · 9.1 km from downtown
Xitou Village
Longquan · 37.8 km from downtown
Yuandi Village
Longquan · 27.7 km from downtown
Window of She Village
Jingning · 7.5 km from downtown
Mansion of Chuzhou
Lishui · 3.3 km from downtown
What travelers say about Lishui
110***41October 26, 2026
5.0
It's a great attraction, and the two-day pass is a nice bonus. The day we went was cloudy, so we couldn't visit the Iwatoro Bookstore, but we went the next day when the sun was shining. It was definitely worth it.
Xiandu Scenic Area
有流氓气质的兔子October 19, 2026
4.0
The ticket price is too expensive; 50 yuan is the most it should be. The Jiuqu Yunhuan Scenic Area is a meticulously crafted terraced field for tourists; it's okay for taking photos. Qixingdun is best viewed from a distance. The Yunhe Terraces can't compare to the Yuanyang Terraces in Yunnan. Just take a casual look.
YunHe Rice Terraces
M32***32October 25, 2026
5.0
Guyan Huaxiang Tourist Resort is a 4A-level tourist attraction worth visiting; the scenic area boasts beautiful mountains and clear waters, an elegant environment, and is full of the charm of a Jiangnan water town; the ticket price is reasonable.
Ancient Weir Home of Painting
ForEverEeroOctober 13, 2026
4.0
The village is small and quite rustic, with initial signs of commercialization. It's worth a visit for photos, especially at sunset when the scattered ancient villages are accompanied by wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys – a truly beautiful sight. A word of caution: the village's pebbles are difficult to walk on, so wear appropriate shoes. Also, there's a 500-meter-long winding mountain road in and out of the village with extremely high oncoming traffic, making it quite challenging to drive. Traveling during the off-season is strongly recommended.
Yangjiatang Village
jyf9999October 6, 2026
4.0
Well, this place is okay for bringing kids. You can go rafting, there are hot springs, and you can collect rocks and minerals – it's quite fun. The 200-meter underground space, with all sorts of lights, makes for great photos. However, the price is a bit high and not very good value. You need to bring your own swimsuit for the hot springs.
Deep World
amy323April 27, 2026
4.0
After visiting Yangjiatang Village, on the way back to the hotel, we made a special trip to Chenjiapu Village, known as "a utopia atop the clouds, an ancient village on a cliff." There's a Librairie Avant-Garde bookstore there, which is also quite nice.
Chenjiapu Village
Anonymous userOctober 13, 2026
5.0
The scenic area was very quiet after the long holiday, perfect for photography enthusiasts. I took many photos I love. The villagers and staff were very welcoming and polite. What impressed me most was the village restrooms—they were incredibly clean, cleaner than any I've seen in major tourist attractions. A truly worthwhile trip; highly recommended.
Heyang Ancient Dwellings
kk走遍中国March 24, 2025
5.0
Songyang Old Street, also known as Nanzhi Street, is located in Songyang County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province. It is one of the oldest ancient streets in the area. It began in the Tang and Song Dynasties, flourished in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and still retains a large number of buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the longest county town old street in Zhejiang Province, with a core line length of 1.9 kilometers, a total planning area of about 7.68 hectares, and a total length of the core pedestrian street of about 640 meters.
Songyang Old Street
Anonymous userOctober 1, 2026
5.0
#Jinyun Xiandu Scenic Area
Dinghu Peak rises abruptly from the ground like a pillar supporting the sky, shrouded in mist like a fairyland. Before Zhutan Mountain, an old farmer leads his ox across a stone bridge; every frame is a picturesque ink painting. Strolling through Niweng Cave and Xiao Chibi, the cliff carvings tell the story of a thousand years of cultural heritage. The Yellow Emperor's Temple is solemn and dignified, with the rising incense smoke evoking images of the Xuanyuan sacrificial ceremony. This place is imbued with spirit; every step reveals a new scene, washing away all worldly worries—truly a "fairyland"!
Dinghu Peak
兩江總督趙October 11, 2026
5.0
The ancient Song Dynasty architecture scenic area, with its elegant and tranquil Shisi Temple and picturesque Xuehuaji Waterfall, is perfect for family trips. If driving, you can park next to the Lingyun Tingpu Pavilion at the entrance of a guesthouse in Xuexiang, enter Xuehuaji Waterfall after ticket inspection, descend 560 steps to the valley floor to view the waterfall, then ascend 560 steps back to the entrance to retrieve your car and head to Kuixing Tower. There is parking available downstairs, and it's a 1-minute walk to the Shisi Temple ticket gate. Finally, you can visit the free attractions Daji Yuyu, Jinshi Mansion, and Weiling Baodian.
Yunzhong Daji
