Youyang Taohuayuan Scenic Area

If there are only two wonderlands of idyllic beauty, one is in your mind and the other one is in Youyang, Chongqing. Located in the north of Youyang County, Taohuayuan Scenic Area is an amazing destination spanning an area of 12,000 acres (about 50 square kilometers). Taohuayuan, which literally means a garden of peach blossom, is the prototype of the paradise hidden from the outside world mentioned by the great poet Tao Yuanming of the East Jin Dynasty (317 - 420) in his influential prose entitled Peach Blossom Spring. In springtime, countless peach flowers bloom together and fallen petals flutter in the wind, leaving visitors with a beautiful memory.   

The first attraction you will encounter is Dayou Grotto which is a limestone cave with a diameter of 32 yards (about 30m) and a length of 200 yards (about 180m). There are luxuriant peach trees outside the cave, with a murmuring stream winding through them. In the dark cave with cliffy-faced walls are stalactites hanging from the ceiling in different shapes and sizes, as well as age-old stone inscriptions that are difficult to read.
 Going out from the cave, one will see the land bustling with visitors. There are Beautiful Pond, Mulberry and Bamboo Corridor, and Taojian Pavilion. Pavilions and terraces are well-arranged, paths crisscross in the fields and the soft breeze ripples shinning water, with fallen peach flowers scattering and flying around like snowflakes. Comprising Zhuo Garden, Chrysanthemum Garden, Lotus Pond and Guiqulai Garden, Qiancun Village is where visitors can experience customs and lifestyles of the Tujia and the Miao ethnic minorities. Not far away from Qiancun Village stands the Taogong Temple which is a memorial to Tao Yuanming who is well-known for his stoicism, exemplary conducts, and sterling integrity. Taogong Temple, with statue and study of Tao Yuanming in it, is not only a stilt house projecting over the water, but also a folk custom museum with cultural relics and ancient books in it.  
 An antiquated plank road leads to grand and magnificent Fuxi Grotto, which is a typical Karst cave with a total length of 2,700 yards (about 2,460 meters). It is said that Fuxi, one of the earliest legendary sovereigns with a man’s head and a snake’s body in the Paleolithic Age, once lived here. Legend has it that it was Fuxi who taught people to keep records by tying knots and to spin nets for fishing. Within the grotto are ample halls, meandering corridors, steep valleys and stalactites that are lustrous and dazzling. Fuxi Grotto is the largest and longest Karst cave discovered in Chongqing.
 Take a shuttle bus after visiting Fuxi Grotto and you will arrive at Youzhou ancient town. Youzhou Ancient Town has a street that stretches 1,400 yards (1,300km) and brims with buildings of the Tujia and the Miao ethnic minorities. It serves as a living museum of the history, culture, and customs of local people.
 Located in the northwest of Taohuayuan Scenic Area, Taohuayuan National Forest Park is an important part of the whole area. It is also known as Jinyinshan National Forest Park, occupying an area of 6,800 acres (about 27 sq. kilometers) and consisting of five sections. The park is acclaimed as the Vegetation Kingdom and a natural oxygen bar with imposing mountains, evergreen plants and a variety of wildlife.
 1. A bus from Chongqing Sigongli Transfer Hub to Youyang takes about 5 hours and costs CNY110. After arrival, take a taxi to Taohuayuan Scenic Area and it takes 10 minutes.
2. Take a train from Chongqing North Railway Station to Youyang Railway Station. Then take a bus to Youyang South Coach Station and take bus 101 and get off at Taoyuan Jinshui’an Station. The whole journey takes around 6 hours.
 

Admission Fees	CNY100 (including an entrance ticket, a ticket for the Fuxi Grotto, and shuttle bus from the Fuxi Grotto to the Youzhou Ancient Town) Children of 3.9 – 4.6 feet (1.2 - 1.4m) enjoy half price. Children below 3.9 feet can enter for free.
Opening Hours	7:30 – 18:00 from April to October  8:00 – 17:30 from November to March Visitors should enter Fuxi Grotto before 17:00.
Recommended Time for a Visit	Three hours.