Splendid Trip along the Han River

The Han River, or Han Shui, is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River. It originates in the southwest of Shaanxi Province, flows through Hubei province before joining the Yangtze River at Wuhan. Its length is 1532 kilometers. This river enriches the passing cities. The following route will reveal some of the sights along the river.

The first day, your starting point is Xiangfan city in Hubei province. Take the long-distance bus from the Xiangfan bus station heading to Zhongxiang city. The bus station, located at No. 34 Zhongyuan Road in Xiangfan city, is just 300 meters from the railway station. The whole journey is 45 kilometers and the bus fare is ￥25.00 per person. After 3 hours' travel, you will arrive at Zhongxiang bus station. Take a taxi from outside the station to your first destination - Mingxian Mausoleum, which is 7.5 kilometers from the city. The fare is ￥10.00 at most.

Mingxian Mausoleum, built in 1540, is the tomb of one of the emperors from the Ming Dynasty. It covers around 400,000 square meters and is surrounded by a high red wall with a circumference of 36 kilometers. Here you can appreciate the ancient buildings and other old sites. Two hours is enough for you to stroll around the tomb and appreciate its historical record before you leave. Since there are no taxis outside the mausoleum, you need to take a tricycle back to the Zhongxiang bus station. Upon arrival at the bus station, you can have a short rest before catching the regular bus direct to Hongshan town where you will find the pleasant scenic spot - Da Hongshan. Since it will be late when you arrive, you can stay overnight in the town. The recommended guesthouse is Hong Bin Hostel in Huaihe Road. The room rate is around ￥15.00 per night.

On the second day, after having breakfast in the town, you can go to visit the Da Hongshan mountain area. Its covers 330 square kilometers and it lies beside the Han River. There is a holiday resort, Xiao Quanwan, in the area. In the region, you can see hills and forest; the rare gingko trees, beautiful flowers and birds make the whole area more charming. There is also a group of limestone caves. The most famous of these is Double Kings Cave (Shuang Wang), which shelters amazing stalactites. Do not forget to also visit the lake at the top of the mountain, which is appreciated as the "fairy pool" - White Dragon Pool (Bailong chi). In addition to its own beauty, it also gives rise to a splendid waterfall down the mountainside. Spring pools are there as well. About 1 000 springs emerge there, which make this place a wonderful spring nursery. It is really worth visiting for a whole day. You can stay overnight at the guesthouse in the landscape area.

On the third day, take a bus from Hongshan town to Suizhou. There you can enjoy the fantastic ancient musical instruments in Zeng Houyi tomb, just 2 km from Suizhou city. These instruments have thousands of years' history - you should not miss them. After having a wonderful time there, you can return to Suizhou and take a regular bus back to Zhongxiang, leaving there according to your schedule.