Although constantly complaining, it is still impressive enough
China County Tourism Ranking 81: Hechi City, Guangxi Province
Hechi area is the poorest region in Guangxi, bordering Qiannan Prefecture in Guizhou. It is basically a karst landscape, with several counties under its jurisdiction including Bama, Nandan, Fengshan, Dahua, and Luocheng, all of which have outstanding attractions.
Hechi city is composed of two districts: Jinchengjiang and Yizhou. The city government was originally located in Jinchengjiang but later moved to Yizhou District. The two urban areas are 70 kilometers apart, which is quite unusual.
Main attractions in Yizhou District include the hometown of Liu Sanjie (4A), Huaiyuan Ancient Town (4A), Huixian Mountain (4A), Lalang Ecotourism Area (4A), Xiajian River Tourist Area, and others such as Xiangbei Township’s Peach Blossom Land, Xiaolong Village, Nanshe Mountain, and Xizhu Temple. In Jinchengjiang District, there are the Little Three Gorges Scenic Area, Longjiang First Bend, and Jinchengjiang Park.
Yizhou District Attractions:
1: Hometown of Liu Sanjie, 4A scenic area, ticket price 50 yuan, recommendation rating: 2 stars, not recommended.
This is Yizhou’s flagship attraction but also the least recommended. The scenic area has built three simple houses representing Liu Sanjie, Brother Aniu, and the matchmaker, calling it a scenic spot and charging 50 yuan for admission. The problem is they are not satisfied with just the 50 yuan ticket; there are no buses from the city about ten kilometers away, so you have to take a taxi. Of course, you can also go from the city center by buying a boat ticket at Fengjing Park. However, 50 yuan is not enough; if you pay 148 yuan, it’s for good luck. The scenic area can definitely be toured in ten minutes. If you want to listen to mountain songs and worship Liu Sanjie, you can stay for half an hour. I have never understood what worshiping Liu Sanjie is supposed to protect us from. The reason for giving 2 stars is that the scenery from the boat is okay.
2: Huaiyuan Ancient Town: 4A scenic area, free admission, recommendation rating: 3 stars, suggested visit time: 1 hour.
The ancient town is quite ordinary and has become mixed-use. The scenery by the town is really nice. It’s worth a visit in Yizhou, at least better than the imitation ancient towns, and can be considered a semi-ecological ancient town.
3: Xiangbei Township’s Peach Blossom Land: free, recommendation rating: 4.5 stars, suggested visit time: one day.
The reason for the 4.5-star rating is not just this one attraction. The route from the city to Xiangbei Township includes Xiangbei Township, Dashuiche (big waterwheel), Gulong River rafting, Xiaolong Village, and Xiajian River Tourist Area, among other rural attractions. This route is actually the essence of Yizhou tourism.
4: Huixian Mountain (Bailong Park), 4A scenic area, no admission fee.
Recommendation rating: 2 stars, suggested visit time: 2 hours.
Climbing Huixian Mountain offers a view of the city. Of course, Nanshe Mountain in the city can also be used for viewing.
Other places like Nanshe Mountain, Xizhu Temple, Fengjing Park, and Xiqian Square are not worth visiting.
So, for Yizhou, it is recommended to tour the line from Xiajian River to Xiangbei Township and Huaiyuan Ancient Town.
Below are attractions in Jinchengjiang District:
5: Little Three Gorges Scenic Area: 3A scenic area, ticket price 90 yuan, recommendation rating: 2.5 stars, suggested visit time: 2 hours.
The Little Three Gorges Scenic Area mainly involves boat tours. Such scenery is common in the south, so the cost performance is average. It’s not a rip-off but not great either. It’s not as good as the free Longjiang First Bend nearby.
6: Longjiang First Bend: free, recommendation rating: 3 stars, suggested visit time: 1.5 hours.
Located in Liujia Town, very close to the Little Three Gorges Scenic Area, so you can visit both together.
7: Jinchengjiang Park: free, not recommended.
If you need to spend a day and a half in Yizhou, a day is enough to visit the Little Three Gorges and Longjiang First Bend in Jinchengjiang.
Overall, the experience in Hechi city scores 48 points. Although there are many complaints, the area has a strong foundation. Among 81 counties and cities for in-depth tourism, it ranks 21st, belonging to the second-tier mid-level scenic areas. Its overall tourability is slightly inferior to Guangyuan City in Sichuan but better than Shangrao City in Jiangxi. The next article will introduce a county with underestimated tourism resources: Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County, Hechi City, Guangxi.