Get to know Zhenyuan County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture
- Chinese name
- 镇远县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,878.00 km²
- Population · 2010
- 203,735
- Administrative seat
- Wuyang
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The county borders Xinhuang (新晃) in Hunan and Shiqian (石阡), Yuping (玉屏), Cengong (岑巩), Sansui (三穗), Jianhe (剑河) and Shibing (施秉) in Guizhou, and its seat is Wuyang Town (㵲阳镇). The county government describes the town's layout as "nine hills embracing one river, one river dividing two towns" (九山抱一水、一水分两城), a natural taiji figure. On the north bank, Shiping Mountain (石屏山) rises to 668.1 metres and carries a wall known as the "Southern Great Wall" (南方长城); its top overlooks the whole town.
History
Zhenyuan has been a county since 202 BC, the fifth year of the first Han emperor, and it is a national historic and cultural city. The Qingxi ironworks (青溪铁厂), begun in 1885, was a product of the late-Qing Self-Strengthening Movement, and the county government counts Zhenyuan among the birthplaces of modern heavy industry in China. The Red Army passed in and out of Zhenyuan three times during the Long March.
What to see
The old town is a national 5A scenic area, and the county has four national protected sites: the Qinglongdong buildings, the site of "Peace Village" (和平村) of the Japanese anti-war alliance in China, the Zhenyuan city wall and the Tianhou Palace (天后宫).
Qinglongdong (青龙洞古建筑群) clings to the cliff of Zhonghe Mountain (中和山) on the east bank of the Wuyang, east of the town. Begun in 1388, it has 36 buildings, most set against the rock face; its groups include Qinglong Cave, Zhongyuan Cave, the Ziyang Academy (紫阳书院), the Wanshou Palace (万寿宫) and the Zhusheng Bridge (祝圣桥), a 135-metre seven-arch stone bridge with a three-storey octagonal pavilion at its centre. It was listed nationally in 1988.
The Wuyang River is a national scenic area, and Tiexi (铁溪) is a national agricultural tourism demonstration site.
The Duanwu dragon-boat race, on the national intangible-heritage list since 2011, combines boat racing with dragon rites, dragon and lion dances, a scramble to catch ducks in the river and floating lanterns; a Ming-era Guizhou gazetteer already records racing here at Duanwu. The county also names its vegetarian banquet (镇远素席) and daocai (道菜) among its heritage foods.
Getting oriented
The Hunan–Guizhou railway and the Shanghai–Kunming expressway cross the county. The county government puts the town 41 km from Sansui high-speed station and 55 km from Kaili Huangping airport.
Highlights
- Qinglongdong 青龙洞古建筑群: Cliffside group of 36 buildings begun in 1388; national protected site since 1988.
- Zhusheng Bridge 祝圣桥: 135-metre seven-arch stone bridge with a three-storey pavilion, part of the Qinglongdong group.
- Shiping Mountain 石屏山: 668.1-metre ridge on the north bank of the Wuyang with the Southern Great Wall along it.
- Zhenyuan dragon-boat race 镇远赛龙舟: Duanwu races with duck-catching and river lanterns; national intangible heritage since 2011.
Sources for this guide
镇远概况 · Zhenyuan County People's Government
青龙洞 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
石屏山 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
赛龙舟 - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-24.
Explore Zhenyuan County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Zhenyuan County
The Wu River valley in Zhenyuan County, Qiandongnan Prefecture · 黔东南苗族侗族自治州镇远县舞阳河河谷风光 Source-recorded photograph date: 2019-08-10 15:26:33.Wuyang River舞阳河
The Wuyanghe is a river and canyon in Zhenyuan County, Qiandongnan, Guizhou, part of a national-level scenic area confirmed in 1988. Its lower section, within Zhenyuan County, comprises the Longwang, Xi and Dong gorges, joined by the Zhuge gorge across the county line in Shibing.
Read the place guide →
Riverside houses beside the Wuyang River in Zhenyuan old town, Guizhou. Photographed on 6 August 2017.Zhenyuan County, Guizhou镇远古城
Zhenyuan’s old town follows a bend in the Wuyang River, with traditional streets on the banks and religious buildings climbing the nearby cliff. Zhusheng Bridge provides the approach to Qinglongdong, a complex that brings…
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Zhenyuan County is about 70 km in a straight line from central Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. Search for 镇远县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Wuyang River and Zhenyuan County, Guizhou are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture →More in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 青龙洞 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 石屏山 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Wuyang River · MNXANL · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Zhenyuan County, Guizhou · 杰·影 · CC BY 2.5. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.