Get to know Shiqian County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Tongren City
- Chinese name
- 石阡县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,172.00 km²
- Population · 2010
- 304,218
- Administrative seat
- Tangshan
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
The county government traces local administration to a Yelang County (夜郎县) set up under the Qin in 219 BC. When Guizhou became a province in 1413, the Ming created Shiqian Prefecture (石阡府) here, and the prefecture became a county in 1914. Gelao (仡佬), Dong, Miao and Tujia are among the twelve minority peoples living in the county.
What to see
Shiqian Wanshou Palace (石阡万寿宫), on Chengbei Road in Tangshan, has been a national key protected site since 2001. The complex groups five sets of buildings, among them the Yuwang Palace (禹王宫) and the Heishen Temple (黑神庙); the Wanshou Palace itself dates from 1588 and is known for its brick carving, with a brick gateway, bell and drum towers and an opera stage.
The Shiqian hot springs (石阡温泉群) south of Tangshan gave the town its name, meaning "hot water hill". The view called "Hot Spring Bathing the Sun" (温泉浴日) was already one of the Eight Views of Shiqian under the Ming, and in the Wanli reign the prefect Jiang Dakun (江大鲲) had the springs rebuilt. The water averages 34.7°C, and the springs have been a national scenic area since 2009.
Fodingshan (佛顶山) National Nature Reserve has about 30,000 mu (some 2,000 hectares) of Castanopsis forest along the Fodingshan village road, which flowers white from mid-April and is at its best around May.
Customs, tea and crafts
Several Shiqian traditions are on the national intangible heritage list. The Gelao hair dragon (仡佬毛龙), made of bamboo strips and coloured paper and danced at the Lantern Festival, comes from Gelao villages in Longjing (龙井) and Tangshan. In Shuochun (说春, "telling spring"), Dong performers dressed as a "spring official" (春官) go from house to house at the start of spring singing verses that urge people to farm. Shiqian puppet theatre (石阡木偶戏) descends from Song and Yuan rod puppetry and is said to have come from Chenxi (辰溪) in Hunan about 200 years ago.
Shiqian taicha is described by the county government as one of Guizhou's three famous teas; Premier Zhou Enlai once wrote it an inscription foreseeing a boundless future for tea growing.
Highlights
- Shiqian Wanshou Palace 石阡万寿宫: Brick-carved temple complex in Tangshan, a national key protected site since 2001.
- Shiqian hot springs 石阡温泉群: Springs south of the county town, a national scenic area since 2009.
- Gelao hair dragon 仡佬毛龙: Lantern Festival dragon of the Gelao, on the first national intangible heritage list.
- Shiqian taicha 石阡苔茶: Tea with national geographical-indication protection.
Sources for this guide
石阡简介 - 石阡县人民政府 · Shiqian County People's Government
石阡万寿宫 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
石阡温泉群 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
贵州（石阡）佛顶山国家级自然保护区3万亩丝栗花开 · Shiqian County People's Government
仡佬毛龙节 - 中国非物质文化遗产网 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (Chinese National Academy of Arts)
农历二十四节气（石阡说春） - 中国非物质文化遗产网 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (Chinese National Academy of Arts)
木偶戏（石阡木偶戏） - 中国非物质文化遗产网 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (Chinese National Academy of Arts)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-24.
Explore Shiqian County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Shiqian County
Loushang Ancient Village · 楼上古寨Loushang Ancient Village楼上古寨
Loushang is an old stockade village on the Liaoxian river in Guorong township, Shiqian County, Tongren, Guizhou, founded in the sixth year of the Ming Hongzhi era (1493). Its architectural complex was placed in the seventh national batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 2013.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Shiqian Ancient Hot Spring石阡古温泉
The Shiqian ancient hot spring, also known as the Chengnan hot spring, is a hot-spring bathing complex on the south side of the Shiqian county town, Tongren, Guizhou. The county tourism bureau records that it was built in the thirtieth year of the Ming Wanli era (1602) and is one of the oldest hot springs in China still in use.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Shiqian County is about 100 km in a straight line from central Tongren City. Search for 石阡县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Loushang Ancient Village and Shiqian Ancient Hot Spring are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Tongren City →More in Tongren City
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 石阡万寿宫 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 石阡温泉群 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Loushang Ancient Village · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.