Get to know Hengdong County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Hengyang
- Chinese name
- 衡东县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Administrative seat
- Mishui
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Hengdong borders You County (攸县) to the east, Anren (安仁县) and Hengnan (衡南县) to the south, and Xiangtan (湘潭) and Zhuzhou (株洲) to the north. Three of the 72 peaks of Mount Heng, Xiaoxia (晓霞), Caixia (采霞) and Fenghuang (凤凰), rise in the county. Local legend tells of the Yan Emperor (炎帝) taming the Mi River (洣水). The county seat is Mishui town (洣水镇).
What to see
The former residence of Luo Ronghuan is in Ronghuan town (荣桓镇), formerly Hanshui township, which was renamed after him. The county's red-history route pairs it with the Ouyang Hai Memorial Hall (欧阳海烈士纪念馆), and the site of the First Farmers' Bank of the Chaishanzhou Special District (柴山洲特别区第一农民银行旧址) is Hunan's first red finance education base named by the China Financial Ideological and Political Work Research Association.
The Mi River National Wetland Park (洣水湿地公园) is known as the "hundred-li gallery", Xiyan Fairy Cave (锡岩仙洞) is a provincial scenic area, and Sifangshan (四方山) has a sea of bamboo. Caoshi old town (草市古镇) stands where three rivers meet, with an old street said to be a thousand years old and Danxia landforms at Manaozhai (马脑寨). Yanglin old town (杨林古镇) is on the same heritage route, and the Xiang Jiangnan hot-spring resort (湘·江南温泉) is in Wenquan New Village, Yangqiao town (杨桥镇).
Food and local products
Hengdong carries the title "China's famous county of tucai" (中国土菜名县), tucai (土菜) being home-style country cooking; the Hunan Daily says it is the only county so named, and is also called a home of chefs. One dish visitors come to the county town for is eel fried with egg (鳝鱼炒蛋), in which the eel is minced and stir-fried with egg and spring onion. Huanggong peppers (黄贡椒) are grown for the local kitchen and stored in sealed pits. Huanggong pepper with crisp tripe (黄贡椒脆肚) and Hengdong tutouwan (衡东土头碗) are sold as local specialities. Soft-stem Baisha loquats (软条白沙枇杷) and black wood-ear fungus are also grown. The county is known too for shadow puppetry, paper-cutting and seals.
Getting oriented
National Highway 240 crosses the county, and the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway has a Hengdong service area.
Highlights
- Former Residence of Luo Ronghuan 罗荣桓故居: In Ronghuan town, which was renamed after the marshal.
- Mi River National Wetland Park 洣水湿地公园: National wetland park known as the "hundred-li gallery".
- Xiyan Fairy Cave 锡岩仙洞: Provincial scenic area.
- Caoshi old town 草市古镇: Where three rivers meet, with an old street and Danxia landforms at Manaozhai.
- Huanggong peppers 黄贡椒: Chilli grown for Hengdong's tucai cooking and stored in pits.
Sources for this guide
衡东县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
衡东人民最好客——衡东县描绘旅游强县的美丽画卷纪实_湖南探索_湖南政研网 · Hunan Daily, republished by the Hunan policy research site (hnzy.gov.cn)
【衡阳市】“衡东土菜”成消费扶贫利器-湖南省人民政府门户网站 · Hunan Provincial People's Government
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-24.
Explore Hengdong County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Hengdong County 衡东县
Plan your visit
Getting there
Hengdong County is about 45 km in a straight line from central Hengyang. Search for 衡东县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Hengyang
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 衡东县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.