Meijiang Scenic Area 湄江

About Meijiang Scenic Area

The park is not a single valley but a set of five zones, Dajiangkou, Xianrenfu with Xianglushan, Saihai with Longquan gorge, Guanyinya with Zangjun cave, and Xiannüzhai, so the one name covers several distinct sections. The underlying terrain is low-mountain karst with heavily jointed rock, and the landscape that results puts hills, water, caves, peaks, cliffs, ravines, springs, lakes, waterfalls and natural bridges within a small compass. Provincial coverage describes it as the only national geopark in central Hunan.

The features the authorities pick out as rare on a world scale are all specific points rather than general scenery: the Tiandan Daifa natural bridge at Xianglushan, the Lianhua Yongquan spring at Guanyinya, the S-shaped deep groove cut in Longquan gorge and the natural patterning on the walls of Zangjun cave. Alongside these, the municipal description catalogues two lakes, three rock gates, six waterfalls, a seven-li gorge and extensive wintersweet. The stretch known as Shili Hualang, thousand-foot cliffs rising straight out of the water, has earned the area the local nickname of a little Guilin.

What to look for

• The Tiandan Daifa natural bridge at Xianglushan, one of the features the authorities class as a rare geological relic
• The Lianhua Yongquan spring at Guanyinya
• The S-shaped deep groove cut into Longquan gorge
• The natural wall patterning inside Zangjun cave
• Shili Hualang, the stretch of sheer cliffs rising from the water that gives the area its little-Guilin nickname

Location & getting there

Getting to Meijiang Scenic Area

Use an authorised visitor route. Cave sections, geological sites and access roads can close independently, so confirm the area that your ticket covers.

• Search for 湄江 with 娄底市 and 涟源市.