Get to know Xintian County
- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Yongzhou
- Chinese name
- 新田县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,003.98 km²
- Population · 2010
- 329,906
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The county stretches further north to south than east to west, with the ground falling from north to south. Elevations range from 200 metres to 1,080 metres. The main river is the Xintian River (新田河), and the county has built the Jinling Reservoir (金陵水库).
History
In 1574, under the Ming, a military post called Xintian Ying (新田营) was set up at what is now Longquan (龙泉), the county seat. Xintian County itself was carved out of Ningyuan (宁远) and Guiyang (桂阳) in 1639. Jiang Xianyun (蒋先云, 1902–1927), a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy (黄埔军校), was born in Dapingtang (大坪塘) in the county.
Xintian News, the county news service, counts 192 immovable cultural relics, seven villages on the national list of traditional villages and ten provincial historic villages in the county.
What to see
The Longjia compound in Jiantou town (枧头镇) was first built in the Yuanfeng era of the Song dynasty. Xinhua counts 48 old houses with more than 100 rooms, 17 inscribed boards and 128 old couplets, joined by bluestone lanes. It became a national key protected site in 2013 and is also a national historic and cultural village. People's Daily Online notes that the couplets span seal, clerical, regular, running and cursive scripts. The ink was ground with tea brewed from local leaves mixed with egg white, a technique now lost that was said to hold its colour for 300 years.
Provincial protected sites elsewhere in the county include the Xintian Confucian Temple (新田文庙), the Ming-era Daguan Fort (大冠堡), the old buildings of Tanwenxi village (谈文溪村), Jiang Xianyun's former residence, and the site of the 1934 Xiaoyuan Meeting (小源会议旧址), which includes the former headquarters of the Red Sixth Army Group.
Food and local products
Xintian soybeans (新田大豆) carry national geographical-indication status.
Getting oriented
National Roads 215, 234 and 323 pass through the county.
Highlights
- Longjia compound 龙家大院: Village of 48 old houses in Jiantou town with 128 old couplets; national key protected site since 2013.
- Xintian Confucian Temple 新田文庙: Provincial protected site.
- Daguan Fort 大冠堡: Ming-era fort on the provincial protected list.
- Xiaoyuan Meeting site 小源会议旧址: Site of a 1934 Red Army meeting, with the Red Sixth Army Group headquarters; provincial protected site.
- Xintian soybeans 新田大豆: National geographical-indication product.
Sources for this guide
新田县 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
新田县各级文物保护单位列表 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
文化中国行丨永州龙家大院：青砖黛瓦古风长-新华网 · Xinhua
湖南新田龙家大院：品楹联文化 扬家国情怀 · People's Daily Online (Hunan)
新田县开展第十六个“文化和自然遗产日”宣传活动_工作动态_永州市生态环境局新田分局 · Yongzhou Ecology and Environment Bureau, Xintian Branch (reposting Xintian News)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Xintian County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Xintian County
AI illustration · AI Plan your visit
Getting there
Xintian County is about 85 km in a straight line from central Yongzhou. Search for 新田县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Long Family Compound. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Yongzhou →More in Yongzhou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 新田县 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 新田县各级文物保护单位列表 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.