Yueyang travel guide
岳阳
Known for the saying “Dongting is the finest water under heaven, Yueyang Tower the finest tower under heaven”, this ancient city's development has been a little slow,…
4 places · In the guidebook: pages 1949–1955
Yueyang, Hunan Province · AI illustration for China Trip
Quick itinerary
Yueyang in 2 days
- Day 1
- Miluo River and Qu Yuan Shrine→
- Bianhe Street (lunch)→
- Yueyang Tower→
- Junshan Island and Dongting Lake
- Day 2
The feel of the place
- Ancient town
- Known for the saying “Dongting is the finest water under heaven, Yueyang Tower the finest tower under heaven”, this ancient city's development has been a little slow, so it looks somewhat old-fashioned and does not attract many visitors. Yet the Preface to Yueyang Tower and the beautiful legends of Dongting Lake alone make it well worth a visit.
Things to see
Dongting Lake and Junshan Island
The vast expanse of Dongting Lake is truly spectacular. Visitors who enjoy the rain and quiet reflection may visit Yueyang Tower from mid-April to early June. This is the rainy season, and sitting quietly in the tower, listening to the wind and rain and watching the churning waves, while reading the "Record of Yueyang Tower" inside, creates a mood that words cannot fully capture. The lake beneath Yueyang Tower has been known since ancient times as "Eight Hundred Li Dongting." Although its area is now about half of what it once was, it is still China's second-largest freshwater lake, with misty waves stretching to the horizon and water meeting sky. It fits the description "it holds distant mountains and swallows the Yangtze, vast and rolling, without end." The most legendary sites on Junshan are the Tomb of the Two Consorts and Liuyi Well. According to legend, E'huang and Nüying wept tears onto the bamboo here, which is why the island is also famous for its many varieties of bamboo. Liuyi Well is said to be the entrance through which Liu Yi, in folk legend, travelled to the Dragon Palace of Dongting to look for the Dragon Princess.
2–4 hours · Junshan Island ¥78
Shiniuzhai
The stronghold takes its name from a huge boulder on its western side that resembles a yellow ox ("shiniu" means stone ox). Shiniuzhai has steep, perilous terrain, with cliffs rising in ranks. Its scenery is unusual. The sights inside the stronghold are known for their dramatic, perilous character and can be summed up as: "One Ox, Two Turtles, Three Passes; Four Bridges, Five Villages, Six Ravines; Seven Wonders, Eight Temples; a hundred and eight cliffs of boundless scenery." Especially rare is the well-preserved ancient city wall, more than 2,000 metres long. Shiniuzhai enjoys the reputation of being the "First Stronghold Under Heaven."
3–5 hours · Combination tickets range from ¥148 to ¥248, depending on the package
Quzi Temple
While he was exiled, Qu Yuan once lived on Yusi Mountain by the Miluo River. After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River, local people built Quzi Temple in his memory. The temple that stands today was rebuilt in the Qing dynasty and largely reflects Qing architectural style. It has three halls, with courtyards at the front, back, left and right. In the centre is a cinnabar pond with a large flower platform, where a golden osmanthus tree more than 300 years old grows. The corridor walls are inlaid with many stone tablets carved with poems, verses and rhapsodies by later visitors paying their respects.
1–2 hours · ¥55
Getting there & around
Getting There and Away
Air
Rail
Yueyang Railway Station is located on Zhanqian Road in Yueyanglou District. Buses 5, 22 and 37 all serve it.
Yueyang's high-speed rail station is Yueyang East Station. You can take a high-speed train from Yueyang East to Changsha; the journey takes about 34 minutes, and a second-class ticket costs ¥69.5, which is very convenient.
Road
Yueyang currently has four long-distance bus stations: Yueyang Bus Station at the junction of Bali Middle Road and Chengdong Northeast Road, the Jianshe North Road bus station, Bali Bus Station on Chengdong Southeast Road, and the new Bali East Road bus station.
Waterway
Chenglingji Port is Hunan's largest port, but long-distance passenger services have largely stopped. Behind Yueyang Tower there is a passenger wharf, from which you can take a boat to Junshan Island.
Getting Around the City
Yueyang has many bus routes, with buses reaching all the main scenic spots; bus fare is ¥1.5 per trip. Taxis start at ¥7 per kilometre, with a surcharge of ¥2 for each additional kilometre. After 10 p.m., the starting fare is ¥8 per kilometre, with a surcharge of ¥2 for each additional kilometre.
Yueyang Sanhe Airport
Yueyang Sanhe Airport- Address:
- Near Qunxian and Zhenli villages, Yueyang County
Yueyang Bus Station
Road- Phone:
- 0730-8227458
Eat & drink
Yueyang sits on the shore of Dongting Lake, giving it exceptional geographical advantages, so locals are very skilled at cooking fish. The most famous dish is the “Bali Whole Fish Feast”, and “Butterfly Floating on the Sea”, made from sliced snakehead fish, is a Yueyang speciality prized for its crisp, tender texture. Well-known local restaurants include Weiyu Restaurant and Yunmeng Restaurant.
Bianhe Street
A reconstructed old-style commercial street beside Yueyang Tower, serving shrimp cakes, potato noodles, sandapao (“three cannons”), scraped cold jelly and other snacks.
Dipo Braised Meats
Dipo Braised Meats- Address:
- Beside Meixi Bridge
Jingshui · Bali Whole Fish Feast
Jingshui · Bali Whole Fish Feast- Address:
- Opposite Yueyang Tower
Where to stay
Jinjiang Inn (Yueyang Railway Station Branch)
Beside the railway station, with convenient transport.
- Address:
- Near Yueyang Railway Station
- Phone:
- 0730-2910666
Shopping
Traditional local specialities include paper fans and feather fans. Paper fans have fine bamboo ribs and thin, translucent paper, and each one goes through many steps to make. Feather fans are made from the feathers of birds such as the wild geese of Dongting Lake. Today, Yueyang fans come in more than 250 varieties.
Other specialities include Pingjiang osmanthus honey, Xiang lotus seeds, Dongting Spring, Turtle and Snake Wine, and Junshan Silver Needle tea.
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1949–1955. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version