Jishou

county-level city

Jishou (吉首; Jíshǒu) is in Hunan, and is the capital of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

Dong River in Jishou

Jishou has little to offer the tourist, but it is the jumping off point for scenic spots like Dehang and Fenghuang. Most people do not speak English, so bring a Chinese phrasebook or practice your Chinese. Hotel clerks may speak a smattering of English, though. Jishou City, referred to as "Ji", belongs to Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province, is the capital city of the autonomous prefecture and the central city of Wuling Mountain area. It is located in the west of Hunan Province and the south of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, between 28°08'~28°29'N latitude and 109°30'~110°04'E longitude, belonging to the subtropical humid monsoon climate zone, with mild climate and four distinct seasons, with a total area of 1094.67 square kilometers. As of the end of 2023, Jishou City has a permanent population of 432,400. As of June 2023, Jishou City has jurisdiction over 6 streets, 5 towns and 1 township, and the Municipal People's Government is located at No. 823, Building B, Municipal Building, Qianzhou New District. In the third year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (1070), the town of Xizhai was placed in Jishou City. In the thirtieth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1397), the Zhenxi military and civilian thousands of households were placed. In the second year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1797), it was promoted to the Zhili Hall. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the hall was abolished and Qianxian County was established. In 1953, it was changed to Jishou County. In 1982, the county was withdrawn to establish Jishou City. The main scenic spots (points) in the territory include Qianzhou Ancient City Scenic Area, Qianzhou Confucian Temple, Dwarf Village Wonder Tourist Area, Dwarf Village Bridge, Dwarf Village Panshan Highway, Dwarf Village National Forest Park, Jiulong Creek Quicksand Waterfall, Donghe National Wetland Park, etc.


Get in

Jishou has no airport. The nearest ones are in Zhangjiajie and Changde, about two hours away. The city is easily accessible by bus or train, however.

By train

Jishou train station lies north of the city center. Several direct trains leaving each day connect it to Huaihua and Zhangjiajie, each about two hours away, and Changsha, about seven hours away.

Tourists coming out of the train station will be greeted by eager taxi and bus drivers offering rides to Dehang, Fenghuang and other places. Their prices may be higher than those at the city's two bus stations, however.

By bus

Jishou has two bus stations. The North Station is just a few blocks east of the train station. The east station is on Wuling East Road (Wuling Donglu 武陵东路), in the city center a short taxi ride away.

From the North Station (北站 běizhàn), frequent motorcoaches connect to Changsha, Dehang, Yueyang, Changde, Zhangjiajie and other cities to the north and east. Fares vary depending on the day and whether it is a holiday. The trip to Changsha usually costs between ¥90 and ¥140 and takes about four to five hours, with a short rest stop at the halfway point.

From the East Station (东站 dōngzhàn), buses leave for Fenghuang, Huaihua and other cities to the south and west. Fares vary depending on the day and whether it is a holiday. Motorcoach service to Chongqing began with completion of a new expressway in 2012. The ride takes about seven hours and costs about ¥150. There are nine bus lines, including No. 17, No. 21, No. 22, No. 23, No. 15, No. 17, No. 19, No. 20 and No. 21, which go directly to Jishou East Station

Get around

Jsihou is a small city, and walking around the city center can be done on foot. There are many taxis cruising the streets, however. Fares begin at ¥3. Four bus transit lines travel along the main north-south road and east-west road. Fares are ¥1.50 for non-air-conditioned buses and ¥2 for air-conditioned ones.

See

Jishou is primarily a commercial and transportation hub for the Xiangxi autonomous area, and has few tourist attractions of its own. However, you can take a city bus (#1 or #6) or taxi to two nearby attractions. South of Jishou is Qianzhou, a newly developed commercial complex. There are two attractions: the Miao Museum and the reconstructed Qianzhou Old Town. Jishou University (吉首大学; Jishou Daxue), which is midway between the train station and Qianzhou, is home of the Huang Yongyu Art Museum.

Most tourists coming to Jishou are on their way either to Dehang or Fenghuang. Other old towns include:

  • Qianzhou old town (黔州古镇) -In Jishou City, Hunan Province, there is an ancient and charming ancient city called Qianzhou. The city has a history of 4,200 years and is known as the first city in the thousand-year-old Miao Xinjiang. Qianzhou is a place where the Miao people gather, and for thousands of years, the Miao people have thrived here, giving birth to their unique culture. Xiangxi Miao culture is the business card of Hunan Province, with its exquisite appearance, profound history and culture, simplicity, vicissitudes and heaviness. In Qianzhou, you can feel the profound embodiment of this cultural charm.
  • Huangsiqiao old town (黄丝桥古城) - 24 kilometers west of Feng Huang county The ancient city of Huangsiqiao is a well-preserved stone city, the city wall is 5.6 meters high, 2.9 meters thick, and the circumference is 686 meters. There are 300 arrow buttresses and two outward forts on the city wall, and there are three city gates in the city, namely "Heyu Gate", "Shicheng Gate", and "Sunshine Gate", and each city gate is built with a tall city tower with a Qing style architectural pattern. In addition, there is also a deep relationship with Wu Zetian in the ancient city, the garden is full of strange rocks and unique scenery.

In October 1983, the ancient city of Huangsiqiao was listed as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, and in 2006, it was rated as a national key cultural relics protection unit.


  • 🌍 Dwarf Bridge (矮寨大桥), Hunan Xiangxi Dwarf Town (by bus), ☏ 0743-8758777. 08:30-17:30. The large suspension bridge is located in Xiangxi, Hunan Province, where the Detam River flows through the valley floor, and the design elevation of the bridge deck is about 330 meters above the ground. The bridge type scheme is a steel truss stiffened beam single-span suspension bridge with a total length of 1073.65 meters, and the main span of the suspension bridge is 1176 meters. At the end of March 2012, the large suspension bridge was officially opened to traffic.
    The bridge is very majestic, and the project is very difficult. The bridge is surrounded by steep valleys, often surrounded by fog in the valleys. The bridge is a section of the expressway, tourists can not walk directly on the bridge, you can take the sightseeing bus and sightseeing elevator provided by the scenic spot, arrive at the viewing platform, and watch the bridge up close.     100CNY. (updated Oct 2024)
  • 🌍 Liye old town (里耶古城), Liye Town, Longshan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (bus), ☏ 0743-6612266. 09:00—16:30. situated in the hinterland of Hunan province's Wuling mountain, under the jurisdiction of Xiangxi's Longshan county (龙山县)The ancient city of Liye was originally the county seat of Qianling County under the jurisdiction of Qianzhong County of Chu State in the Warring States Period, and the Qin Dynasty changed "Qianzhong County" to "Dongting County", and the governance of Qianling County remained unchanged, which was destroyed at the end of Qin and abandoned at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty.
    The ancient city of Liye is built near the river, and there is a moat around the north, west and south sides of the ancient city, with a total length of 168 meters and a width of about 7 to 11 meters. A city wall with a thickness of more than 20 meters, up to seven or eight meters, made of rammed clay; the remains of a pottery workshop; More than 37,400 pieces of Qin Dynasty slips have been unearthed, which are made of mortise and tenon structure, and are known as the No. 1 well of "China's first well"; a group of architectural remains of the barracks area of the well-dry building; twelve ancient city roads; human remains, etc. On November 22, 2002, the ruins of the ancient city of Liye were added by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units     30CNY. (updated Oct 2024)
  • 🌍 biancheng chadong (边城茶峒), Border town of Huayuan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (car), ☏ +86 13733458144. 8:00-18:00. Huayuan County (花垣县) Tea means Han people in the Miao language, and 峒 means a small piece of flat land in the mountains in the Miao language, as the name suggests, "tea mountain" is "a small piece of flat land where the Han people live". Chatong Town (now Bian Town) was founded in the eighth year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1803), known as "one foot on three provinces", is the first batch of characteristic towns in the country, and is also one of the four famous towns in Xiangxi. It is the prototype of the famous novella "Border City" by the literary master Shen Congwen. Mr. Shen Congwen integrated the beautiful scenery of Chadong Ancient Town, simple and kind customs and human feelings, and sketched the idyllic border city style.
    On December 26, 2022, the border city of Chadong Scenic Area was identified as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction by the Hunan Provincial Tourist Attractions Quality Rating Committee     50¥. (updated Oct 2024)

Buy

Jishou has one major shopping mall, Heshengtang, near the walking street, Buxingjie. Both offer Chinese name brand items.

Eat

Only one Western food chain, KFC, has a restaurant here -- in Heshengtang Mall. There are many restaurants offering Hunan's spicy cuisine, however.

Drink

Aside from lounges in the city's hotels, there are a few small bars clustered around the Xiangxi Grand Theater (湘西大剧院; Xiāngxī Dà Jùyuàn).

There are a growing number of coffee shops, as well. Look for these near the train station and in the downtown shopping district.

Sleep

  • KaiYuan Hotel (开元大酒店; KāiYuán Dà Jǐudiàn), ZhengFa Street (政法街; Zhèngfǎ Jiē) (about 600 feet south of the train station, walk south on the left side of the main street to ZhengFa Jie, and turn left), ☏ +86 743-8750088, fax: +86 743-8751316. This is a new 3-star hotel that opened in 2008. Restaurant, bar and coffeeshop are onsite. ¥208 and up. 
  • Xiangxi National Grand Hotel (湘西民族宾馆; Xiāngxī Mínzú Bīnguăn, 7 Rénmín ZhòngLù (from railway station, take taxi directly or take bus #1 or #6 to TuanJieGuangChang stop), ☏ +86 743-8221572, fax: +86 743-8221572. This is a 4-star hotel and regarded as Jishou's finest. Restaurant, bar and coffeeshop are onsite. It's close to Jishou University. ¥488 and up. 

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