The most beautiful thing in Guizhou is not the mountains, but the thousand-year-old water town—Zhenyuan Ancient Town

Location: Zhenyuan Ancient Town, Qiandongnan
Tickets: Free admission, no ticket required
Zhenyuan Ancient Town is a free 5A-level scenic spot and home to the Miao and Dong ethnic groups, featuring a strong Miao cultural atmosphere. Inside the ancient town, there is a small alley called "Sifangjing Alley" (as shown in picture 18). Entering through the Sifangjing Alley signboard, you can see the ancient well and the road conditions from the Qing Dynasty. It is truly a thousand-year-old ancient town presented right before your eyes.

The water in Zhenyuan Ancient Town is from the Yangtze River. The main river in Zhenyuan County is the Duyong River, a tributary of the Yuan River, which is itself a tributary of the Yangtze. During the day, the river water is very green, and the buildings on both banks create a scene similar to the water towns of Jiangnan. There are many riverside guesthouses and inns, with prices around a hundred yuan in the off-season and two to three hundred yuan in the peak season. Most have balconies with river views, where you can sit during the day and enjoy the scenery and passing tour boats, which is very comfortable. Summer temperatures are also mild, around 26-28°C, not too hot. During the day, there is a fixed ferry across the river for 1 yuan, allowing you to experience a brief "boat ride" for just one yuan. The sightseeing boats at night are different from the daytime ferries. Prices for the sightseeing boats fluctuate between 80 and over 100 yuan per person.
At night, after the orange lights on the houses on both banks are lit, the scenery is also very beautiful. If you don’t want to take a boat, you can stroll along the boardwalks on both sides of the river.

⭐ During the peak tourist season, at dusk when the sun is about to set, mist often appears on both sides of the river, as shown in pictures 1 and 2, creating a feeling reminiscent of the misty Jiangnan region. However, this does not happen in the off-season. In 2024, the lights on the rooftops along the riverbanks in Zhenyuan Ancient Town are golden yellow, but after 2025, they will be changed to a softer orange. So if you see some posts with different light colors, it’s not a color difference or filter—it’s because the lights have been changed.

Post by KatjaM?kinen | Sep 16, 2025