A City Remade by Water and Industry
Shiyan sits in northwestern Hubei where rivers run fast and mountains rise steep—a landscape transformed over the last sixty years by human ambition. This was once a village of a few hundred households. In 1969, under Mao's vision of dispersed industrial strength, it became the site of Dongfeng Motors' predecessor, the Second Automobile Works. Twenty-five thousand construction workers arrived to build a city from nothing. Trucks rolled off assembly lines. The population swelled. For a time, Shiyan's living standard ranked second in China, surpassed only by Shenzhen. That boom has given way to quieter times, but the bones of the place remain—a city born of deliberate purpose, shaped by water management projects of continental scale, now welcoming visitors to its mountains, temples, and the hydroelectric reservoirs that power the north.
The Wudang Mountains and Taoist Heritage
The Wudang Mountains run east to west through Shiyan, and they contain the reason many visitors come here. These peaks hold one of China's most significant concentrations of Taoist culture: up to 200 monastic temples and religious sites scattered across steep terrain, their buildings recognised by UNESCO as an ancient building complex of world importance. The Golden Hall, built at the same time as the Forbidden City as an offering to the god Zhen Wu, sits at elevation. The Purple Cloud Temple dates to the 12th century. The South Cliff Palace, a stunning structure built directly into a cliff face, rewards the hike. At the end of Carefree Valley—a hiking area with monkeys, waterfalls, and pools deep enough to swim in—stand the Three Taoist Temples of Qiongtai, a 600-year-old complex of three temples arranged vertically on the mountainside.
Entry to the Wudang Mountains scenic area costs ¥130, with sightseeing vehicles available for ¥100. The Wudang Museum, free and open daily except Mondays, documents the religious and architectural heritage. Many visitors come not only to walk among the temples but to study Wudang Kung Fu, one of the two most famous styles of Chinese martial arts. Schools operate year-round, accepting students for a single day or for years.
Central Sights and the Dinosaur Reserve
In central Shiyan, the Shiyan Museum on Beijing North Road in Maojian District offers free entry and operates daily from 09:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays. The Shiyan People's Park in Zhangwan District provides green space and a zoo (¥30 entry) with seasonal hours reflecting the local climate. Away from the urban core, the Qinglong Mountain Dinosaur Egg Fossil Group National Nature Reserve and Geopark in Yunyang District displays thousands of fossilized dinosaur eggs from the late Cretaceous Period, unearthed since the 1990s and displayed at an on-site museum. Entry is ¥60. Express buses run from Shiyan Central Bus Station to Yunyang District, where the Yunyang Lake Tourist Bus provides transport to the reserve.
Water Projects and Landscape
Two major water-engineering undertakings have shaped Shiyan's geography. The Danjiangkou Dam, built between 1958 and 1974, created the Danjiangkou Reservoir to manage Han River flooding, supply irrigation water, and generate hydroelectricity—a project that required relocating 382,000 people. More recently, the South to North Water Transfer Project, the largest water-diversion scheme in world history, further enlarged the Danjiangkou Reservoir and created a new canal completed in 2014 to carry water to Beijing and Tianjin. These projects reshaped the region's topography and remain visible in the altered water levels and landscape. Forests cover 74 percent of Shiyan's total area, and the terrain rises dramatically: the highest point, Congping in Zhuxi County, stands at 2,740 metres above sea level, while the lowest, Panjiayan in Danjiangkou, sits at 87 metres.
Local Food and Drink
Gexian Rice Vinegar, made through natural fermentation and unique local processes, serves as a signature seasoning. Lao You Bing—a pan-fried and deep-fried pastry, crispy outside and soft within—appears on snack menus throughout the city. Gexian Mountain Roast Duck and Gexian Mountain Stewed Chicken Soup draw their character from local herbs and seasoning methods. Three Gorges Grilled Fish, featuring fresh local aquatic products, represents the broader regional cuisine. For something sweeter, Gexian Mountain Red Sugar Ba Ba combines red sugar and glutinous rice into a chewy traditional treat. Shiyan rice wine, a traditional local beverage, accompanies meals and social occasions.
When to Visit
The Shiyan People's Park operates 07:30 to 20:00 in July through September, and 07:45 to 18:00 from October to June, suggesting that warmer months favour longer days outdoors. Mountain temples and hiking areas in the Wudang range are accessible year-round, though steep inclines and rapid water flows in the rivers mean conditions vary seasonally. Summer brings longer daylight for exploring temple complexes; winter clears crowds but shortens daylight hours.
Shiyan offers a different sort of Chinese travel experience—not a coastal metropolis or ancient capital, but a working city built by deliberate industrial policy, anchored by one of the world's most important Taoist mountain sanctuaries and shaped by engineering projects of remarkable ambition. Come to walk the temple paths, study martial arts on steep mountainside, or trace the human and geographical transformations that remade this corner of Hubei.