Stand on the Xiangjiang River Scenic Spot at dusk, when the lights come on along the water and the riverside path fills with walkers and cyclists, and you have the simplest version of Zhuzhou: a river city that takes its evenings seriously. The Xiang River runs through the middle of it, the streets around Wenyi Road carry murals painted by local artists, and the old wharves on the Yanjiang Road side have turned into places people come to photograph the water.
Zhuzhou suits travellers who are already in Hunan and want a day or two beyond the provincial capital, and anyone interested in Xiang Opera, the Xiangxiu Fire Dragon Dance performed at the Lantern Festival, or the Shennong culture that shapes the city's public spaces. It is a working industrial city with a genuine street life rather than a polished tourist trail.
1. Xiangjiang River Scenic Spot
The Xiangjiang River Scenic Spot is an 11.3-km scenic belt along the river in Tianyuan District, east of North Binjiang Road, and it is the best single introduction to the city. You can walk, cycle or fish along it, and the natural river landscape is matched by local food and culture along the way.
Come in the evening, when the lights make it a good place for a night stroll. It is free and open around the clock, so you can combine it with Yandi Square and the Shennongcheng area in the same outing.
2. Shennong Tower
Shennong Tower stands at Yandi Square in Tianyuan District and is a landmark building of Zhuzhou. Climbing to the top gives you a panoramic view over the whole city, which makes it the most efficient way to get your bearings.
Opening hours are 09:00 to 21:00 in summer and 09:30 to 21:00 in winter, and admission is ¥40. Take the B60 bus from Zhuzhou Station West Square directly to Shennongcheng Bus Station.
3. Yandi Square
Yandi Square, at the top of Tiantaishan Road off Zhujiang South Road in Tianyuan District, is a cultural square built around a giant statue of Yandi. It brings together culture, assembly, entertainment, fitness, leisure, commerce and transport, and during major festivals there are musical fountains to enjoy.
It is free and open 24 hours, and the main entrance and exit of the Oriental Dragon Pagoda is here. Note that Yandi Square is 200 kilometres from Yandi Mausoleum, so do not plan the two as a single stop.
4. Shenlongcheng Yandi Theme Culture Park
This park on Tiantaishan Road in Tianyuan District is an urban open space themed on Shennong culture, combining culture, tourism and commerce. Inside you can visit the Yandi Culture Hall to learn more about Yandi culture, and there are children's play facilities and fitness equipment if you are travelling with family.
It is free and open 24 hours. Pair it with Yandi Square and Shennong Tower, which are all part of the same Shennongcheng area.
5. Zhuzhou Museum
The Zhuzhou Museum on Jianshe Middle Road in Lusong District holds natural geography exhibitions, historical relics exhibitions, folk cultural relics exhibitions and art exhibitions. It is the clearest window into the history of the city, and worth an hour or two if you want context before exploring the rest.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00, with no entry after 16:30, and closed on Mondays except national statutory holidays, plus Lunar New Year's Eve and the first and second days of the first lunar month. Take bus No. 60 directly to Shennongcheng Bus Station and get off.
6. Wynn Wharf
Wynn Wharf on Yanjiang Road in Lusong District was once the harbour centre of Zhuzhou and one of its liveliest sections. It has been out of service for more than ten years, and the pier is now a popular spot for photographs, with a very beautiful river view and professional photographers who will take your picture for free.
It is free and open 24 hours. Take bus 90 and get off at the textile intersection of Yanjiang Road, and combine it with a walk along the river.
7. Wenyi Road
Wenyi Road in Lusong District is an artistic path where you can see various murals created by artistic creators on the walls. It is a place to go and admire the work, rest, or take photos.
Take bus No. 60 and get off at the Central Square. It is an easy short stop to fold into a day in the city centre rather than a destination on its own.
8. Shi Feng Park
Shi Feng Park on North Construction Road in Shifeng District has a road system running 16 km through it, along with garden buildings such as pavilions that have been built and opened. The 1,500-metre Stele Forest Road, made up of more than 40 groups of stele stones, forms a humanistic landscape within the park.
It is free and open 24 hours. Come here if you want old garden buildings and inscriptions rather than a formal sightseeing route.
9. Jiulang Mountain Forest Park
Jiulang Mountain Forest Park in Jiulangshan Village, Shifeng District, sits on the highest peak in the urban area of Changzhutan. From the top you can see the scenery of the entire city, and it is a place to watch the sunrise and sunset.
Take the T1 express bus from Zhuzhou Station to Xiangshi Square Bus Station, transfer to the Y1 bus to Jiulangshan Jiayuan Bus Station, then walk or cycle about 1 km to arrive. Plan around the light, since the sunrise and sunset views are the reason to come.
10. Liufangyuan Memorial Square
Liufangyuan Memorial Square on Xinhua East Road in Hetang District covers 700 m² and is built of hemp stone, with railings carved with reliefs of story scenes. The monument is 11.3 metres high, 2.4 metres at its widest point and weighs 75 tons, all in stone, and is engraved with the words "anti-Japanese fallen soldiers monument".
It is free and open 24 hours. Every Ching Ming and other war-related anniversaries, the park is visited to pay tribute to the revolution's forefathers and hold commemorative activities, so expect crowds on those days.
11. Martyrs Group Sculpture
The Martyrs Group Sculpture on Xinhua East Road in Hetang District is 4.5 metres high and 8 metres wide, showing seven anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians raising swords, jumping to kill or looking on in anger. It is a representative large-scale stone carving work in Zhuzhou.
It is free and open 24 hours, and sits in the same park as Liufangyuan Memorial Square, so see the two together.
12. Liufang Library
Liufang Library on Xinhua East Road in Hetang District was built in April 2011 and is located in the park's Tian Xiang Zhai. It covers 300 m² and holds more than two thousand books, and it is free to the public with the aim of enriching the spiritual life of residents.
It is open 10:00 to 21:00. It makes a quiet pause in the middle of a walk through Liufang Park, which is divided into a memorial area and a recreation area.
13. Lujiang Academy
Lujiang Academy on Zuoquan Middle Road in Liling was built in the 18th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, covering more than 7,000 square metres with a floor area of more than 4,100 square metres. It features a head gate, a lecture hall, an inner hall and a fasting house, with a deep historical heritage, a beautiful environment and a distinctive architectural style.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00, with entrance closed at 11:30 and 16:30, and admission is free. Take bus No. 1 or No. 7 in Liling city and get off at the Bryan River Academy stop.
14. Buddhist temple
This Buddhist temple in Zhuzhou County's umbrella store township sits in the Xiangjiang River and is a famous Buddhist temple in Zhuzhou, built in 697 AD. It holds a large number of cultural relics, among them a Guanyin Buddha statue originally enshrined in the back hall, plus 21 bronze Buddhas of the Ming Dynasty and an ancient incense burner preserved intact.
It is open 08:00 to 19:00 and admission is ¥10. It is a longer trip out of the city, so give it a half day rather than squeezing it between city stops.
15. Xiangyu Ling Farming and Eating College
Xiangyu Ling Farming and Eating College holds a large collection of books related to farming and Hunan culture, supplemented by cultural landscape vignettes such as the Pavilion of Farming and Studying and the Celebration of Abundance Terrace. Its landscape water system is built using the terraced terrain of valleys and natural springs and streams, with a handmade wooden waterwheel as evidence of oriental farming civilisation.
It is free and open 24 hours. Come here for the idyllic scenery and to slow down rather than to tick off a sight.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Zhuzhou Museum on Jianshe Middle Road, arriving soon after 09:00 to make the most of the morning before the 16:30 last-entry cut-off becomes a factor. Take bus No. 60 to Shennongcheng Bus Station and get off.
Afternoon: Move into the Shennongcheng area in Tianyuan District. Visit the Yandi Culture Hall and walk the grounds of Shenlongcheng Yandi Theme Culture Park, then see the giant Yandi statue at Yandi Square. Finish the afternoon by climbing Shennong Tower for the panoramic view over the city.
Evening: Head to Wynn Wharf on Yanjiang Road to photograph the river, then walk or cycle a stretch of the Xiangjiang River Scenic Spot as the lights come on. If you still have energy, Wenyi Road is a short stop for the murals on the way back into the centre.
When is the best time of year to visit Zhuzhou?
Zhuzhou has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers and cool to cold, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snow flurries. January is the coolest month, averaging 5.3 °C, and July is the hottest at 29.5 °C. If you want to see the Xiangxiu Fire Dragon Dance, it is performed during the Lantern Festival.
How do I get around Zhuzhou without a car?
The city is served by buses, including bus No. 60 to the Central Square and Shennongcheng Bus Station, bus 90 to the textile intersection of Yanjiang Road, and the B60 from Zhuzhou Station West Square to Shennongcheng Bus Station. The T1 express bus runs from Zhuzhou Station to Xiangshi Square Bus Station, where you can transfer to the Y1 for Jiulang Mountain. Zhuzhou also has an Autonomous Rapid Transit system, using rubber-tyred vehicles often called a guided bus or trackless tram.
Which sights are free, and which charge admission?
Yandi Square, Shenlongcheng Yandi Theme Culture Park, Wenyi Road, Wynn Wharf, the Xiangjiang River Scenic Spot, Shi Feng Park, Liufangyuan Memorial Square, the Martyrs Group Sculpture, Liufang Library, Xiangyu Ling Farming and Eating College and Lujiang Academy are all free. Shennong Tower charges ¥40 and the Buddhist temple charges ¥10.
What should I know about opening days and holidays?
The Zhuzhou Museum and Lujiang Academy both close on Mondays, except national statutory holidays. The museum is also closed on Lunar New Year's Eve and the first and second days of the first lunar month, and stops entry at 16:30, while Lujiang Academy closes entrance at 11:30 and 16:30. The outdoor squares, parks and the river belt are open 24 hours.
Pick your dates around the season and the Lantern Festival, note the Monday closures, and you have everything you need to start planning a trip to Zhuzhou.