Things to do in Liancheng

No. 14 of Family-friendly Attractions in Fujian

Guanzhai Mountain National Scenic Spot

Guanzhai Mountain is regarded as a sacred mountain by the local Hakka people. When viewed from a distance, the unusual rock formations look like a lotus flower. The mountain is therefore often referred to by locals as the "Lotus Mountain." The area is surrounded by fern plants, steep cliffs, and crystal-clear streams, which are inhabited by Chinese giant salamander.

No. 3 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Longyan

Peitian Ancient Village

The ancient settlement in Peitian is a fantastically well-preserved village dating from the Ming and Qing Dynasties that has survived for hundreds of years. The settlement consists of several tall halls, ancient temples, academies, cross-street monuments and an ancient street several kilometers long. The buildings are covered with relief sculptures, couplets, famous plaques and stone carvings making the craftsmanship quite exquisite and spectacular. Peitian Ancient Dwellings are wonderful works of architecture coupled with a rare historical and cultural heritage.

No. 11 of Hot Springs Attractions in Fujian

Qingshui Tianyi Hot Spring Resort

Qingshui Tianyi Hot Spring Resort is located in Liancheng County, adjacent to the famous Guanzhai Mountain known for its Danxia landform. From an aerial view, the resort is surrounded by pristine forests, offering a lush green panorama. The hot spring park is a large semi-open-air facility themed around Hakka culture, featuring over 50 hot spring pools with various therapies including herbal baths, milk baths, and hot stone treatments. During summer, the children's water park and surfing pool are also open, catering to visitors with diverse needs. The hotel rooms include options with private soaking pools, and the luxury rooms feature open-air balconies with mountain views. Perfect for family weekend getaways, guests can enjoy hot spring therapies while experiencing local folk customs and Hakka culture.

Shimen Lake

Shimen Lake is situated on Shimenhu Road in Liancheng County, Longyan City. It has a serene environment and is surrounded by mountains on its two shores. It is like a jade embedded in the treacherous valley of Mt. Guanzhai. Visitors can board a cruise boat, slowly drift along the peaceful lake, through the narrow valley, and enjoy the scenery on the shores. Occasionally, visitors might see one or two egrets or wild ducks fly out from the green bushes at the lakeside. It is a great place to feel the atmosphere of nature.

Jiulong Lake (Jiulong Cave Cluster)

The virgin forest vegetation in Jiulong Lake (Jiulong Cave Group) is well protected and the water area is massive. The main features of the scenery are "mountains in the middle of the lake", "caves in the middle of the mountain", and "water in the middle of the caves". To view the water scenery of Jiulong Lake, you can choose between a slow-moving pleasure boat cruise or a rapid speedboat transfer. The Jiulong Cave Cluster is filled with stalactites and some ancient human fossils have also been discovered here. The untouched forest outside the cave is vast and dense, and wildflowers grow everywhere. The scenery is fresh and pleasant, making it a good place for a relaxing holiday.

Zhu'an Village

Zhuan Village is 5 kilometers northeast of the county seat and only 1.5 kilometers away from Guanzhi Mountain. The local people call it "Jiewu Village" or "Matou Mountain" because of its steep peaks and deep valleys. It is also called "Zhuan Village", which means "bamboo brings peace". It is 660 meters high and covers an area of ​​4.2 square kilometers. The road is blocked by tangled grass and thorns are caught in clothes. The periphery retains a strong wild charm. Approaching the core area, the pine and bamboo trees become denser and the mountains become steeper. Mosses, ferns, lichens, etc. are distributed in the rock crevices and roots, the valley bottom, and the peaks are set off. The other side of Zhuan Village is a quasi-military defense-type cultural landscape. The original intention of the developers was to rely on the flowing springs on the rocks, the green pines and bamboos on the mountains, the low houses and the quiet and beautiful scenery to study classics and history, broaden their minds and entertain themselves during the peaceful years; once they encountered troubled times, they could rely on the dangers of the cliffs and the solidity of the village walls to settle women, children and the elderly. Therefore, many young and strong men were hired to blast rocks and build roads on the rocks for many years, like tattoos, engraving beautiful curves on the steep mountain walls. The natural attractions of Zhuan Village are dangerous, strange and spectacular, which are called the "three wonders" of the landscape and are rare in the world. Horse Head Mountain Northeast of Zhuan Village, there is a steep cliff with a concave top and tilted sideways, shaped like a saddle. A triangular stone is embedded in the front side, looking up at the sky, like a horse's neck. The horse seems to be galloping, but it lacks a head. There is a folk myth about the thunder god angrily striking the horse's head. Daughter Stream Walking through the dangerous path with guardrails, you will reach the bottom of the canyon, where you can see a clear stream converged into a pool, called Daughter Stream. This is where the women washed clothes and cooked for the men who built the village when the village was built. Sky Peak After passing Nv'erjian, you can reach the inner village of Zhu'an Village along the 365 stone steps carved by people along the steep ridge. Standing by Nv'erjian, looking up at the Motian Peak, you will feel the momentum of reaching the sky and competing with the sky. There are cliffs and deep ravines on both sides of the stone steps. There is a section of echoing steps with 100 steps. Visitors passing by here can hear a "gurgling" sound as long as they stamp their feet, so it is also called the Drum Rock. The top of the peak is a village gate, which is a thick stone wall and incomplete battlements, with reserved observation holes, arrow windows or shooting holes, which is very solid. The stone steps on this peak were originally used by the stationed personnel to get water during droughts and retreat in times of crisis, and it is a ready-made strange and dangerous landscape. Watergate Wall There is a canyon in front of the trench gate of Zhuan Village. The bottom of the valley is a mountain stream, which flows over the cliffs with standing rocks, called the Water Gate. This rock looks like a neat wall, about 200 meters long, 70 meters high, and about 8 meters wide at the top of the wall. It has extraordinary momentum and is called the Water Gate Wall.

Sijiaojing Cultural Park

Sawadeeka Spa Resort

No. 2 of Night Attractions in Longyan

The ancient town of Changting

The ancient city of Changting is located in Tingzhou Town, which is located in the western mountainous area of Fujian Province. It has always been the base of the Hakka people. The ancient city of Changting is surrounded by mountains and rivers. There are many Hakka dwellings in the Song and Ming Dynasties preserved in the city. Walking in the alleys or visiting those traditional shops, you can see the authentic life scenes of local residents everywhere. Climb the ancient city wall, recall the long river of history, go to the historical attractions in the city to find old traces, or follow the taste to search for delicious snacks on the streets and alleys, and enjoy your own rest time. The ancient city of Changting is not big, you can visit famous historical sites such as Tingzhou Examination Institute, Tingzhou Confucian Temple, Tingzhou City God, Tianhou Palace, Nanchan Temple, etc., or go to Shangguan Zhou Former Residence, Ziyun Gong Temple, Yunxiang Pavilion and other scenic spots Shop around. The Baozhumen Gate Tower in the south of the city is the best place to see the whole picture of the ancient city. It is also a good choice to climb the ancient city wall to view the ancient city from a higher perspective. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the city wall was built in the city of Changting. The ancient city wall is the symbol of the ancient city of Changting. Today, most of the city walls are modern reconstructions. On the city wall, you can see the life scene between the wells in the ancient city. You can climb the city wall from Huiji Gate in the south of the city, walk north along the Tingjiang River to Chaotian Gate, and pass through several city towers and beacon towers on the way. Among them, Shuidong The section of the city wall near the bridge is a historical relic. In addition to many historical sites, there are also many memorial halls and former residences of historical celebrities in the ancient city of Changting.

2026 Asia 100 - Best Things to Do

Kulangsu

Kulangsu is located in the southwest corner of Xiamen, Fujian Province, facing Xiamen Island across the Lujiang Strait. The island covers an area of about 1.88 km² and is a "garden on the sea, island of pianos, and exhibition of architecture from around the world" that blends nature with culture. In 2017, it was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List as "Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement." The island is a bedrock island with a winding coastline and many natural harbors and reefs; its terrain is mainly hilly, with the highest peak, Sunlight Rock, at 92.7 m above sea level. It has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate, warm and humid, with spring-like weather all year round, making it suitable for visiting throughout the year. Motor vehicles are prohibited on the island, so there is no noise of traffic—only birdsong, flowers, waves, and piano music. Hundreds of historic buildings from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century still stand, spanning Gothic, Victorian, Baroque, Nanyang arcade, and traditional Minnan courtyard styles, and are acclaimed as a "World Architecture Expo" and a living specimen of a modern East Asian international community. Representative buildings include the Bagua Mansion (Organ Museum), Shuzhuang Garden, Haoyue Garden, the former site of the HSBC Mansion, Trinity Church, and the former residence of Lin Yutang. The island has a profound musical cultural heritage. Since the late Qing Dynasty, Western music was introduced through missionary schools. The density of pianos on the island has long ranked among the highest in the country, and musical masters such as Yin Chengzong and Xu Feiping were born here, earning it the reputation of "Island of Pianos" and "Island of Music." The Piano Museum houses century-old antique pianos, and the Organ Museum holds a giant pipe organ. Piano music is often heard among the streets and alleys, and the tradition of family concerts continues to this day. The core attractions on the island each have their own distinctive features. Sunlight Rock is the highest point on the island; from the summit, visitors can enjoy a 360° panoramic view of the entire island, Xiamen main island, and the Taiwan Strait, and there is a saying that "you haven't truly visited Xiamen until you've climbed Sunlight Rock." Shuzhuang Garden was the private residence of the wealthy Taiwanese merchant Lin Erjia, designed to "hide the sea within the garden and embrace the mountains as scenery," blending Jiangnan garden aesthetics with mountain and sea views; the garden's Piano Museum houses nearly a hundred antique pianos. Haoyue Garden features a 15.7 m tall granite statue of Zheng Chenggong facing the sea, built to commemorate the national hero who recovered Taiwan. Bagua Tower is a landmark building on the island, blending Chinese and Western architectural aesthetics, and houses hundreds of antique organs. Yuyuan Garden, Gulang Stone, Yanwei Mountain Ecological Park, and other cultural and natural attractions are scattered across the island, linking together a century of charm and the poetry of mountains and sea. Tour tips Island access: You need to take a ferry from the ferry terminal on Xiamen Island to get there. There is no general admission ticket; core attractions require separate tickets or a combo ticket. Mode of travel: Walking tours across the island; paid sightseeing electric carts are available; motor vehicles are prohibited. Recommended season: suitable all year round; spring and fall (April-May, October-November) offer comfortable weather and blooming bougainvillea, making the scenery especially beautiful.