Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area

Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area

The Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area in Dongtai City is divided into three sections from south to north: the historical and cultural leisure area, the modern cultural leisure area, and the ecological cultural leisure area. The historical and cultural leisure area centers around the thousand-year-old ancient town of Xixi, creating a historical and cultural landscape that integrates filial piety culture, sea salt culture, and Buddhist culture; the modern cultural leisure area blends traditional art with modern culture, featuring facilities for art dissemination, premium appreciation, and leisure entertainment; the ecological cultural leisure area centers around the Xixi Botanical Garden, offering leisure facilities for modern agricultural displays, agricultural science education, and farming experience tours.

Filial Piety Culture

Filial piety culture is widely known. Since the Western Han Dynasty, the beautiful love legend of Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies has been widely circulated in Xixi. According to research, there are over 50 place names related to this legend still in existence (such as Heluolun, Dongjiaduo, Shezitou, Fenghuangquan, Cilanghe, Moyunzhuang, Dongxie'erzhuang and Xixie'erzhuang, Saojingjing, and the tomb of the Han Dynasty filial son Dong Yong and the Dong Filial Piety Temple, among others). On October 26, 2002, the first issue ceremony of the “Folklore – Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies” stamps was simultaneously held in Dongtai, Jiangsu; Xiaogan, Hubei; and Anqing, Anhui (Xiaogan focused on filial piety culture, while Anqing emphasized its identity as the hometown of Huangmei Opera). In May 2006, the “Dong Yong Legend” from Dongtai was included in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Covering an area of 150 mu, the Dong Yong and Seven Fairies Cultural Park had a total investment of 100 million yuan. The first phase covered 45 mu and included attractions such as the Dong Yong and Seven Fairies sculpture, the Dongxian Temple, a relief corridor, the Old Locust Tree, the Earth God Temple, and the tombs of the Han Dynasty filial son Dong Yong and the Dong Filial Piety Temple. In December 2010, it was successfully rated as a national 2A-level tourist attraction. In April 2012, based on the initial eight sightseeing spots built in the first phase, supporting tourism facilities such as walking paths and landscape bridges were added within the park, along with the development of twenty-four scenic spots related to the legend of Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies. This expanded the romantic culture of their love story, and the entire park officially opened to the public during the Dong Yong and Seven Fairies Cultural Tourism Festival in 2013. By the end of the year, it was rated as a national 3A-level tourist attraction.

Sea Salt Culture

Xixi has abundant historical remains, with many ancient temples, pagodas, bridges, and roads in the area. Haichunxuan Pagoda — the landmark of Dongtai — is located on the north side of Taidong River in Xixi. Built during the Tang Dynasty and renovated in the Song Dynasty, it is a two-layer brick structure pagoda embracing another, combining inner Tang and outer Song styles. With a history of over 1,380 years, it is the oldest among the 58 existing ancient pagodas in Jiangsu. Commonly known as the “Xixi Pagoda,” it is also called the “Filial Mother Pagoda,” “Sea-Calming Pagoda,” or “Yuchi Pagoda.” In 1982, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit, and in 2013, it was listed as a national-level cultural relics protection unit. Tongsheng Bridge and Bazizi Bridge — both are single-arch brick bridges from the Song Dynasty. Tongsheng Bridge is located on Yanxi River in front of Taishan Temple, while “Bazizi Bridge” is situated at the confluence of Yanxi River and Xiong River, connecting three riverbanks. Known as the “Bazizi Bridge” where “one step spans two bridge tops, and two bridges connect three riverbanks,” it was built more than 200 years earlier than Zhouzhuang’s Twin Bridges. Both are now cultural relics protection units of Dongtai City. Limu Street — located on the north side of Yanxi River, features bluestone-paved roads and retains many Ming and Qing dynasty residences. During the Ming and Qing periods, the limewood and farming tools sold on Limu Street were famous throughout the central Jiangsu Lixiahe water region, hence the street’s name. Sanli Road — part of the ancient estuary plank road.

Starting from the eastern end of Limu Street, it stretches over 1,600 meters (commonly referred to as Sanli Road). Constructed during the founding period of Xixi Town, it has a history of over 2,000 years, predating the Fan Gong Dike by more than a thousand years. Xixi Ancient Town is located on the east side of Taishan Avenue in the Xixi Scenic Area. Following the principle of “ancient town as the body, culture as the soul,” it highlights the theme of Song Dynasty culture, recreating the prosperity of ancient Xixi’s salt and canal commerce, and establishing a commercial complex that blends classical and modern elements, as well as culture and business. New attractions include the city gate tower exhibition hall, Yanxi Academy, and Sanxiang Pavilion. Xixi Ancient Town has become an iconic architectural complex within the Xixi Scenic Area, complementing Taishan Huguo Chan Temple, Dong Yong and Seven Fairies Cultural Park, and Haichun Pagoda Garden, forming a concentrated tourism zone with a combination of points and lines.

Buddhist Culture

The Haichun Pagoda Garden and Buddhist Culture Park project centers around two heritage sites: the Tang Dynasty “Haichunxuan Pagoda” and the Song Dynasty thousand-year-old ancient temple “Taishan Temple,” known for its “one temple and five shrines.” Leveraging the rich ecological water network system in the area, including Yanxi River, Wuzhua River, and Fenghuang River, it has developed tourist attractions such as a vegetarian restaurant, lotus square, prayer bead corridor, Buddhist education and culture museum, Guangfu Chan Temple, Haichunxuan Pagoda, Filial Piety Culture Museum, and Purple Bamboo Retreat. These form a centralized Buddhist culture experience area, integrating the pagoda, temple, and garden into an organic whole. The completed Haichun Pagoda Garden organically unifies “Zen meditation culture” with “filial piety and compassion culture,” blending local Xixi culture with Buddhist religious culture. It enhances the taste of the attractions through cultural depth, reflecting harmony between humans and nature.

Ecological Construction

Xixi Botanical Garden is located in the northern part of the Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area, covering a total area of about 2,300 mu. It combines modern agriculture with eco-tourism and has been recognized as one of the first “Jiangsu Provincial Modern Agricultural Industrial Parks” and “Jiangsu Provincial Four-Star Rural Tourism Spots.” Centered around the 600-mu artificial lake “Xianhu Lake,” the botanical garden is divided into three functional areas: the modern agricultural display area, the high-efficiency horticulture demonstration area, and the agricultural sightseeing tourism area. It is an ideal destination for experiencing farming culture, returning to nature, and enjoying agricultural tourism.

The Dongtai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government attach great importance to the development and construction of the Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area. Development of the scenic area began in 2007. In December 2011, the Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area Management Committee was officially established to coordinate and vigorously advance the project, achieving remarkable results. The planned scope of the Xixi Scenic Area extends east to Chuan Chang River, west to the new National Highway 204, south to Taidong River, and north to Xiangdong River, covering an area of approximately 16 square kilometers with a total population of 15,000. It includes five communities (villages): Yanxihe Neighborhood Committee, Taishan Temple Neighborhood Committee, Wanlu Neighborhood Committee, Xijiao Village, and Sancao Village. The development goal of the Xixi Tourism and Cultural Scenic Area is to adhere to the development philosophy of “culture as the soul, integration and innovation, and industrial expansion,” forming an interconnected relationship between cultural heritage and production development. Through the creation of waterscape spaces, enhancement of the ecological environment, and exploration of cultural heritage, it aims to become a high-quality tourism destination integrating vacation tourism, urban leisure, and cultural industries. It also seeks to establish itself as a distinctive cultural industry cluster in the Yangtze River Delta. Within 3–5 years, the goal is to build a multi-billion-yuan cultural industry park, develop the Xixi Scenic Area into a provincial (and even national) cultural industry demonstration base, and achieve a national 4A-level (with future aspirations for 5A) tourist attraction.

Address: Huiyang Road, Dongtai City, Yancheng

Type: Cultural Tourism Area

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: About 0.5 day

Phone: 0515-60600960; 4009261520

Opening Hours:

November – June: 8:00–18:00; July – October: 8:00–21:00

Ticket Information:

Cultural Park: 30 RMB; Tower Garden: 40 RMB; Combined Attraction Ticket: 60 RMB (excluding Botanical Garden); Botanical Garden: 10 RMB

Source: Jiangsu Provincial Forestry Bureau