Xiahu Tourist Scenic Area

Xiahu Tourist Scenic Area

Hujiang Xiahu Tourist Scenic Area is located on the Gan River in Hujiang Town, Gan County. The planned total construction area is 1,612 hectares, including 669.5 hectares of water area, 81 hectares of agricultural land, 62 hectares of residential land, 14.5 hectares of road land, and 785 hectares of forest land, with a total investment of 600 million yuan. The scenic area features hilly terrain, geographically belonging to a river valley. Within the area are the first island on the thousand-li Gan River—Peach Blossom Island, the ancient village of Xiahu that once witnessed the prosperity akin to the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” painting, and the Pearl of the Gan River—Dahu Zhou. The area boasts rich cultural resources, a sound ecological environment, and convenient water and land transportation. It lies within the one-hour economic circle of Ganzhou City. The water route from downtown Ganzhou to the Hujiang Xiahu Scenic Area is about 37 kilometers, with fast and convenient speedboats; by road via Wuyun, it’s about 35 kilometers, and via Chutan from Ganzhou County, about 26 kilometers. The Xiarong Expressway and the Urban Ring Expressway both have exits in Gan County. The Gannan Avenue, National Highway 105, National Highway 323, and the Ganzhou-Hujiang riverside wartime reserve road together form a convenient water and land transportation network for the Hujiang Xiahu Tourist Scenic Area, offering distinct advantages for tourism development.

Main Attractions:

1. Xiahu Ancient Village

The Xiahu Cultural Tourism Experience Zone has a planned area of 362 hectares, including Zhouping Village and the surrounding water area. Its primary functions are cultural experience, vacation leisure, and commercial space, with main projects including a themed hotel, a Song Dynasty-style waterside commercial street, a cluster of ancient ancestral halls, the Eighteen Flower Halls, docks, and lakeside residential developments. The prosperity of Xiahu is closely linked to the migration history of the Hakka people. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, Central Plains gentry gradually migrated southward due to disasters, wars, and dynastic changes. They initially settled along the Yangtze River, then moved through the Xiang River and Li River into Guangdong. By the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era in the Tang Dynasty, when Zhang Jiuling opened the Meiguan Pass, the journey for Hakka migrants heading south was shortened, shifting their route to follow the Gan River toward Lingnan. Xiahu became an important stop along this route, and by the mid-Ming Dynasty, it had grown into a bustling place with a population of over 20,000.

Xiahu flourished during the Song Dynasty and is the ancestral home of Qi Jiguang, a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates. This place is rich in natural beauty and talent, having produced notable figures such as Xie Zhongyi, a Jinshi scholar of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era known as the “Talented Scholar of Jiangnan,” Lai Ruxiong, a high-ranking anti-Japanese patriotic military officer, and Qi Xiuchao, a philanthropic Taiwanese compatriot with deep ties to his hometown. The great Song Dynasty literary master Su Shi left the elegant verse: “A leaf boat at the head of eighteen rapids, the breeze wafts into the stream; thrice blessed to revisit this place, do not seek the Buddha beyond its bounds.” Emperors Taizu of the Ming Dynasty (Zhu Yuanzhang), Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, and Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China’s democratic revolution, also left their traces or inscribed couplets here. During the Anti-Japanese War, Jiang Jingguo, who governed southern Jiangxi, also left many marks of activity here, with historical sites such as the Xiafu Middle School he founded still well preserved. The area has a long history as a four-hundred-year-old jujube region, renowned far and wide. The legends of the Eighteen Scholars and the splendor of the Eighteen Flower Halls carry the brilliance of history, forever alive in the sealed memories of local elders. The three well-preserved ancestral halls of the Qi and Xie families, with their exquisite architecture, gatherings of historical dignitaries, scholars, and poets’ inscribed couplets, are uniquely distinctive.

Up to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, Xiahu was home to five surnames: Qi, Xie, Ou, Xiao, and Li. The Qi and Xie families were long-established gentry clans that migrated from the Song Dynasty. The Qi family came from Central Plains via Suzhou and settled in Xiahu in the first year of the Duanping era of the Song Dynasty (1234 AD); the Xie family migrated from Nanjing’s Wuyi Lane around the end of the Song Dynasty’s Qingyuan era (1200 AD). The Ou, Xiao, and Li families arrived later, with only the Li family returning to Xiahu from Fujian. A local saying goes: “The Qi family’s gongs ring loud, the Xie family’s bowls are gold, the Ou family’s boats are worn, the Xiao family’s orchard is lush, the Li family’s hammers strike iron.” This means: In ancient times, the Qi family often traveled with retinues, sounding gongs when returning home or on inspection tours; the Xie family, descending from Nanjing’s Wuyi Lane where the prestigious Wang and Xie clans once lived (known for their black-clad scholars and nobility), though their power waned with dynastic change, remained wealthy, hence the tale of eating from golden bowls; the Ou family were involved in shipping and owned many boats; the Xiao family grew crops, especially jujubes; the Li family manufactured farming and shipping tools, particularly known for blacksmithing. The ancestors of Xiahu created its civilization and prosperity through hard work and wise management, leaving behind rich spiritual and material wealth for future generations.

Through the vermilion-painted archway of Xiahu Ancient Village, 23 ancient-style buildings with grey tiles and grey bricks stand in neat rows, forming a spectacular sight. An ancient, Tang-style Eighteen Flower Hall and its accompanying historical architectural complex come into view. In recent years, Xiahu has hosted foreign guests from eight countries including Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, as well as central, provincial, and municipal leaders, experts, and scholars. They have spoken highly of Xiahu’s beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural history, offering suggestions for its development and utilization. It has now been planned as one of Ganzhou’s “Top Ten Tourist Routes.”

2. Peach Blossom Island

Peach Blossom Island (Xiao Hu Zhou) is the first island in the middle of the Gan River, with a planned area of 119 hectares, including 172 mu of the island itself, encompassing Xiao Hu Zhou and its surrounding water area and the Peach Blossom Island Reception Center. There are currently no permanent structures on the island. Its main functions and positioning are as a welcome area, waterside leisure, flower and fruit viewing, and water-based activities. The islet echoes with Dahu Zhou and Xiahu Ancient Village, which is surrounded by water on three sides. With green mountains, clear waters, birdsong, floral fragrance, and beautiful ecology, it forms a picturesque gallery along the Gan River. Peach Blossom Island is about 1,500 meters long and 400 meters wide, spindle-shaped, and is the first island on the Gan River. The island is rich in beautiful scenery and fruit trees, planted with peaches, plums, jujubes, pomelos, persimmons, oranges, and other fruit trees, earning it the local nickname “Orchard of a Hundred Fruits.” In peak season, the blossoms and fruits compete in beauty, butterflies flutter, bees buzz, and birds sing joyfully in the woods. A gentle breeze brings the fragrance of flowers, refreshing the heart and mind, creating a blissful atmosphere. Especially during the peach blossom season, it becomes a popular destination for tourists from Ganzhou and even Fujian and Guangdong. During the annual Peach Blossom Festival, daily visitor numbers reach 20,000–30,000.

3. Xiahu Scenic Area Visitor Service Center

The Xiahu Scenic Area Visitor Service Center covers an area of 50 mu and was put into use in June 2011. It consists of a visitor reception center, eco-friendly parking lot, rest corridor, Bagua Square, cultural corridor, cruise dock, and eco-leisure farm. The visitor reception center is a multi-functional, antique-style building with Hakka architectural features. It houses a visitor lounge, information desk, ticket office, tourism product exhibition and sales area, and other basic service facilities. Its main functions include VIP reception, visitor gathering and dispersal, waiting areas for boats, tour guide consultations, ticket sales, exhibitions, and shopping—all comprehensive and human-centered. The eco-friendly parking lot covers 10,000 square meters, with a capacity of 30 large buses and 100 small vehicles. The eco-leisure farm mainly offers specialty dining, fishing leisure, sightseeing entertainment, and tourism product services.

4. Dahu Zhou

Dahu Zhou is the second island on the Gan River, with a planned area of 423 hectares and nearly 400 mu of island area. Currently, there are no permanent structures, and it remains undeveloped. The island is located on the eastern side of the most treacherous of the eighteen rapids on the upper Gan River—the “Yellow Spring Rapids”—in the middle section of the Gan River under the jurisdiction of Hujiang Township, Gan County. It stands prominently in the river, shaped like a lion, facing Xiao Hu Zhou to the north and south, about seven kilometers apart.

The island has fertile soil and produces red melon seeds, sesame, peanuts, and tobacco leaves. Originally inhabited by the Chen and Li families (now all farmers from Dahu Zhou have been relocated, and the island is uninhabited), the locals were fond of literature and martial arts, very united, exemplifying typical Hakka characteristics. For generations, they made a living by farming the island’s land and working in navigation. Particularly skilled in navigation, the men of the island were adept at maneuvering through dangerous waters. Due to the treacherous “Yellow Spring Rapids” to the west—with its many reefs, rapid currents, and unpredictable flows—there was a saying: “Passing the Yellow Spring Rapids is like passing through the gates of hell.” Whenever boats approached, they would hire the “rapids pilots” from Dahu Zhou to steer safely through. The men of Dahu Zhou learned swimming, boating, and steering from childhood, honed through navigating perilous rapids and waves. They understood the changing currents, water depths, and locations of visible and hidden reefs. No matter the season—calm or stormy—they could read the water patterns and navigate safely. Boat owners revered these “pilot experts” as near-mythical figures and paid them handsomely.

During the Agrarian Revolutionary period, Dahu Zhou served as a trading hub for residents on both sides of the river, as well as a liaison and supply transfer station for the Soviet Area. At the time, the Gan River’s eastern bank belonged to the Soviet Area, while Xiahu on the western bank was in the Nationalist-controlled zone. Though Dahu Zhou was in the Nationalist zone, people from both sides could travel through the island. The Nationalists imposed a blockade on the Soviet Area, leading to severe shortages of goods, especially salt—an essential daily commodity—whose price soared to one silver dollar per jin. The tighter the supplies, the greater the profit margin, so people from both banks, the island, and passing ships risked everything, using marriage ties and ship stopovers to transport salt and other scarce goods to the Soviet Area. Merchants flocked here, and the transient population increased, turning it into a bustling trade hub.

At the time, the three-courtyard, two-courtyard-entry plus auxiliary buildings of the Chen Family Ancestral Hall at the southern end of Dahu Zhou served as a warehouse for the Xiahu Textile Factory. Cotton shipped from elsewhere was stored in the Chen Family Ancestral Hall warehouse. Finished quilts and uniforms from the Xiahu Textile Factory were also stored there before being dispatched to troops according to orders.

Today’s Dahu Zhou has seen the blasting away of nearby dangerous rapids and hidden reefs. With the rise in water levels from the Wan’an Hydropower Station reservoir, the island is now surrounded by shimmering artificial lake waters, enhancing its scenic charm as an ideal leisure destination.

Hujiang Town: Hujiang Township is located in the northern part of Gan County, 30 kilometers from downtown Ganzhou. It governs 10 administrative villages, 1 neighborhood committee, and 161 villager groups, with a total population of 20,580 and a total area of 137.8 square kilometers. Hujiang is a reservoir area township, with 7,000 mu of water surface, 6,000 mu of which have been developed, and 36 large and small reservoir bays. In 2004, the aquatic output was 612 tons. The area boasts abundant tourism resources, including the first island on the thousand-li Gan River—Hujiang Xiao Hu Zhou—and the Xiafu Ancestral Hall, which have been listed as one of Ganzhou’s ten featured tourist routes. Major specialty products include Hujiang fish threads, fish... More details about Hujiang Town++