Suizhou Journey to the West Drifting Scenic Area

Suizhou Journey to the West Drifting Scenic Area

At the border between Hubei and Henan provinces lies a mountain called Tongbai Mountain, whose main peak is named Taibai Peak, standing at an elevation of 1,140 meters. It serves as the watershed between the two provinces within the territory of Suizhou. To the east stands another high peak called Yuhuangding, and at the foot of the mountain flows a river called Longtan River — the Yulong Journey to the West Drifting is situated right here. This area marks the dividing line between China's northern and southern climates and is also a paradise where flora and fauna from both regions coexist. Here, you can surf on pristine, high-quality waters and drift along glacial relics; it’s a place to explore the mystery and purity of the Huai River’s source.

Tongbai Mountain is a region rich in Pan Gu culture and home to numerous myths and legends such as “Yu the Great Taming the Floods,” “Yu the Great Subduing the Flood Dragon,” and the Sun God. Renowned Chinese mythologist Yuan Ke identified Tongbai Mountain as the birthplace of Pan Gu culture. During the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era, Wu Cheng'en served as the county magistrate of Xinye, a neighboring county of Tongbai, and frequently visited Tongbai Mountain. Drawing inspiration from the legend of “Yu the Great Subduing the Flood Dragon” and incorporating local landmarks such as the Water Curtain Cave, Tongtian River, Horse-Releasing Field, Taibai Peak, Yuhuangding, Longtan River, Flower-Fruit Mountain, and Laojun Hall, he penned his timeless masterpiece, Journey to the West. Lu Xun, in his work A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, also explicitly identified the flood dragon in the story of “Yu the Great Subduing the Flood Dragon” — Wuzhiqi — as the prototype for Sun Wukong. Therefore, Tongbai Mountain is the original setting and birthplace of the Journey to the West story.

The Yulong Journey to the West Drifting was invested in and constructed by Hubei Yulong Dahongshan Eco-Tourism Development Co., Ltd. The age-old Yuhuangding and Longtan River form the Yulong Tongbai Mountain-Huaihe Scenic Area, with the “Journey to the West” drifting being a vibrant highlight in this grand scenic masterpiece.

The source of the Yulong Journey to the West Drifting — Yuhuangding in Huaihe Town, Suixian County — stands at an elevation of 898 meters, making it the highest peak in the eastern section of Tongbai Mountain. The Longtan River beneath Yuhuangding is a pristine stream with a drop of 100 meters, an annual water flow of 50 million cubic meters, and a driftable length of 9 kilometers. Along the way, there are features such as waterfalls and sculpted streams, offering a drifting experience of about 2 hours. The end point of the drift is just 1.5 kilometers from the Huaihe exit of the Suizhou-Yueyang Expressway — a feature that is truly unique among well-developed drifting sites in China. The Longtan River lies on the border of Henan and Hubei, situated at the center of the “Four Yangs”: Xinyang, Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Hanyang, enjoying excellent transportation links and a highly advantageous location. In 2012, the Journey to the West Drifting Scenic Area was successfully rated as a National AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Based on this profound historical and cultural heritage, the scenic area’s planning and design incorporate as many elements from Journey to the West as possible, striving to create a highly mythological theme park centered around the classic tale. Here, across a vast 10-square-kilometer stage on both sides of the river, visitors will encounter landscapes, characters, and stories from Journey to the West at every turn. Guests can immerse themselves in the experience by dressing up as any character from the Tang Monk’s entourage, engaging in three epic battles — between humans and demons, humans and monkeys, and humans and water — taking a celestial journey and enjoying a truly divine experience.

The drifting scenic area is designed to be a mythological world based on the storyline of Journey to the West. To offer visitors a divine journey, in addition to skillfully leveraging the dreamlike natural environment and the ancient, mysterious cultural backdrop, the atmosphere is enriched with themes closely tied to Journey to the West. All decorative paintings, sculptures, and landscape features throughout the scenic area depict artistic characters from the novel.

The scenic area has built two reservoirs with a combined capacity of 6 million cubic meters and a catchment area of 96 square kilometers. The designed drifting water flow rate is 5 to 6 cubic meters per second. The total length of the drifting river is 9 kilometers, with a total drop of 118 meters and a maximum drop of 7 meters.

The drifting experience lasts approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. The route features steep cliffs and peculiar rock formations on both banks, with strong water flow throughout. The raft sometimes surges straight down and other times swirls through quiet valleys, offering a refreshing and exhilarating journey.