[2024 Xiangyang Stay] Travel Guide for Intercontinental XiangYang (Updated Sep)

Healed by the mountains, rivers, and food, falling in love with Xiangyang only takes a weekend

For a weekend getaway destination, I have my own selection criteria: history, mountains and rivers, food, convenient transportation, and preferably comfortable hotels. This time, I chose to visit Xiangyang, a city I have longed to see. Xiangyang has an airport and a high-speed rail station, and it takes less than two hours to get here from Wuhan by high-speed train, making it perfect for a weekend trip. What attracts me the most is definitely the ancient city of Xiangyang. I recommend visiting the ancient city at night when the lights are on, as it has more charm and you can better feel the city's lively atmosphere. Climbing the city wall from Linhan Gate offers the best view of the ancient city. This city tower is well-preserved; looking north, you can see the skyscrapers of Fancheng across the Han River, and to the south is the pedestrian street leading to Zhaoming Terrace. Zhaoming Terrace, also known as the Bell and Drum Tower, is located in the center of the ancient city of Xiangyang and was built to commemorate Xiao Tong, the Crown Prince of the Southern Liang Dynasty. It is the tallest building in the ancient city. The pedestrian street from Zhaoming Terrace to Linhan Gate is commercially prosperous, especially with various food stalls, the most famous of which is Xiangyang beef noodles. Beef noodles are considered the representative food of Xiangyang, with countless beef noodle shops throughout the city, and even the hotel where I stayed serves beef noodles for breakfast. This time, I stayed at the Xiangyang Intercontinental Hotel, which has just opened and everything is brand new. As a high-end hotel of an international brand, the Xiangyang Intercontinental Hotel is considered the pinnacle of hotels in Xiangyang. The hotel is ideally located, separated from the ancient city of Xiangyang by only a moat. It is also a garden-style hotel with no high-rise buildings, covering a large area with extensive green spaces and gardens, making it very quiet despite being in a bustling area. The hotel's garden landscape is uniquely designed, divided into several areas such as Pomegranate Garden, Cedar Garden, and Pine Garden based on different themes. The room I stayed in had a large bed and a great view of the ancient city of Xiangyang from the window. The lobby bar is also a place I really like. It has a wide and open view, with a large pool outside. The hotel's water system is specially designed, with many water features and beautiful reflections everywhere. The 'Source' restaurant is the hotel's buffet restaurant. The decoration of the Chinese restaurant further highlights the cultural atmosphere of Xiangyang. Each private dining room has a large mural, with stories related to Xiangyang. The hotel's food is very delicately prepared, with a light taste, using selected local ingredients combined with imported ones to create unique flavors. Besides the ancient city of Xiangyang, Gulongzhong is also a must-visit attraction, about a 20-minute drive from the city center. Gulongzhong is where Zhuge Liang farmed, and Xiangyang holds an important place in the history of the Three Kingdoms. The events of 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage' and 'Longzhong Plan' happened here. If you are familiar with 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' you will find many familiar names here. Longzhong Academy, Farming Pavilion, Three Visits Hall, and Zhuge Cottage, visiting Gulongzhong is like rereading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' There is also a Wuhou Temple in the Gulongzhong scenic area, where later generations commemorate Zhuge Liang. A weekend is not enough to understand Xiangyang, as there are many other tourist attractions, such as Tang City built for filming TV dramas, Lumen Mountain where Tang Dynasty poet Meng Haoran lived in seclusion, and Mi Gong Temple built to commemorate the great calligrapher Mi Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty. Xiangyang is wonderful, and I will come again.