Exploring the Marvel of Maodong — The Tujia Landscape Gallery at the Border of Hubei, Hunan, and Chongqing
Located in Baifusi Town, Laifeng County, at the junction of Hubei, Hunan, and Chongqing provinces, lies a natural and cultural wonder — Maodong Scenic Area. Here you can find a rare karst cave geological marvel, with numerous caves deep within the canyon, through which the You River flows.
In early 2025, Maodong Scenic Area was officially rated as a national 4A-level tourist attraction, becoming the third site in Laifeng County to receive this honor.
Maodong is a natural tunnel spanning the You River, with a height of 38 meters, width of 58 meters, and length of 220 meters. It is acclaimed as "one of the most spectacular, magnificent, and extraordinary mountain river caves in the world."
The Maodong Gorge along the You River is a rare karst cave geological wonder, with picturesque natural scenery on both riverbanks.
The entire scenic area covers 2.6 square kilometers, stretching from Nanhe Village in the north to Jinlongtan in the south, about 20 kilometers in length. Along the banks, there is a cluster of 18 caves, including Maodong, Xianren Cave, Guanyin Cave, and Moon Cave.
These cave groups are uniquely connected and naturally formed.
Along the riverbank are strange peaks and rocks such as Weizi Rock, Stone Mill Niche, Incense Burner Rock, Chessboard Rock, and Couple Rock, showcasing danger, wonder, and spirit.
The scenic area is known as the "Tiansheng Bridge Geological Park" and is the most magical and spectacular place along the hundred-mile You River. Maodong Gorge is a poetic and picturesque corridor integrating "mountains, water, caves, towns, and emotions."
The scenic area includes three core attractions: Baifu Tiansheng Bridge, Baifu Tiansheng Bridge Gorge, and the Maodong Gorge section of the You River. The ten-mile gallery of the You River, part of the "800-mile Qingjiang and 900-mile You River," is located here.
Baifusi Town, where the scenic area is located, is the birthplace of the Tujia Baishou Dance and is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art." Maodong Scenic Area condenses the essence of Tujia landscape and culture, with profound cultural heritage.
The cultural aspects of the scenic area include: mountain and water culture represented by Maodong; folk culture represented by Baishou Dance and Xilankapu; Tusi culture represented by Tusi ruins; and commercial culture represented by the "Maodong Collection."
Additionally, there is culinary culture represented by oil tea soup, Tujia cured meat, and rice tofu; ancient architectural culture represented by stilted buildings; and red culture represented by "Deep Mountain Enemy Annihilation" and Red Army slogan walls.
In 1992, archaeological excavations at Xianren Cave unearthed a large number of artifacts spanning a wide time range with rich cultural connotations, rare in areas with hanging coffin customs, further confirming the deep cultural heritage of Maodong Scenic Area.
Visitors entering Maodong Scenic Area usually choose to tour by boat, which takes about 1.5 hours. Upon entering the cave entrance, the circular cliffs hang from the mountain peaks soaring into the clouds down to the riverbed, resembling a sharp axe cut, extremely steep and majestic.
Deeper inside the cave, it suddenly opens up with a high-hanging cave ceiling. Being inside gives a wonderful illusion of traveling back to prehistoric times.
Drifting on the You River through Maodong Gorge feels like being in a picturesque fairyland. The stone peaks and caves densely line both riverbanks, resembling a ten-mile gallery.
Since its opening, Maodong Scenic Area has been rated as a national 3A-level tourist attraction and a provincial geological park. In January 2025, after evaluation by the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Maodong Scenic Area was officially upgraded to a national 4A-level tourist attraction.
China Central Radio and Television's "Geography China" and "Brand Story" programs have promoted Maodong Scenic Area.
The scenic area is committed to creating a healthy, natural, and ecological leisure destination. The goal is to build a comprehensive scenic area integrating canyon sightseeing, sports health, and cultural experience.
The scenic area offers specialty products such as citrus, honey, and Tujia cured meat. Visitors can taste Tujia delicacies like You River wild fish, Tujia cured meat, rice tofu, oil tea soup, and oil cakes.
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Drifting on the You River, visitors pass through the cave clusters of Maodong, with the strange peaks and rocks along the banks serving as a natural exhibition of Tujia culture. When the boat sails out of the cave, sunlight once again shines on the river surface, and the Tujia stilted buildings of Baifusi Town quietly await nearby.
This "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art" is ready to tell every visitor the thousand-year-old stories of mountains and waters through Baishou Dance and oil tea soup.