[2025 Hangzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Louta Ancient Town (Updated May)

#AprilGoodDestinations2025 The ancient town of Louta appears like a dream on the misty river surface. The willow trees on the roadside sway gently in the breeze, the leisurely water surface ripples gently, and a lonely boat is anchored on the river bank, as if it is sleeping soundly in this tranquility, waiting for the call of the first ray of sunshine. Most of the houses in the ancient town have white walls and green tiles, with delicate patterns carved on the beams and pillars, exuding the vicissitudes and tranquility of time. Push open an old wooden door and you will find a mysterious world inside. The fragrance of wood seems to leak out from every crack. People here indulge in memories of the past, as if they can hear the bustling noise of the past. There is an indescribable emotion flowing through the entire ancient town, which makes people quietly feel the soul contained in this land. #Jiangnan #Loupa Ancient Town #Morning Mist #Ancient Story #Water Village Impression

Loujiata Village is an ancient village with a long history and rich culture. Founded in the fourth year of Qianning in the Tang Dynasty (897 AD), the village has a history of more than 1,120 years and is a typical traditional mountain village in the south of the Yangtze River. Loujiata was historically known as "Xianyan Lou". The village retains a large number of ancient buildings and historical sites, including 22 ancient wells and over 100 wooden buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Zhoukou Bridge and Lou Clan Ancestral Hall within the village are important historical relics. In addition, Loujiata Village is also a "Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art", boasting the national intangible cultural heritages "Louta Xishifan" and "Lou Ying Legend". It is listed among the sixth batch of China's Traditional Villages.

Li Keran Painting Academy Tower Art Center is located at No. 12 Yiting Lane, built in the Republic of China (around 1940), and built by Lou Bingfu. The house covers an area of about 200 square meters, with a three-entry courtyard structure, facing north and south, two rooms and two halls, two side rooms and one hall, and three-level horse-head walls on both sides. The inscription on the door "Yu Xiu Jue De" is quoted from the first article of "Wen Wang" in "Da Ya" of "Shi Jing" (Book of Poetry), "Don't forget your ancestors, constantly improve your moral cultivation." On November 28, 2018, "Li Keran Painting Academy Tower Art Center" was unveiled here. It is a general immovable cultural relic in Xiaoshan District.

🏯 Louta Ancient Town is located at the strategic junction of Xiaoshan, Zhuji, and Fuyang, founded in the fourth year of the Qian Ning era of the Tang Dynasty (897 AD), with a history of over 1100 years. It was once named 'Xianyan' because of the Eastern Jin Dynasty notable Xu Xun who lived in seclusion here, later renamed 'Louta' after the ancestral surname Lou from the Xianyan Tower, it is the settlement of the Lou surname, possessing a profound Lou surname culture. Here, streams surround the area, and ancient houses are scattered in an orderly fashion, preserving the most intact and largest Ming and Qing ancient architectural complex in Xiaoshan. The ancient town, less than one square kilometer, hides more than 30 alleys, spend an hour, mainly walking through the main streets and alleys, take your time to savor the traces of years in this place. There is also the national intangible cultural heritage—Xishifan, an ancient piece of music that tells the legend of Dayu controlling the waters. Lou Ying Memorial Hall, Li Keran Painting Academy Louta Art Center, Zhoukou Bridge, Lou Ying Ancestral Hall, Lou Manwen Memorial Hall, and Lou Jin Ancestral Hall are all worth checking in. As for the food, you can try the Louta Ten Bowls, and the prices of other snacks are not expensive either. ⚠️ Do not have too high expectations for the ancient town, after all, this is a quaint, original, non-commercialized small town. 📍Louta Ancient Town: No. 118 Zhoukou Road, Louta Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City 🎫Ticket: 🆓 ⌛️Time: All day 🚘Transport: About 1H drive from Hangzhou

For the first time visiting this Louta Ancient Town, it's quite a coincidence, so take a stroll! The place is quite large, with many old buildings that are well preserved! Transportation: Take bus 728 to the end, get off and walk about 400 meters to reach the ancient town's archway, which is the entrance. Sightseeing: Inside the ancient town, there are three parts: the upper temple, the middle temple, and the lower temple. Currently, many areas are still under construction, so it is a free scenic spot without any tour guides. Attractions: The ancient town originated in the Tang Dynasty and has a very long history. There are many inscriptions by famous scholars and a sense of the era in the stone-paved roads, as well as various old houses... It's worth taking a walk and having a look if you have the chance. Maybe by the next time you come, it will have turned into a scenic spot with an entrance fee!

The towers, as seen on the map, are very far from Hangzhou, almost reaching Zhujia Ciwu Town, but their popularity is still quite high in Hangzhou because they are an administrative village formed by the combination of Loujia Tower Village and Louying Village. From Hangzhou, take the subway to Chaoyang subway station, and right out of the station is the 728 bus stop, which goes directly to the Louta bus station. The ancient town of Louta is not far from the bus station; a fifteen-minute walk across an ancient bridge will get you there, and the beautiful ancient town is right before your eyes. The ancient town is quaint and quiet, with local people living and working in peace and contentment, their faces calm and friendly towards others. A stone-paved street tells of the historical glory of the past, with a very lively atmosphere. The surrounding mountains are densely forested, with fresh air, giving a sense of a paradise on earth. A leisurely visit to Louta ancient town, with no purpose, no deliberate arrangements, just go wherever, without any forced requirements, instead, the pace slows down, enjoying the fresh and refined beauty brought by nature and the countryside, picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains, this is what I need.

A nice town near Hangzhou with simple folk customs 👩‍❤️‍👨|Loupa Ancient Town^ 📍The location is 40 kilometers away from the city center, and it takes less than an hour to get there by taking the Hangzhou downtown elevated road. ~ 🏞️Scenery: The characteristic scenery of the southern mountainous area of ​​Xiaoshan, Hangzhou. You can come and experience the life of the locals. The town is quite popular. ~ 👉🏻We entered from the archway of Louta Ancient Town. The stones in the small river there were very interesting. You could cross the river on the stones. 💧You can also play in the water in this river. The water is very shallow. Many locals wash vegetables and clothes there. Don't miss the place where you can play in the water for free. ~ 🏡After playing in the water, you will see many shops where locals buy vegetables and daily necessities. Going further in, you will reach the street of the original site of the ancient town. If you see something you like, you can buy some as a souvenir. There are all kinds of food and drinks. 💰The price is cheap, not the price of a scenic spot. ~ 🏔Attractions Introduction 🏘️The tower was called "Xianyan" in ancient times because Xu Xun, a famous scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, lived in seclusion here and was said to have ascended to heaven. The area has charming scenery, with secluded mountains, clear streams, lush pines and bamboos, and green all year round. Louta has been a market town since the end of the Tang Dynasty, with a history of more than 1,100 years. It has produced many famous people throughout the ages and has a profound cultural heritage. ✅As early as the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, there was a famous doctor named Lou Ying, whose "Medical Compendium" was earlier than Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica". "Xi Shifan" is a folk music of Louta. The melody is elegant, clear, melodious and pleasant to the ears. ✅According to folk legend, "Xi Shiban" was created to praise Dayu's contribution to flood control. It was later processed into three tunes through folk music: "Wangzhuangtai", "Yi Tiao Qiang" and "Baban". ✅After the founding of the People's Republic of China, some modifications were made; Wangzhuangtai was changed to Wangzhuangtian, Yitiaoqiang was renamed Yitiaoxi, and Baban was changed to Bafan to express the joy of farmers' good harvest. ✅However, judging from the name of the original tune and the instruments used, it originated from the song and dance music of the Tang Dynasty and the ci tune of the Song Dynasty. Its original intention was to praise the public virtue of Lou Jin, the ancestor of the Lou family. In March of the third year of Zhonghe in the Tang Dynasty (883), Qian conquered the towns of Huangling and Yanxia. ✅Lou Jin was a general under Qian's command. He made great contributions in this battle and was therefore named the Dongyue Recruiting Historian. The "a gun" in the tune is filled with the lingering sound of Lou Jin's triumphant return. After continuous modifications by several generations of performers, it has reached its current form. 🅿️Parking is free, as long as you can find a parking space and park there.

The three ancient towns of Louta, Heshang and Ciwu are located at the junction of Xiaoshan in Hangzhou and Zhuji in Shaoxing. They are blessed with unique location and outstanding people. Why it's fun: Wherever there is an ancient town, there must be sages. Lou Ying is the celebrity card of Louta Ancient Town. Although Lou Ying is not a professional medical student, he has superb medical skills. Through philosophical thinking about his own medical system, he wrote a book called "Compendium of Medicine", which is a far-reaching medical work. Many of his descendants became successful doctors through studying this book, and Lou Ying's academic thoughts have been passed down. There is a Yong'an River next to Louta Village, with small bridges and flowing water, where you can go down to the river and play in the water. Summer should be fun. Can't be missed. It seems that I didn't visit the Heshang Ancient Town. There are a few ancestral halls and an Imperial Examination Museum to visit, but maybe I didn't find the right way to visit it. What to eat: I introduced Ciwu Village last time. When eating in Ciwu, a bowl of Ciwu noodles can satisfy your taste buds. The dog meat in Louta Ancient Town is also very famous. Friends who like small animals can try it. parking: There is a parking lot near each ancient town’s tourist service center, but there are not many parking spaces and not many tourists. There are also many roadside parking lots, all free of charge.

Louta, also known as 'Xianyan', is a key strategic location in Zhejiang province, established in 897 AD during the late Tang Dynasty. 'Surrounded by mountains and a winding stream, half is a fairy source and half is a city'. The beauty of Louta lies in its landscape, its delicate Shifan music, and its thousand-year-old elegance. During the Battle of Hangyue, Qian Liu's generals, Lou Jin and Xu Hong, chose to live on a hill at the mouth of Zhoukou Creek, which later developed into a market town called 'Loujia Tower'. Louta has no tower, the 'tower' actually refers to a mound. Continuing the Liangzhu culture from 5000 years ago, Louta is a small town with a continuous cultural vein and ecological vitality. It is one of the birthplaces of the Lou clan in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and a strategic location that must be contested by military strategists. King Qian Liu of Wuyue wanted to establish a state here, and he split the rock on Qianyan Mountain with an axe, leaving eighteen axe marks, commonly known as 'Eighteen Axes'. Xu Xun, a representative of the Xuan Yan poetry school, once lived in seclusion on Yongxing Jue Mountain, which is today's Xiaoshan Xuandu Rock. Because of 'building a hall with trees, and being naturally elegant', Xiaoshan got its name, and Louta got the name 'Xianyan'. The story of the hermitage of the famous scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the poems of Wang Bo and Meng Haoran on the road of Tang poetry, add a bit of poetry and romance to Louta. Zhidun preached and taught here, Huang Chao abandoned his sword and built the 'Tangtuan Temple', Lou Shougao devoted himself to education and created the reputation of the 'Zhuangyuan Building', Yang Weizhen studied in the Paicui Building, Lou Ying wrote books and propagated Shifan music, and the scholar Mao Qiling of the early Qing Dynasty lived in seclusion on Baiyao Mountain (Pen Holder Mountain), and the prince Li Shixian stationed in Shangxinwu... Lou Ying, a medical scientist of the Ming Dynasty, wrote 'Medical Outline', which later became a reference for Li Shizhen's 'Compendium of Materia Medica'. He also passed on the court music Shifan to later generations, which is now listed as a national intangible cultural heritage project. The people of Louta gather from all over the place to worship Lou Ying at the lower ancestral hall on the 15th of the third lunar month and the 19th of the eleventh lunar month, which are Lou Ying's birthday and death day. The Lou Ying Festival, Lou Ying's internal medicine, the Tower Bench Dragon, Louta's lanterns, and the Louta Half-Year Festival (June 14th) are all listed as intangible cultural heritage projects at the district level in Xiaoshan. The streets and alleys of Louta are crisscrossed, with many wells from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, 'every household has a clear spring', which never dries up all year round. The Louta water system was established in the Ming Dynasty, with a winding water network and ingenious design, it is a model of coexistence between man and nature. Louta has a profound heritage, and there are many ancient buildings and cultural protection units, such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Prince's Mansion, the city-level cultural protection Zhoukou Bridge, the Zhuangyuan Building (Qing Yan Building), Chongxing Temple, Xingjiao Temple, Yanjiang Temple ruins. 'Looking at its clear radiance, making it joyful', the element of swallows runs through the entire ancient town. The village history museum also displays many farming tools, making nostalgia tangible. The tilted pole, straw shoe bed, bamboo hat, iron foot pillar, big foot cloth, etc., are eye-opening. Louta has a tradition of farming and reading, and promoting education. Xiaoshan has always had the saying, 'No Lou does not take the exam, no coming does not make the list'. Lou Bingtai is good at painting bamboo, known as the 'Living Bamboo Book', and today's Louta people are still known as the 'Hangzhou Calligraphy Famous Town' for carrying a hoe during the day and a pen at night. The ancestors of the Lou clan were Dayu and Houyi, the people of Louta are righteous and generous, respect learning and martial arts, and have never given up the glory of their ancestors. There are as many as 10 plaques in the ancestral hall alone, such as the Grand Marshal, Hanlin, Jinshi, Wenkui, Wukui, and Gongyuan. Louta is also the hometown of basketball in Zhejiang, and has established the only Shaoju children's troupe in China. The heavenly Shifan ancient music has been sung for six hundred years. The story of the divine doctor is still vivid and moving, and between the green mountains and rivers, a new style of the times is composed.