石柱县 — Forest Kingdom and Tujia Homeland, Where Jade-like Lakes Mirror Ancient Mountains
Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, located in the northeastern part of Chongqing Municipality, is a stunning mountain region known for its pristine forests, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant Tujia ethnic culture. The county's name "Shizhu" means "Stone Pillar," referencing the distinctive pillar-like rock formations that dot its spectacular landscape. The county's crown jewel is Huangshui National Forest Park (黄水国家森林公园), one of China's largest and best-preserved forest parks, covering over 8,000 hectares of pristine temperate forest, alpine meadows, and mirror-like mountain lakes. The park offers visitors an unparalleled natural experience with hiking trails that wind through ancient fir forests, past rushing waterfalls, and up to panoramic viewpoints that overlook the misty mountains of the Wuling Range.
Shizhu is also home to a significant Tujia population, and the county's cultural identity is deeply intertwined with Tujia traditions that have been preserved and celebrated here for over 2,000 years. Traditional stilted wooden houses (diaojiaolou) dot the mountainsides, and the Tujia people's vibrant festivals, music, and dance culture provide a rich counterpoint to the natural beauty. The county is famous for its spicy, hearty cuisine featuring foraged mountain mushrooms, wild vegetables, and locally raised livestock. Shizhu's cool climate — summers are 5–8°C cooler than downtown Chongqing — makes it a popular summer resort destination, attracting visitors seeking to escape the city's notorious summer heat. With its combination of pristine nature, ethnic culture, and refreshing mountain air, Shizhu offers one of the most complete "getaway" experiences in the Chongqing region.
Huangshui National Forest Park is the premier natural attraction of Shizhu County, encompassing over 8,000 hectares of pristine temperate forest, alpine meadows, and mountain lakes. The park sits at elevations ranging from 1,100 to 1,934 meters above sea level, creating a cool climate that is dramatically different from the heat of downtown Chongqing. The forest is predominantly composed of ancient fir trees (water from the Jialing River originates here), with some specimens over 500 years old stretching 40 meters or more into the sky. The understory is a riot of ferns, mosses, and wildflowers, while the canopy provides shelter for over 100 bird species, including the rare golden pheasant and crested ibis.
The park offers a comprehensive system of hiking trails ranging from easy 30-minute nature walks around the lakes to challenging 8-hour treks that traverse the entire park. The most popular destination is "Moon Lake" (月亮湖) — a stunning alpine lake at 1,400 meters elevation where the water is so clear that visitors can see fish swimming 5 meters below the surface. Paddle boats (¥30 per hour) and fishing (permit ¥30 per day) are available on the lake. The "Spring Forest" (春天林) section features a boardwalk that winds through a bamboo grove, past several natural springs where visitors can drink the fresh mountain water. The "Cloud Sea Observation Deck" at the park's highest point (1,934 meters) offers panoramic views of the Wuling Mountains and, on clear mornings after rainy nights, spectacular cloud seas that fill the valleys below — a sight that rivals the famous Mount Huangshan. The park is at its most beautiful in autumn (October–November) when the deciduous trees turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold, creating a breathtaking tapestry of color.
The Shizhu Tujia Ancient Village is a beautifully preserved traditional settlement that offers visitors an authentic glimpse into Tujia ethnic culture and architecture. The village features over 100 stilted wooden buildings (diaojiaolou) perched on a mountainside, their weathered gray timbers and intricately carved window frames showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship of Tujia builders. The village's layout follows traditional Feng Shui principles, with the main street aligned along a north-south axis and houses arranged around a central square where community gatherings and festivals take place. Many of the buildings date back over 200 years, and the village has been continuously inhabited by Tujia families throughout this period.
Visitors can explore several cultural attractions within the village. The "Tujia Culture Museum" displays traditional clothing, farming tools, musical instruments, and religious artifacts that illustrate the unique history and worldview of the Tujia people. The "Weaving Workshop" demonstrates the traditional process of creating Tujia batik, where skilled women use wax-resist techniques to create intricate patterns on fabric using natural dyes from mountain plants. The "Silver Smith Shop" showcases the delicate silver jewelry that Tujia women traditionally wear as part of their elaborate festival costumes. Daily cultural performances at the square (11:00 and 15:00) feature the famous "Hand-Waving Dance" (摆手舞) and "Maogusi Dance" (茅古斯舞) — ancient ritual dances recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. For a truly immersive experience, visitors can stay overnight in a traditional guesthouse (¥80–150 per night) and participate in family activities like rice wine making or bamboo weaving with host families.
Longtan (Dragon Pool) Ancient Town is a charming historic town located in the southeastern part of Shizhu County, named after a deep, crystal-clear pool in the river that local legends say was once home to a dragon. The town dates back over 500 years to the Ming Dynasty and features a unique blend of Tujia and Han Chinese architectural styles, reflecting the multicultural heritage of this border region. The main street is paved with large river stones worn smooth by centuries of foot traffic, lined with traditional shops selling local crafts, mountain herbs, and Tujia textiles. The town's most distinctive feature is its "Dragon Bridge" (龙桥) — a stunning covered bridge built in the Ming Dynasty with five graceful arches, intricately carved wooden railings, and a small pavilion at its center where travelers traditionally rested and socialized.
Longtan is particularly famous for its "Tujia embroidery" (土家刺绣) tradition, and visitors can watch local women creating exquisite embroidered pieces featuring traditional motifs like dragons, phoenixes, and lotus flowers using silk threads and gold leaf. The town is also known for its "mountain herb market" where foragers sell wild ginseng, cordyceps, and medicinal mushrooms harvested from the surrounding forests. The market is busiest on "market days" (every 5th and 10th day of the lunar month) when farmers from surrounding villages converge to trade goods, livestock, and stories. The town's teahouses along the river offer the perfect spot to sample local green tea while watching bamboo rafts float by on the gentle current. The best time to visit is during the "Dragon Boat Festival" (lunar May 5th) when the town hosts traditional dragon boat races on the river, accompanied by Tujia music and dance performances.
Shizhu's pristine forests produce an incredible abundance of wild mushrooms during the rainy seasons (June–September), making mushroom foraging one of the most popular and unique tourist activities in the county. The most prized varieties include "pine mushroom" (松茸), "chicken mushroom" (鸡枞菌), "red mushroom" (红菇), and the rare "matsutake" (松露) that commands premium prices in upscale restaurants. Several local farms and eco-tourism operators offer guided foraging experiences (¥100–150 per person including equipment and lunch) led by experienced mushroom hunters who share their knowledge of identification, sustainable harvesting techniques, and the traditional uses of each species in Tujia cuisine.
The typical foraging trip begins with a briefing on safety and identification (how to distinguish edible from poisonous varieties), followed by a 3–4 hour forest trek where participants learn to spot the telltale signs of mushroom presence — the specific tree species they grow near, the soil conditions they prefer, and the time of year when each variety appears. After the foraging session, participants return to a farmhouse where a chef demonstrates how to clean and prepare the harvested mushrooms, then cooks them into a variety of dishes — mushroom soup, stir-fried mushrooms with mountain herbs, and mushroom rice. The farmhouse lunch (included in the fee) is a feast of forest flavors that provides a genuine taste of Shizhu's mountain bounty. Even in non-mushroom seasons (October–May), the farms offer alternative foraging activities for wild herbs, bamboo shoots, and medicinal roots, ensuring year-round appeal for nature lovers.
Biye Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located on a forested mountainside in the Huangshui area, with a history dating back over 400 years to the Ming Dynasty. The temple complex is built in the traditional Chinese style, with multiple halls connected by covered walkways, set amidst ancient cypress trees and bamboo groves. The temple's main hall houses a 6-meter-tall gilded Buddha statue, as well as numerous smaller statues of bodhisattvas and arhats. The temple's location at an elevation of 1,200 meters provides stunning views of the surrounding forest — on clear days, you can see the distant peaks of the Wuling Mountains rising above the sea of green.
What makes Biye Temple particularly special is its integration of Tujia and Buddhist cultural elements — a unique blend that reflects the syncretic religious traditions of this ethnic region. The temple's "Medicine Buddha Hall" features murals combining Buddhist iconography with Tujia medicinal plant motifs, while the "Ancestral Hall" incorporates elements of traditional Tujia ancestor worship practices. The temple's vegetarian restaurant serves excellent Buddhist cuisine (¥15–25 per meal) made with foraged mountain ingredients. The temple also offers simple accommodation for those seeking a meditation retreat experience (¥60–100 per night including meals and meditation guidance). The temple is particularly beautiful during the "Weisheng Festival" (lunar July 15th) when the temple grounds are illuminated with lanterns and special ceremonies commemorate deceased ancestors. Hiking trails from the temple lead into the Huangshui Forest Park, making it an excellent starting point for exploring the park's more remote sections.
Huangshui's pristine forests yield incredible wild mushrooms, and the most beloved way to enjoy them is in a simple yet deeply flavorful soup. Fresh mushrooms — typically a mix of pine, chicken, and red varieties — are cleaned gently to preserve their delicate aroma, then simmered with chicken bones, ginger, and goji berries for 2–3 hours. The resulting broth is amber-colored, intensely aromatic, and packed with umami flavor that requires no additional seasoning beyond a pinch of salt. The mushrooms themselves become tender yet retain their distinct textures — the pine mushrooms firm and slightly crunchy, the chicken mushrooms silky, and the red mushrooms meltingly soft. This soup is served at virtually every restaurant in the Huangshui area (¥30–45 per large bowl serving 3–4 people) and is considered essential both for its delicious taste and its immune-boosting properties according to traditional Chinese medicine. During mushroom season (June–September), most restaurants display their daily foraged selection at the entrance, allowing diners to choose their preferred varieties.
This hearty dish is the centerpiece of Tujia winter cuisine, a bubbling hotpot featuring slices of the mountain-cured pork that is the cornerstone of Tujia food preservation traditions. The cured meat (腊肉) is first soaked in warm water to rehydrate and reduce saltiness, then sliced paper-thin and added to a pot of simmering broth made from pork bones, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and mountain herbs. The broth develops a deep, smoky flavor from the curing process, while the meat becomes tender and releases its rich fat into the soup. Served with fresh vegetables — cabbage, mushrooms, and mountain greens — that absorb the smoky broth, the hotpot is a complete, nourishing meal that sustains Tujia families through the cold mountain winters. The dish is particularly satisfying when accompanied by "steamed rice cakes" (糍粑) — pounded glutinous rice cakes that are toasted over the hotpot's flame until crispy on the outside and chewy inside. A hotpot feast for 3–4 people costs ¥80–120 and is best enjoyed at a traditional farmhouse restaurant.
Shizhu's forests and meadows yield an incredible variety of wild edible plants that are foraged and used in local cuisine. The most popular is "fern shoots" (蕨菜) — the tender, curled tops of young ferns that are blanched and served cold with a dressing of chili oil, sesame, and vinegar. Another favorite is "dandelion greens" (蒲公英) — slightly bitter leaves that are briefly stir-fried with garlic and salt, prized for their cleansing properties according to traditional medicine. "Purslane" (马齿苋) is gathered in summer and can be steamed, stir-fried, or pickled. These mountain vegetables are typically served as a side dish (¥8–15) or combined into a foraged salad platter (¥20–30) that allows diners to sample 5–6 different species. Foraging tours (April–October, ¥80–120 including guide and lunch) allow visitors to learn identification and harvesting techniques directly from experienced gatherers, then enjoy a farmhouse meal featuring the day's harvest. The flavor of wild mountain vegetables — earthy, slightly bitter, and utterly fresh — is a taste of Shizhu that cannot be replicated with farmed produce.
Tujia sour bamboo shoots are a traditional preserved food made by fermenting fresh bamboo shoots in a brine of rice water, salt, and chilies for 1–3 months. The result is a tangy, crunchy delicacy with a complex sour flavor that is completely different from fresh bamboo shoots. The fermentation process not only preserves the shoots for months without refrigeration but also develops beneficial probiotics that aid digestion. The most popular preparation is "sour bamboo shoot stir-fry with pork" (酸笋炒肉) — the fermented shoots are sliced thinly and stir-fried with marinated pork, dried chilies, and spring onions, creating a dish that balances the tangy shoots with savory meat. Another beloved dish is "sour bamboo shoot soup" (酸笋汤) — a light, refreshing broth perfect for cooling down on hot summer days. Sour bamboo shoots are available at local markets throughout the year (¥10–15 per jar) and make excellent souvenirs that travel well. For those unaccustomed to fermented foods, the flavor can be intense — start with a small portion to appreciate the complexity.
Shizhu's high-altitude climate is ideal for growing buckwheat, and locally produced buckwheat noodles are a staple of the county's cuisine. Unlike regular wheat noodles, buckwheat noodles have a distinctive nutty, earthy flavor and a firmer, more satisfying texture. They are also naturally gluten-free and more nutritious than standard noodles, rich in fiber, protein, and essential minerals. The most common preparation is "cold buckwheat noodles" (凉拌荞麦面) — cooked noodles are rinsed in cold water, then tossed with a sauce made from sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and chopped scallions, topped with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts. This refreshing dish is particularly popular during summer months when the mountain air is warm but not oppressively hot. In winter, the noodles are served in a hot broth with slices of cured meat, mushrooms, and mountain greens — a warming, hearty meal. A bowl of buckwheat noodles costs ¥10–15 and is available at virtually every noodle shop in Shizhu. The noodles are also sold dried in local shops (¥8–12 per bag) as a healthy, easy-to-transport souvenir.