The Mishui River Scenic Belt is a provincial-level scenic area. It lies along the lower reaches of the Mishui River in Hengdong County. The river originates from the Zhishan Mountain Range on the western foot of the Luoxiao Mountains. Its headwaters are home to the Yan Emperor Mausoleum, the resting place of the Chinese nation’s primordial ancestor, as well as Jinggangshan, the cradle of China’s revolution. For this reason, the Mishui River also bears the laudatory names “River of History” and “Red River”. Crystal clear and free from industrial pollution, the Mishui boasts remarkably rare water quality by provincial and even national standards, consistently maintaining Grade II or above.

Mishui River Drifting launches upstream from the Ganxi River Dam. Visitors pole boats upstream all the way to Caoshi Town, covering a fifty-li stretch along the river. More than 20 scenic spots line the route, including Ganxi River Dam, Grand Yuanbao View, Xiupu Water Town, Dragon Rock Cave, Twin Dragons Playing with a Pearl, the Xiao Family Ancient Residence, Mighty Lion Tossing a Ball, Tanjiang Fishing Village, Scholar Gazing at the Imperial Exam Ranking List, Li Daoyuan’s Fishing Platform, Twin Yanguang Temples, Xiyan Immortal Cave and Ancient Lingshan Temple. Beautiful folk legends lend an air of mystery to the scenic belt, while its profound, age-old history stirs boundless reveries and makes visitors linger on, reluctant to leave.

Rising from Zhishannao in Yanling County at the foot of the Jinggang Mountains, the Mishui River flows through six towns and three townships within Hengdong County for a total length of 72.5 kilometers. Three dams have been built across the river: Ronghuan Dam, Ganxi Dam and Yangtang Dam. The banks feature gorgeous, diverse landscapes, such as Baimaozhou Orange Orchard Base, Lingshan Scenic Area, Taiping Temple, Yanguang Temple, Scholar Gazing at the Ranking List, Lion Teasing the Golden Toad, Writing Brush Rack Peak, General Temple, Yangshan Ancestral Hall and Twin Moons at Leixi Stream.

Huang Tingjian, a celebrated poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty, composed a poem after touring the Mishui River and inscribed it in the Cishi Pavilion of Taiping Temple: A green glass basin set with a thousand peaks,

Clear waters of Xiang and Mishui flow through all ages.

Where can I wipe my eyes to see all hidden vistas?

I climb this airy Taiping Pavilion for a short reprieve.

No black official carriage rolls beneath the morning sun,

Only ancient trees shade the Foolish Stream.

Who can wash away the sorrows of recalling bygone times?

Good friends sit beside me; I drink not alone!

Xu Xiake, the great geographer and literary figure of the late Ming Dynasty, left detailed travel records of the Mishui River in his Xu Xiake’s Travel Diaries. Moved by the picturesque scenery of Lingshan Mountain, Liu Zhenwu, a poet of the Qing Dynasty, wrote the poem Admiring Wonders of Lingshan Mountain: Beyond seventy-two renowned peaks,

Lingshan reveals a separate fairyland.

Ancient nanmu trees hold pale winter sunlight,

Jagged stones murmur with trickling springs.

Dense woods conceal quiet meditation halls,

Thick clouds veil immortals of the Han age.

As night falls, temple bells fade to stillness,

Moonlight and wind fill the river’s vast firmament.