Location: Under the jurisdiction of Dongxing Town, Dongxing City

The best time to visit Fangchenggang is from May to October.

0770-2825744

Buses There are only three bus routes (Routes 1, 2 and 3) covering downtown Fangchenggang. The fare is 1 yuan for both air-conditioned and ordinary buses. The ticket price between Gangkou District and Fangcheng District is 2.5 yuan. Minibuses heading for Shangsi and Dongxing are available at downtown areas including the railway station, long-distance bus station and Xinggang Avenue, with fares of around 6 yuan per person.

Taxis Most taxis in Fangchenggang are Geely vehicles. The flag-down fare is 3 yuan, with an extra charge of 1.6 yuan per kilometre after the first two kilometres.

Motorcycle Taxis Motorcycle taxis are widely available and can be hailed on the street. Trips within the urban area usually cost 2 to 5 yuan. However, they are relatively unsafe. Taxis are recommended for safety, comfort and reasonable prices.

Car Charter Service Self-drive car rental without a driver is generally not available in Fangchenggang. Tourists can charter a taxi. A full-day charter of a Geely taxi to visit the downtown area, Wanwei Golden Beach, Jiangshan Peninsula and other scenic spots costs about 300 yuan, excluding bridge tolls and other extra expenses. You can negotiate a better price for multi-day rentals.

(Fangchenggang Ping’an Taxi Company Address: Inside Jinlong Hotel on Xinggang Avenue, near the railway station Tel: 0770-2822026)

Jiangna Mandarin Duck Pool is located within Dongxing Town, Dongxing City. It is only a 10-minute drive along the border highway, six kilometres away from downtown Dongxing.

According to an ancient legend, a young couple named Ajiang and Ana were drifting on the Beilun River, the China-Vietnam boundary river. When they reached this spot, thunder and lightning struck, followed by a torrential rain. Their wooden raft capsized, and they were separated by the current. Struggling in the river, they kept slapping the water and calling out each other’s names. Two pools, one large and one small, emerged right where their hands struck the water, saving them from being swept away by the rapids. Having survived the disaster, the couple built a thatched hut on the bank, settled down and raised children. Their descendants multiplied generation after generation and gradually formed a sizable village. Later generations named the village Jiangna Village after the couple, and the two pools were praised as Mandarin Duck Pool.

Today, the site of their original thatched hut has been turned into Mandarin Duck Pool Resort. Climb up the two-storey Mandarin Duck Building, which is entirely built of bamboo and wood, and you can enjoy a full view of the charming scenery of Jiangna Village. The Beilun boundary river winds gently around the mountains. Lush trees grow on both riverbanks. Mist shrouds the green ridges, connecting the high mountains with vast farmland. Mountains and rivers blend together amid pale grey haze, just like an exquisite Chinese ink wash painting. Visitors can take a cruise boat from the resort and follow in the footsteps of Ajiang and Ana to drift along the boundary river. The views along the journey are breathtaking. Distant and nearby mountains layer their reflections in the water: near mountains are deep emerald green, while faraway peaks glow with turquoise blue. The water makes the mountain colours even more vivid. When ripples spread across the water as the boat moves forward, the reflected mountains shift in fantastic shapes: peaks break apart and reunite, flatten and rise again, as if shattered into pieces of green jade splashing in the current.

The riverside landscapes are so appealing that tourists will be reluctant to leave. Sights along the cruise include: Boundary Stele No.7 of the Qing Dynasty, Wangxing Village—the former residence of Chen Jitang, Army General and Commander-in-Chief of the Guangdong Army of the Kuomintang, Tiger Beach, Lantern Beach, Ploughshare Beach, Gaoqiao Beach, Twelve-Metre Beach and more. The mountains are covered in thick green foliage, and the river water is crystal clear and emerald green. As the boat sails forward, the misty mountains gradually come into sharp focus. Bushes and forests on both banks of the boundary river become greener after rain. On the Vietnamese side of the river, cowboys ride oxen across the grassland. Jagged islets and strangely shaped rocks stand along the shore, taking countless vivid forms: fish, chickens, turtles and human figures. The most striking formation is a group of rocks shaped like a couple holding their child by the hand