Yúmùzhài

Introducing Yúmùzhài

Pocketed away in the glorious hills of southwestern Húběi province is Yúmùzhài (admission Y20), a sleepy and beautiful hamlet of glistening terraced fields tramped by water buffalo. The main inhabitants of Yúmùzhài, the Tujia (), are a minority without their own written language, but with strong traditions of conveying folk stories through song and opera.

If it’s peace, quiet and an untrammelled rural setting you’re after, Yúmùzhài is simply wallowing in it. The catch? Reaching it can be a rite of passage. The 18km road from the nearest settlement, Móudào (), is falling apart and in bad need of resurfacing (it’s due to be repaved in 2007).

The crumbling road to Yúmùzhài tapers fitfully to its terminus above a dramatic precipice, where totters a magnificent stone gatehouse – the sole portal to the village. Upon arrival at the gatehouse, simply inscribed with the characters for Yúmùzhài and looked after by a local family, a stone path threads down through the fields, past traditional Tujia buildings and stunning views. It takes several hours to fully explore this region; to wander around the numerous paths and trails, past gorgeous fields, precipitous drops, Tujia stone tablets, old tombs and carvings.

You can stay overnight here, as accommodation is simple but affordable. Beds at peasant homesteads (nóngjiā;) in Yúmùzhài go for around Y20, although you could be directed to a simple bed cushioned with a mattress of straw. Meals are available from households that offer accommodation in the village. If you plan to stay overnight, also factor in the cost of having a driver come to pick you up and return you to Lìchuān or Móudào. Alternatively, more comfortable rooms are available at the Lìchuān Bīnguǎn (0718 728 2047; 385 Jiefang Lu; 385; d Y180) and other hotels in Lìchuān (), but the town is not pretty.

Winters in Yúmùzhài are cold and damp, and dense banks of fog enclose the village in spring; summer and autumn are the best times to visit.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009