The lake has islands in it and the islands have trees on them and the trees have birds in them that start before dawn, so the first hour of the day is a chorus with a fog on it. 酒埠江 Jiǔbùjiāng is a reservoir in 攸县 Yōuxiàn, in the south of 株洲市 Zhūzhōushì, built by damming a valley in the 1950s, and the drowned hills have become something close to an inland archipelago — several dozen wooded islands in water that is clean enough to swim in and deep enough to be cold. The guesthouses on the shore run ¥160–380 for a room, the boatmen will take you out for ¥80–200, and the nearest serious town is twenty minutes away.
The lake is the centre of a national geological park, and the geology is the reason the area is protected: the hills around 攸县 Yōuxiàn are limestone and the result is a system of karst caves, sinking streams and gorges cut into the rock. The best known of the caves is 白龙洞 Báilóng Dòng, the White Dragon Cave, a long show cave with the usual formations and a lighting rig; there are others, including 仙人桥 Xiānrén Qiáo, natural stone arches, and several that are only accessible to cavers. The park’s protected area runs to a couple of hundred square kilometres of low hills, terraced fields and villages, and the whole thing is one of the more pleasant landscapes in eastern Hunan — green, quiet, and without anything resembling a queue.
The reservoir itself is a working one: it supplies irrigation to the surrounding plain and there are still farming villages on the shoreline and, in the shallower arms, rice paddies that come and go with the water level. The visitor economy on top of it is small and local, a mix of guesthouses run by families, a few restaurants serving fish from the lake and the local 攸县香干 Yōuxiàn xiānggān, and boat operators who will take you out early or at sunset for whatever you agree with them. It is the sort of place that Chinese families go to for two quiet nights, and it has not yet been rebuilt into anything else.
What You Are Paying For
Price. ¥160–380 for a lakeside room, usually including breakfast. The upper end is a modern guesthouse with a private terrace over the water; the lower end is a farmhouse room with a shared bathroom and a superb view.
Address. 酒埠江国家地质公园 Jiǔbùjiāng Guójiā Dìzhì Gōngyuán, 攸县 Yōuxiàn, 株洲市 (Zhūzhōushì), 湖南 (Húnán), strung along the reservoir shore and the village of 酒埠江镇 Jiǔbùjiāng Zhèn.
Rooms. Four to twenty per property. Ask for 面湖 miànhú, facing the lake, and ask about the bathroom and hot water, neither of which is guaranteed at the cheaper end.
Getting there. About two hours by car from 株洲 Zhūzhōu city, and about 40 minutes from 攸县 Yōuxiàn county town; a taxi from the county town is ¥60–100. There is a railway station at 攸县 Yōuxiàn on the ordinary line, and the high-speed line stops at 攸县南站 Yōuxiàn Nán Zhàn, from which the lake is 30 minutes.
What the Locals Know
Get out on the water early. The islands and the mist between seven and nine in the morning are the whole reason to be here; by eleven the lake is flat white and the birds are hidden.
Eat the fish and the 香干 xiānggān. Lake fish steamed with chilli and the county’s famous pressed tofu are what the kitchen does well. A dinner is ¥40–80 a head and the fish is priced by weight.
Swim in summer, but ask where. The reservoir is deep and the shoreline is steep; locals will point you at the shallower arms and the marked swimming areas. There is no lifeguard.
Take the cave if it rains. The show cave is the reliable wet-day option, and its lighting is better than most.
Where to Stay
On the shore if you want the lake and the boats. In 攸县 Yōuxiàn county town if you want shops and a proper hotel, twenty minutes away. Two nights is the right length: one for the lake at dawn and dusk, one for the caves and the hills.
flowcloud would say that a valley drowned on purpose in the 1950s to water a plain, and which has spent seventy years quietly growing a forest on its own islands, is a reasonable answer to anyone who claims that engineering and nature cannot be on the same side.
Where to stay: 酒埠江 (Jiǔbùjiāng) national geological park, 攸县 (Yōuxiàn), 株洲市 (Zhūzhōushì), 湖南 (Húnán). Lakeside doubles ¥160–380 with breakfast. About 30 minutes and ¥60–100 by taxi from 攸县南站 (Yōuxiàn Nán Zhàn). Take a boat out at dawn (¥80–200), eat lake fish and 攸县香干 (Yōuxiàn xiānggān), and visit 白龙洞 (Báilóng Dòng) if it rains.