Huitang Town has boldly created a tourism pattern formed by Wujiang River, Zilong Lake, Dongwu Mountain and Huitang market town, attracting tourists to flock in and laying a solid foundation for rural revitalization.
Liu Xuan, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, compared Huitang with Huaqing Pool in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, which is famous for the romance between  the Emperor Xuanzong and his Consort Yang Yuhuan. As an ancient town with a history of more than 2,000 years, Huitang is worth a visit.

Huitang has exceptional tourism resources with unique Dongwu Mountain, beautiful Wujiang River and cultural accumulation. According to records, Jiang Wan, prime minister of the Shu during the Three Kingdoms period, who was born here, left many relics. Such historical celebrities as Pei Xiu, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, Neo-confucianist Zhu Xi, Zhang Jiu and Yi Fu, have all been here for sightseeing and bathing in hot springs.
When you come to Huitang, you should try bathing in a hot spring. Huitang hot spring, the top of the three high temperature complex hot springs in China, contains 29 kinds of micro elements beneficial to the human body, with the magic effect of dispelling and healing illness, known as the "natural medicine spring".

Since the 1960s, there have been several hot spring themed villas and hotels, such as Huitang Hot Spring Sanatorium, Golden Sun Modern Leisure Farm, Zilongwan Hot Spring Hotel and Huatian Town, which have become the holy leisure land for tourists across the country, especially hot spring lovers. 
Among them, Golden Sun Modern Leisure Farm has vigorously developed rural leisure tourism based on its hot spring resources and modern ecological agriculture. In recent years, it has received more than 200,000 tourists annually, and earned numerous repeat visitors by its features.

With the tourism boom, there emerged many hotels, farms and homestays in Huitang, among which the Starry Sky Homestay in Zuji Island, Zilong Lake island, is very impressive.
A handsome captain drives a speedboat to take you to the island. A few egrets fly over the lake from time to time, letting you relax your mood, while the island's music restaurant, gabled roof, climbing vines, private hot spring pool are getting closer and closer with music.

"We create a unique homestay based on the concept of wild luxury, low carbon, and getting close to the nature," said a management staff who knows everything on the island.
Zuji Island is a separate island and covers an area of 20 mu (about 1.3 hectares), with 28 courtyards, one suite in bamboo forest, bars, wine cellar, music hall and other supporting facilities. It introduces hot spring culture in the fall and winter, parent-child and romantic theme in the spring and summer, letting visitors close to nature.

It is worth mentioning that Huitang has taken advantage of local resources to enrich its tourism business.

In recent years, Yajule Yiyun Town project has settled in the town with an investment of 1.8 billion yuan, along with the expanded Huitang Hot Spring Sanatorium, Folk Experience Village and other projects, making the ancient town glow with the charm of a modern cultural tourism town.
Luo Yulin, chairman of Xiangyi Huitang Duck Industry, is dubbed as "duck commander". He said that many local hot springs flow into the fields and rivers, making the water here warm all year round. The free-range ducks growing up in the warm water taste particularly fresh and tender and were offered to the emperor in ancient times.

The Huitang duck has been a popular delicacy for its high nutritive value and rich micro elements from Huitang hot spring. The appearance of Huitang duck is different from that of an ordinary duck, with plump webbed toes, dark yellow beak, fat body shape and slippery hair.

"I raised 300 Huitang duck and 75 chickens last year, earning 18,000 yuan a year including odd jobs," said Yu Jianwu who once lived in poverty in Huitang Village. In the decisive battle against poverty, Huitang duck has become a good helper for farmers to get rid of poverty. Xiangyi Company sent more than 50,000 newly-hatched ducklings to villagers free of charge, and then repurchased them at a price not lower than the market price, helping more than 200 villagers out of poverty.
Now the ecological Huitang duck is popular nationwide through online shopping, and has become a golden brand of Hunan agricultural products. In addition, it attracts more tourists to travel in Huitang.
 
"Efforts have been made to build an overall tourism pattern to boost tourism benefits and integrate into the national tourism market," said Huang Guo, party secretary of the Huitang Hot Spring International Tourist Resort Administration and the Huitang Town Party Committee.

Huitang will always adhere to the overall pattern of "scenic spots + town", take health, conference and sports as the theme, and create a model of cultural and tourism integration, which will be the consistent development direction of Huitang.

Self-driving routes

Changsha City—Changsha-Zhangjiajie Highway(or Jinzhou Main Road)—Ningxiang City—Ningxiang-Huitang Road—Huitang Town (85km);

Zhuzhou City or Xiangtan City—Shanghai-Ruili Highway(exit in Shaoshan)—Shaoshan Bus Station—Baitian Town—Huitang Town (95km);

Zhangjiajie City—Changsha-Zhangjiajie Highway—Ningxiang City—Ningxiang-Huitang Road—Huitang Town (170km);

Loudi City—Changsha-Zhijiang Highway—Huitang Town (60km);

Shaoshan City—Shaoshan Bus Station—Baitian Town—Huitang Town (32km)

Scenic spots: Dongwu Mountain Scenic Areas, including Peach Valley, red maple forest, eagle stone, ancient well in Song Dynasty; Zilong Lake Scenic Belt; Huitang Hot Spring International Tourist Resort
 
Special dishes: Huitang duck, fish soup, frog soup, turtle soup