君山島

Junshan Island — "Lord Mountain Island" — is a small, elongated island in the middle of Dongting Lake, directly opposite Yueyang Tower and connected to the city by regular ferries from the pier beside the tower. As one of the two 5A-rated attractions within the greater Yueyang scenic area, Junshan is an essential companion to the tower visit, and the short boat ride across the lake is itself one of the most memorable experiences available to international visitors in this part of Hunan.

The island is small enough to explore on foot in a half-day, and a sightseeing vehicle is also available for visitors who prefer not to walk. The landscape is a sequence of tea gardens, bamboo groves, and lakeside pavilions, all arranged around a series of legends that have accumulated around the island over more than two thousand years. The most famous of these legends is the story of the two daughters of the mythical Emperor Yao, who were said to have wept here over the death of their husband Emperor Shun, their tears marking the bamboo with the mottled patterns that give mottled bamboo its name. The island's mottled bamboo remains its most distinctive botanical feature.

Junshan is also one of the most famous tea-producing places in China. The island's Junshan Yinzhen, "Junshan Silver Needle," is a yellow tea that was a tribute tea sent to the imperial court for centuries, and it remains one of the rarest and most expensive teas produced in China. Visitors can tour small tea gardens, observe the careful plucking and processing of the tea, and taste the characteristic "flying needles" — the vertically standing tea leaves that rise and fall in the glass when the tea is brewed, a visual effect unique to this variety.

For international travelers, Junshan Island is best visited as part of a full-day Yueyang Tower and Junshan Island itinerary. The ferry crossing takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way, and the views from the boat — looking back toward the tower from out on the water, and forward toward the green of the island from the middle of the lake — are among the most photographed in the entire Dongting region. Bring sun protection, allow time for tea-tasting, and try to visit on a clear day when the broad expanse of the lake and the distant shoreline reveal themselves in full.