Xichou County Administrative Divisions

Xichou County (西畴县) lies in southeastern Yunnan Province, in the central-southern part of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (文山壮族苗族自治州). The county covers approximately 1,506 square kilometres, of which about 1,135 square kilometres consist of exposed or semi-exposed karst terrain. More than three-quarters of its territory is affected by limestone landforms, making Xichou one of China’s most representative areas for studying rocky desertification and ecological restoration.

Xichou currently administers 2 towns and 7 townships, comprising nine township-level administrative divisions. The county government is based in Xisa Town. The population includes Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Yi and Mongolian communities, while the permanent population was approximately 189,400 at the end of 2024.

Older English-language materials sometimes describe Xichou as having two towns and eight townships, including Pingzhai Township. That information reflects an earlier administrative structure. Pingzhai is no longer listed as an independent township-level division in the current official administrative codes.

Administrative Division Overview

Xichou’s two towns are Xisa Town and Xingjie Town. Its seven townships are Bengu Township, Lianhuatang Township, Xinmajie Township, Bolin Township, Fadou Township, Dongma Township and Jijie Township.

The county contains approximately 67 village committees and several urban or rural communities. Different publications list six or nine communities because of changes in statistical dates and classification methods. The latest county government figures should be used when an exact village-level total is required.

Xichou’s tourism resources are closely connected with three themes: the Xichou Spirit, ecological restoration and ethnic minority culture. The county’s rocky-desertification landscapes tell a nationally recognised story of communities transforming barren limestone mountains into productive farmland and forest. Tanggu preserves distinctive Zhuang traditions, while Xiangpingshan, Xiaoqiaogou and other forest areas protect rare plants and subtropical karst ecosystems.

Tourism Resources by Town and Township

Xisa Town: County Centre and Zhuang Cultural Heritage

Xisa Town (西洒镇) is the administrative, commercial and transport centre of Xichou County. Hotels, restaurants, banks, markets, passenger transport and public services are concentrated in the town, making it the most practical base for exploring the county.

The best-known cultural destination in the town’s rural area is Tanggu Scenic Area (汤谷景区). Tanggu is a traditional Zhuang village associated with the national intangible cultural heritage of the Women’s Sun Mountain Worship Ceremony (女子太阳山祭祀). The ritual is traditionally held on the first day of the second lunar month and is one of Xichou’s most distinctive cultural traditions. The village has also been recognised as a characteristic ethnic minority settlement.

Jinzhongshan Scenic Area (金钟山景区) provides walking paths and elevated views over the county town. It is suitable for short urban leisure visits, sunrise and evening exercise.

Yantou Village (岩头村) is associated with the practical expression of the Xichou Spirit. Local displays and field-teaching sites recount how residents built roads through harsh karst mountains, including the story represented by the words “the final kilometre” and the cliff inscription meaning “practical action.”

Xingjie Town: Rocky Desertification Park and Red Heritage

Xingjie Town (兴街镇) is one of Xichou’s principal transport and tourism centres. Since the opening of the Xichou–Xingjie section of the Naxing Expressway, travel between the county seat and Xingjie has become considerably faster, strengthening the town’s role as a gateway to southern Xichou. Yunnan Provincial Department of Transport

The town’s most important destination is Xichou National Rocky Desertification Park (西畴国家石漠公园) in the Sanguang area. The park presents the transformation of exposed limestone terrain into productive fields, orchards and forest. Its exhibition facilities, observation platforms and restoration landscapes explain how local communities responded to environmental hardship through land improvement, water conservation and collective labour.

The Sanguang area also contains extensive kiwifruit plantations, illustrating how ecological restoration has been combined with modern agriculture and rural tourism.

Dongsheng Scenic Area (东升景区) preserves the history of a rural cooperative once recognised in national agricultural development. It now serves as a site for red education, collective-economy studies and rural revitalisation programmes.

Other resources in Xingjie include Baoxing Bridge, Niuyang Taiping Bridge, the former residence of Nong Huilian, Dongsheng Hydropower Station and Chahe Cave. Some sites remain relatively undeveloped and are best visited with local guidance.

Bengu Township: Birthplace of the Xichou Spirit

Bengu Township (蚌谷乡) is widely associated with the origins of the Xichou Spirit, expressed in the saying: “Waiting is not a solution; action creates hope.”

In 1990, villagers in the Muzhe area detonated the symbolic “first blast” at Moshigu Valley (摸石谷) to break apart exposed limestone and create cultivable land. This action became a defining event in Xichou’s history of rocky-desertification control.

The area now contains field-teaching facilities and exhibitions that introduce the ecological challenges once faced by local communities and the methods used to restore farmland, water systems and vegetation. Bengu is particularly suitable for environmental education, government study tours and rural revitalisation programmes.

Lianhuatang Township: Xiangpingshan Forest Wellness

Lianhuatang Township (莲花塘乡) is known for Xiangpingshan Scenic Area (香坪山景区), a high-quality forest and wellness destination with extensive vegetation coverage. Its cool climate, mountain forests and quiet environment have earned it the nickname “the back garden of Wenshan.”

The scenic area has developed forest-wellness programmes, nature education and traditional medicine experiences. Accommodation includes forest-style lodging and seasonal outdoor facilities.

Magnolia Valley Rare Plant Garden (木兰谷珍稀植物园) protects and displays rare plants, including the critically endangered huagaimu, sometimes described as the “giant panda of the plant kingdom.” The township also contains lakeside agricultural landscapes and countryside leisure projects.

Lianhuatang is suitable for forest walks, botanical research, wellness holidays, family education and longer rural stays.

Xinmajie Township: Revolutionary Heritage

Xinmajie Township (新马街乡) contains the Dajiangdong Revolutionary Base Area (大江东革命老区), an important component of Xichou’s red-tourism resources. The site has been recognised as a patriotic education base within Wenshan Prefecture.

Local revolutionary history, village landscapes and mountain roads can be combined into educational and historical tours. Infrastructure outside the township centre is relatively limited, so private transport and advance arrangements are recommended.

Bolin Township: Traditional Agriculture and Rural Landscapes

Bolin Township (柏林乡) remains one of Xichou’s quieter and less-developed tourism areas. Its principal resources are traditional agriculture, karst countryside, village life and seasonal farming landscapes.

Rather than containing a major formal attraction, Bolin is better suited to rural photography, agricultural study, community visits and slow travel. Accommodation and organised tourism services remain limited.

Fadou Township: Xiaoqiaogou Nature Reserve

Fadou Township (法斗乡) is associated with Xiaoqiaogou National Nature Reserve (小桥沟国家级自然保护区), one of Xichou’s most important biodiversity areas.

The reserve protects subtropical karst forests and rare or endangered plants, including tree ferns, Fadou Angiopteris and huagaimu. Its ecological value is significant for botanical research, environmental education and biodiversity conservation.

As a protected nature reserve, Xiaoqiaogou is not an ordinary recreational park. Access to core and buffer zones may be restricted, and research or specialist visits may require official approval. Travelers should follow conservation regulations and avoid collecting plants, disturbing wildlife or entering closed areas.

Dongma Township: Mountain Scenery and Sanyuan Bridge

Dongma Township (董马乡) is characterised by mountain settlements, karst valleys, agricultural landscapes and historic transport structures. Sanyuan Bridge (三元桥) is one of the township’s most recognisable cultural and landscape features.

The area remains suitable for self-driving, traditional architecture photography and village exploration. Formal visitor services are limited outside the township centre.

Jijie Township: Rural Leisure and Traditional Villages

Jijie Township (鸡街乡) has developed a number of village-based leisure destinations. Zhichang Village is associated with mountain springs and quiet countryside, while Houka Village offers landscaped rural scenery and community-based tourism.

Hudie Village (蝴蝶村) is known for the unusual sight of tree roots growing around a doorway, locally described as a “tree embracing a gate.” The villages provide opportunities to experience farming life, local meals and the everyday culture of Xichou’s rural communities.

Most village experiences should be arranged in advance, especially when meals, performances or homestays are required.

Ethnic Groups and Cultural Villages

Xichou is home to Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Yi and Mongolian communities. Zhuang culture is particularly visible around Tanggu and neighbouring villages, where traditional clothing, songs, agricultural ceremonies and solar worship remain part of local cultural memory.

Shangguo Village (上果村) in the Tanggu area is one of the county’s representative Zhuang settlements. Traditional courtyards, family cooking and festival activities give the village value for ethnic cultural tours and educational travel.

Visitors should ask permission before photographing ceremonies, elderly residents, private homes or religious objects. The Women’s Sun Mountain Worship Ceremony is a living community tradition rather than a daily tourist performance.

Historical Change in the Administrative Structure

Historical references list Pingzhai Township (坪寨乡) among Xichou’s administrative divisions, creating an older structure of two towns and eight townships. Current official administrative records list only nine township-level units, and Pingzhai is no longer treated as an independent township.

This distinction is important when editing older English travel content. Contemporary articles should use the current structure of two towns and seven townships.

Complete Township-Level Administrative Division Table

According to the administrative division codes published by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, Xichou currently has nine township-level divisions. Yunnan administrative division codes

Administrative Structure at a Glance