Xiangyang

Xiangyang (襄阳; Xiāngyáng), which was called Xiangfan (襄樊; Xiāngyfán), is a city in Hubei Province. It is comprised of two halves, Xiangyang (on the south side of the Han River) and Fancheng (on the north side of the river).

It is best known for being the site of an important battle between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Mongol Empire, which the Mongols won decisively, following which they were shortly able to conquer all of China. The Fancheng area is also known for being the site of an important battle during the late Eastern Han Dynasty between the forces of the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Xiangyang Liuji Airport (XFN  ^IATA). Flights from a number of Chinese cities including Guangzhou, Xiamen, Beijing and Shanghai. (updated Jun 2019)

By train

Linked to the Chinese train network.

By bus

Linked to the Chinese bus network.

Get around

See

• Ancient city wall. The ancient city wall is mostly still standing, and it is possible to walk along the top of it. Great views of the Han River from the top of the northern part of the wall. 
• Zheng Wu Shan Temple (真武山). A small but active Daoist temple run mainly by Daoist nuns. 
• 1 Xiangyang Museum (襄阳市博物馆), 1 North Street, Xiangyang District (襄城区北街1号) (the nearest bus stop is Shizi Street (十字街), which is served by bus routes 6, 8, 13, 21, 24, 28, 29, 512, 517, 532, 537, 539, g03, and k11), ☏ +86 710 3513330. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Jan 2021)
• 2 Zhuge Liang thatched hut (诸葛草庐), in Gulongzhong scenic area (古隆中) about 12 km west of old city. 08:30-17:00. The hut where Three Kingdoms warlord/Shu-Han King Liu Bei visited three times to recruit Zhuge Liang. The scenic area is supposedly where Zhuge Liang lived and studied at the time. There's an academy where he studied, temple dedicated to him, a cave, and a well that he used. The hut is a replica but based supposedly on a very old one from Yuan dynasty. The temple has been rebuilt many times after burning down and expanded about once every dynasty. 87 RMB. 

Sleep

• Zhen Wu Hotel (真武大酒店), 27 Xiangchen Street East, ☏ +86 710 3530888, fax: +86 710 3518977. Free internet in rooms (with Ethernet cable). Has a good Chinese-style breakfast buffet. 

Go next

• Wudang Mountain (武当山) — a famous Daoist mountain renowned for its martial arts. It can be a day trip out of Xiangyang (2 hour bus each way), but there are also places to stay on the mountain both for tourists and longer-term guests. Wudang Shan is particularly famous for its Taiqi Quan and offers many multi-week classes (register in advance) open to Chinese and foreigners alike.