Natural wonder, ancient town draw tourists to Peng'an county

A herd of cattle crosses the Jialing River towards an island to forage for grass on April 30. This grand scene occurs in Peng'an county, Sichuan province, and happens daily from April to October. [Photo by Liu Yonghong/For China Daily]

A cattle-herding festival was launched in Peng'an county, Sichuan province, on April 30, attracting tourists from all over the country to enjoy this natural wonder and a newly restored ancient town.

The county is famous for a natural scene called "hundreds of cattle crossing the river." In a small village of Peng'an near the Jialing River, the upper tributary of the Yangtze River, hundreds of cattle swim across the Jialing River in the morning to graze on the central island. The cows make the return journey across the river at dusk.

The grand scene repeatedly occurs from April to October and has become popular among tourists. Therefore, the local government launched an annual cattle-herding festival in 2010. The yearly festival begins on the last weekend of April.

Peng'an is also well-known for Xiangru Ancient Town, which was the hometown of Sima Xiangru (179-118 BC), a statesman, poet and musician from ancient China.

A herd of cattle crosses the Jialing River towards an island to forage for grass on April 30. This grand scene occurs in Peng'an county, Sichuan province, and happens daily from April to October. [Photo by Guo Anping/For China Daily]

The newly restored Xiangru Ancient Town officially opened to the public on the same day as the cattle-herding festival. The local government launched a project in 2018 to restore the 1-square-kilometer ancient town, aiming to protect and restore its cultural relics and make the ancient town a famous cultural tourist spot.

The ancient town has a group of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and covers a total area of 13,000 square meters.

The local government will hold various cultural and tourism activities during the cattle-herding festival, which will last until May 5.

"Peng'an has very rich cultural and tourism resources, and the journey is worth tourists' time and effort," said an official from the county's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism.

A ceremony to celebrate the opening of the newly restored Xiangru Ancient Town, hometown of Sima Xiangru (179-118 BC), a statesman, poet and musician in ancient China, is held on April 30.[Photo by Guo Anping/For China Daily]

The section of the Jialing River that flows through Peng'an is 89 kilometers long and is said to be one of its most beautiful parts, according to the official.

The county has many other tourist spots, including the Zhouzi Ancient Town near the Jialing River and the Xiangru Lake National Wetland Park, which covers a total area of 2,052 hectares.

A ceremony to celebrate the opening of the newly restored Xiangru Ancient Town, hometown of Sima Xiangru (179-118 BC), a statesman, poet and musician in ancient China, is held on April 30.[Photo by Peng Shengzhou/For China Daily]