Dongchuan

Maoye copper smelting siteAncient copper smelting area.

Dongchuan Red LandThis area has terraced fields of red earth, with different crops in different fields, leading to a patchwork of colour that is particularly attractive in spring and fall when there are flowers. Although several viewpoints are within walking distance of the central town, the rest of the scenic area is quite spread out, it's a bit remote, and there's not much to do other than look at dirt, so it's popular mainly with photographers. The locals have started building guest houses to accommodate tourists, in place of farming, which means some of the fields are now left fallow (a much less attractive gray in spring). As of 2018, the area is still not heavily developed for tourism and does not charge admission or inflated prices. 8-10 viewpoints have names, small pull-offs for parking, and in some cases toilets.