Yao Ba ancient town | A “living” secret in southern Sichuan, no tourists, only life
When Wuzhen and Xitang are crowded with tour groups holding little flags, and Lijiang’s bar street is still bustling late at night, deep in the mountains at the junction of southern Sichuan and northern Guizhou, there is a millennium-old town praised by Tsinghua University experts as the “living fossil of southern Sichuan ancient residences.” It waits with its more than 1,000-meter-long bluestone street, over 2,000 small blue-tile houses, and the daily life of its residents for anyone who doesn’t want to join the crowd.
It’s not Lijiang, with its flashy bar street; it’s not Wuzhen, with its refined commercial souvenir shops; it’s not even Zhouzhuang, with its nighttime boat rides under lantern light. There is no noise made to please tourists here, only old houses inhabited for generations, the century-old aroma of mutton soup drifting from alleyways, and locals sitting on doorsteps soaking up the sun.
Scholar Yu Dan calls it a “living ancient town”: “Many ancient towns are restored for tourism, but Yao Ba’s residents still live real lives without change. It’s original and natural. The town is alive.”
📍 Must save before departure | Yao Ba ancient town core overview
Yao Ba ancient town is located at the junction of southern Sichuan and northern Guizhou. Founded in the Northern Song dynasty and flourishing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a necessary route from ancient Jiangyang to the Yelang Kingdom, known as the “Sichuan-Guizhou corridor” and the “tea-salt ancient road.” The core area is a bluestone street over 1,000 meters long, flanked by more than 2,000 small blue-tile houses, mostly southern Sichuan courtyard residences from the Qing and Republic periods.
· 🎫 Admission: The ancient town is free and open 24 hours a day (some sources mention a 30 yuan combo ticket)
· 🌡️ Summer feel: The mountain climate in southern Sichuan is mild and cooler than the city, ideal for slow travel
· ⏰ Best season: October to May offers the most pleasant weather
· ⏳ Suggested visit: Half a day to 1 day (no rush, immersive slow travel)
· 🏷️ Core tags: Living fossil of southern Sichuan ancient residences | living ancient town | tea-salt ancient road | western film base | red mutton soup
🏛️ Must-visit checklist | Missing one is a wasted trip
1. Martial scholar archway | The only “facade” left in southern Sichuan
Built in the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign (1810) for martial scholar Li Yuelong, it is the only surviving martial scholar archway in southern Sichuan. It features a triple-eaved Xieshan-style roof with a plaque inscribed “Awarded scholar.” Morning is the best time for photos when the sunlight casts beautiful shadows.
2. Da Hong rice shop | Yao Ba’s landmark, a “time travel” movie set
This is Yao Ba’s most iconic spot, located at the highest point of the ancient town. It was originally the residence of martial scholar Li Yuelong — the scholar’s mansion — and was preserved due to filming the movie Da Hong rice shop. Today it is a teahouse converted from an old granary. You can order a gaiwan tea and sit by the second-floor wooden window, listening to the owner’s old stories — the window frames a southern Sichuan scene of black tiles and flying eaves. Nearly 30 films and TV shows, including Da Hong rice shop, Mad, and Heroes Without Borders, were shot here. Walking into the courtyard, you might feel like you’ve stepped into a story. On holidays, free wedding procession performances are held here.
3. Wang Chaowen’s former residence | The home of an aesthetics master
Wang Chaowen was a Chinese literary theorist and aesthetician, one of the pioneers and founders of Marxist literary theory and aesthetics in new China. His former residence preserves the living scenes of his time. The second-floor flower window is a perfect photo frame; wearing Hanfu here instantly turns your photo into a drama still.
4. Ciyun Temple (Dongyue Temple) | Layer upon layer of Ming dynasty architecture
Originally named Dongyue Temple, built in the first year of the Wanli reign (1573), it is the largest building complex in the ancient town. Built on the mountainside, the layered halls peek through green trees with flying eaves. Visitors can burn incense and pray for their families.
5. Yao Ba ancient street | A 1,000-meter-long “living folk museum”
The ancient street stretches over 1,000 meters, flanked by more than 2,000 small blue-tile houses with shops in front and residences behind. Every home has alleys and courtyards, and wooden buildings. Walking on the bluestone, you’ll see elders eating lunch at doorways, women washing clothes by the river, and children chasing each other in alleys. The drying sweet potato noodles and bamboo crafts are all authentic daily life.
6. Ling Zifeng film exhibition hall & Zhou mansion
Ling Zifeng was a famous film director. His former residence is now a film exhibition hall. Zhou mansion is another ancient building worth exploring in the town.
🍜 Taste of Yao Ba | The scent of life and intangible cultural heritage food
What captivates most in Yao Ba is the enticing aroma that drifts straight to your nose in the alleys. The food here isn’t made for tourists but is the daily life of locals.
· 🔥 Red mutton soup (must eat!): A Tianfu culinary specialty, the soup is red but not spicy, the mutton firm and free of gamey taste. The broth is bright red with mild heat, doubled in flavor when dipped in chili sauce. Recommended: He San red mutton soup, a 40-year-old shop; the mutton restaurant opposite Da Hong rice shop is also highly rated.
· 🍚 Yao Ba yellow rice cake (must eat!): A provincial intangible cultural heritage food, soft, glutinous, and sweet, tender and smooth in texture, with a yellow and bright red color. Recommended: “Zhou Yao yellow rice cake,” with a very enthusiastic owner.
· 🥕 Yao Ba dried radish: An intangible cultural heritage food, crunchy with layers of numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant flavors, known as the “soul mate of rice eaters.”
· 🧈 Yao Ba red tofu: An intangible cultural heritage food that melts in your mouth, salty and slightly spicy with rich wine and bean aromas.
· 🍬 Sweet potato silk candy: A traditional artisanal product made mainly from red-heart sweet potatoes, crafted through dozens of steps, fragrant, crispy, and crunchy.
· 🍲 Other recommendations: countryside drunken goose (spicy and fresh), Wang’s chicken soup (intangible cultural heritage flavor), cold noodles, cold jelly, tofu pudding.
🛍️ Artisan crafts | Take Yao Ba’s time home
· Oil-paper umbrellas: full of ancient town atmosphere, great for photos
· Bamboo handicrafts: bamboo baskets, bamboo bags, practical and beautiful, full of craftsmanship
· Straw sandals, wheat sauce, pickled vegetables: handmade by locals, unique souvenirs
🗺️ Recommended tour route | 1,000-meter ancient street, walk slowly
Martial scholar archway (entrance check-in) → Wang Chaowen’s former residence → Ling Zifeng film exhibition hall → Ciyun Temple (Dongyue Temple) → Da Hong rice shop (core spot, tea and stories) → stroll Yao Ba ancient street (see local life) → Zhou mansion
About 2–3 hours total, no rush, immersive slow travel.
🚗 Transportation | Drive or shuttle, go whenever you want
· 🚗 Drive: Navigate to “Hejiang Yao Ba town government” for accuracy. About 22 km from Luzhou, fast via highway
· 🚌 Shuttle: Direct minibus from Luzhou Huilongwan Tuojiang bus station to Yao Ba ancient town starts at 7:10 AM, every half hour, fare 15.5 yuan per person
🏠 Accommodation recommendations | Stay under blue-tile roofs at night
· Luzhou Zhuangyuan inn: windows open to blue-tile roofs, old street downstairs, about 168 yuan/night
· Yao Ba inn: very distinctive and affordable
· Hejiang Qinyuan hotel: next to the tourist reception center, newly renovated
💡 Insider tips | We’ve avoided these pitfalls for you
1. Yao Ba is not a “scenic spot,” it’s “life”: no hawking, no cookie-cutter souvenir shops, only locals living day after day. You can walk through in 20 minutes if you hurry, but to truly understand it, slow down, sit down, and eat a bowl of mutton soup.
2. Wear flat shoes: the ancient town has uneven bluestone roads.
3. Don’t enter the wrong navigation: searching “Yao Ba ancient town” may lead to a newly built area outside. It’s better to search “Hejiang Yao Ba town government.”
4. Red mutton soup is best early: the mutton restaurant opposite Da Hong rice shop is highly rated but try to go early to avoid sellout.
5. Free wedding procession performances on holidays: the town hosts free wedding processions from the archway to Da Hong rice shop.
6. Nearby attractions: if you have time, visit Shiji soy sauce Chishui River Manor (about 30 minutes by car) to experience the “natural soy sauce museum” and try soy sauce rice and soy sauce ice cream.
When the 1,000-meter bluestone street unfolds in the afternoon light and shadow, when the aroma of red mutton soup drifts into the old teahouse window, when bamboo artisans focus on weaving and the sweet scent of yellow rice cake rises from the kitchen — you’ll understand there is a kind of ancient town called Yao Ba. It charges no admission, doesn’t rush tourists, and simply lays out the thousand-year-old tea-salt ancient road, the southern Sichuan life atmosphere, and the daily life of locals deep in the mountains at the Sichuan-Guizhou border, waiting for anyone who wants to slow down and savor it.
Navigate to “Hejiang Yao Ba town government” for a date with the “living ancient town.” 🏮🍜
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