Liyang is a picturesque county-level city under Changzhou in western Jiangsu Province, at the intersection of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. With a population of 800,000, it is known as the "Back Garden of the Yangtze River Delta" for its pristine natural environment.
The centerpiece of Liyang is Tianmu Lake, a stunning man-made reservoir surrounded by tea plantations and forested hills. The lake's emerald-green waters and tranquil shoreline make it one of the most popular weekend getaways in Jiangsu. Nearby, the Nanshan Bamboo Sea offers vast bamboo forests that turn the landscape into a sea of green.
Liyang has become a model for rural revitalization in China. The "Liyang No.1 Ring Road," a 365-kilometer scenic highway, connects villages, forests, reservoirs, and cultural sites, creating a template for rural tourism development that has been replicated across the country.
The city has also invested heavily in eco-tourism infrastructure, with the Yushui Hot Springs resort and numerous boutique hotels and farm-stays catering to visitors from Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou. Liyang's success in balancing conservation with tourism development has made it a nationally recognized model for sustainable tourism.