Mapang Scenic Area

Mapang Scenic Area is 28 km away from Sanjiang County. The highlights in this area are the Mapang Drum Tower and the Buyang Tea Plantation.

Mapang Drum Tower
Situated in Mapang Village, the Mapang Drum Tower is a typical drum tower in Sanjiang. Originally built in the last years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and rebuilt in 1943, the tower has a square foundation. It has nine floors and is 13 meters in height. Shaping like a palace, the tower was engraved with dragons and phoenixes on the eaves. A sculpture of crane is standing on the top of the tower which symbolizes auspiciousness. In the center of the first floor, there is a big fire pit, in winter, people sitting around it and getting warm from it. On its wall, there are many pictures depict the beautiful local landscapes. The entire structure is joined together with redwood, without a single iron nail. It is said that the Dong architects drew the blueprint with only a carpenter's square and a bamboo marker.

The drum tower is the symbol of the Mapang village. There are benches, tables for people to rest and do their religious activities. It is also used as a meeting house, and place to send signals to the entire village. When there was an emergency, like a fire, or an attack, the drum would be beat, and because of the design of the structure, the sound would be amplified and could be heard for miles around. Not far from the Mapang Drum Tower, there are other two beautiful drum towers standing by a small river, they make up a drum tower group in the village.

Buyang Tea Plantation
Located by the Buyang Village and 20km from the Sanjiang County, the tea plantation covers an area of 240 hectares. The local people plant their tea trees on the hill at an elevation of 600 meters. Here the scenery is grand and beautiful, the air is fresh, and the layers of tea trees look like the green heaven terraces. The localites have established more than 60 tea plants there. Climb on the high tea plantation, visit the tea plants and take a cup of tea in the Dong people's home in the village are regarded as the best relaxation in Sanjiang.