Although not as famous as neighboring Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Phoenix Old Town, Changde is believed to be the prototype of Taohuayuan, a utopia described by poet Tao Yuanming (around AD 365-427).

The poem describes how a fisherman accidentally sailed into a river in a forest of blossoming peach trees, where there was a village with animals and people of all ages.

The villagers were surprised to see him. They told him their ancestors escaped to this place during the civil unrest and the villagers had no contact with the outside world for centuries.