Tianxingshan National Forest Park
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2011-03-31
Tianxingshan National Forest Park is located in Pingnan County, Fujian Province. It consists of the Longjing Guqiao Scenic Area and Xianshan Songhai Scenic Area.
The total area of the park is 1861.90 ha. The planned area of Longjing Guqiao Scenic Area is 1152.90 hectares. The planned area of Xianshan Songhai Scenic Area is 709.00 hectares. The park boasts rich and colorful forest tourism resources and is characterized by tranquil valleys, deep gullies, drifting clouds, luxurious vegetation, singing birds, fragrant flowers, gushing waterfalls and flowing springs.
The natural scenery here is fantastic. Attractions are densely distributed in the park, unique in character and rich in variety.
The watery landscapes in the park have been diversified. The park is in the upper reaches of Huotong Creek and owns Jinzhao Creek, Baiyu Creek and Daxi Creek. The creek water is clear and clean. On the two sides of the creeks are green natural lawns and dense forests.
The park also includes Yuzhao Lake, Tengxian Lake, the Feihong Waterfall and the famous Liyu Pool. Mountains, water, trees and springs enhance each other’s beauty. The tranquil valleys and deep gullies are shrouded in clouds and frogs. The waterfalls are enchanting.
The springs are refreshing. The park is located in the fabulous mid-subtropical maritime monsoon climate zone and vertically affected by the mountain climate. Consequently, the four seasons are distinct and the meteorological landscapes are unique and spectacular.
The Sunrise Hillock is the best place for watching the sunrise amid a sea of clouds. Whenever the morning sun rises slowly and sheds its glow, the peaks are immersed in mist and clouds. On the spring mornings, the wild flowers at the mountain’s feet form a delightful contrast with the white frogs in the valleys. On summer nights, the lamplight in the mountain villages and the stars and the moon in the sky make eyes at each other. Though not high, the scenery is great.
Physical Features:
Emerald Pools
The landscape of the park is steep, majestic and distinctive. The park is located to the east of Zhenghe Dapu Fracture Zone and lies in Yanshan Volcanic Rock Zone of the eastern Fujian. The park features towering mountains, numerous cliffs, jagged rocks, many rock peaks and deep valleys.
The exposed rocks have been carved by millions of years of natural history into numerous grotesque rock scenes. "Flying Horse Cliff," "Monkey Stone" and "Tiger Looks in the Mirror" are vividly depicted in the stones. What’s more, the canyon riverbed is generously speckled with stones in various shapes and worthy of the name of "Natural Stone Sculpture Museum."
The park is full of biological resources and attractions: 104 families, 130 genera and 181 species of wild vertebrates and 21 species of animals under state key protection, such as: mandarin duck, ape, pangolin, silver pheasant and serow. In addition to the ample faunal resources, the park also boasts a large variety of floral resources. The regional plants are well-preserved in an evergreen broad-leaved forest.
It features 8 vegetation types, 150 families, 431 genera and 745 species of plants and 16 species of plants under state key protection, such as the fascinating laxus malrel, glamorous gingko, sultry ormosia henryi, mysterious camptotheca acuminata decne, inscrutable phoebe bournei, sassy fokienia hodginsii, irrepressible torreya jackii chun and everyone’s favorite, the eurycorymbus cavaleriei. The park also includes a water pine forest, the only one in the world at present.
In the forest, the water pines are lush and straight. Their diameter at breast height is 20-50cm. Experts favorably call them "living fossils of plants." "Rocks are everywhere, pines grow on every rock and every pine looks fabulous," exclaimed the experts. The natural pinus taiwanensis forest of above 700ha is rare in Fujian.
