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A forest of delights: from the deepest cave to the highest mountain top
By Ren Yuan |
August 19, 2009, Wednesday
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JUST southwest of Hangzhou lies the beautiful small town of Tonglu where many treats are in store for the adventurous tourist, writes Ren Yuan.
Located near the southwest of Hangzhou, Tonglu is a beautiful county with many tourist attractions. If you are fed up with city scenes in Hangzhou, a visit to Tonglu will give you a pleasant surprise.
Tonglu is mainly made up of mountains and rivers. The highest peak is the Guanying Peak of Longmen Mountain, 1,246.5 meters above sea level.
It has many attractions and here are just a few of them.
Yaolin Xianjing
Some 23 kilometers from Tonglu, this cave is 23 kilometers long and covers an area of 28,000 square meters.
Yaolin Xianjing is regarded as the "No. 1 cave in China" and the name incorporates the Chinese equivalent of "beautiful stones and forest" and "fairyland." As the name implies, Yaolin is a natural cave with wonderful stalactites and stalagmites and a clear stream running through it. It was formed millions of years ago. The stalactites and stalagmites reflect colorful shades of the artificial lights set on the walls.
Ancient money, old pieces of chinaware and pottery are scattered around the cave. These historical artifacts can be traced back to as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).
Yaolin Xianjing opened in 1981. However, as early as in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), its existence and description was recorded in "Tonglu Xianzhi" ("The Historic Record of Tonglu"). In 1991, it was officially selected as "one of the 40 best tourist sites in China."
Countryside life
Just a few meters outside Yaolin Xianjing, there is a village site called Grandma's House with Red Lanterns. This is designed for tourists who want to find out a bit about rural life. You can taste traditional country food, visit old shops and observe country ways in the village.
Tianmu River
Alongside the village is the Tianmu River, where you can go bamboo rafting.
You can begin your journey from the Bipu Port and end at Lengkeng. It lasts about an hour and a half, for the river runs slowly and circuitously. Along the way, you will experience many ups and downs. As the saying goes, "There are 18 shoals in Tianmu River, the next is always the higher."
Chuiyun Tongtian River
This underground river is more than 4,500 meters long. It is located in a cave and to visit it, you have to take a boat trip.
The average temperature in the cave is 18 degrees Celsius, so wear a jacket. The river water is non-polluted because it originates in a wild forest.
Angling Place
History has it that Yan Zilin, faithful counsellor of Emperor Guangwu in the Eastern Han Dynasty, spent his retirement on Fuchun Hill and often sat on the river bank angling.
The mountain and water area where Yan lived is now called Yan Zilin's Angling Place. After helping the emperor conquer the nation, he was tired of political struggle and retired to Fuchun River to lead a pastoral life, spending his days angling and plowing the land.
Yan was considered by many Chinese as "a man of integrity and wisdom." On the mountain, the Shrine of Yan Zilin commemorates him.
Shijiu Spring
It is inside the Daoyu Tai Scenic Area. According to historical records, Lu Yu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and the author of "The Bible of Tea," used to boil water from Shijiu Spring to make tea.
Jiangnan Longmen Cove
Jiangnan Longmen Cove offers the most beautiful scenery of the entire Fuchun River area.
Various natural scenes coexist here: hills and dales, shoals and water birds, small waterfalls running from the cliff and pine trees of strange and irregular shapes.
From early times, many scholars and literati have written about the cove after their visit, including great poets Su Shi and Li Bai.
Daqi Mountain
Five kilometers from the south bank of the Fuchun River is the Daqi Mountain, the "No. 1 mountain in southeast China." It is now a national forest park.
On the mountain, there are orchards and agricultural gardens.
Park admission is 50 yuan (US$7.35) for adults and 25 yuan for children.
Qinxi Xianggu
In Gaoxiang Village of Tonglu, Qinxi Xianggu consists of mountains, valleys and waterfalls.
The climate here is very temperate, with an average of 15 degrees Celsius and the valleys, covered with hectares of wild cinnamon and orchids, send out fragrance in all seasons and, third, the Karst topography.
On the mountains you can discover small caves amongthe woods.
Located near the southwest of Hangzhou, Tonglu is a beautiful county with many tourist attractions. If you are fed up with city scenes in Hangzhou, a visit to Tonglu will give you a pleasant surprise.
Tonglu is mainly made up of mountains and rivers. The highest peak is the Guanying Peak of Longmen Mountain, 1,246.5 meters above sea level.
It has many attractions and here are just a few of them.
Yaolin Xianjing
Some 23 kilometers from Tonglu, this cave is 23 kilometers long and covers an area of 28,000 square meters.
Yaolin Xianjing is regarded as the "No. 1 cave in China" and the name incorporates the Chinese equivalent of "beautiful stones and forest" and "fairyland." As the name implies, Yaolin is a natural cave with wonderful stalactites and stalagmites and a clear stream running through it. It was formed millions of years ago. The stalactites and stalagmites reflect colorful shades of the artificial lights set on the walls.
Ancient money, old pieces of chinaware and pottery are scattered around the cave. These historical artifacts can be traced back to as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).
Yaolin Xianjing opened in 1981. However, as early as in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), its existence and description was recorded in "Tonglu Xianzhi" ("The Historic Record of Tonglu"). In 1991, it was officially selected as "one of the 40 best tourist sites in China."
Countryside life
Just a few meters outside Yaolin Xianjing, there is a village site called Grandma's House with Red Lanterns. This is designed for tourists who want to find out a bit about rural life. You can taste traditional country food, visit old shops and observe country ways in the village.
Tianmu River
Alongside the village is the Tianmu River, where you can go bamboo rafting.
You can begin your journey from the Bipu Port and end at Lengkeng. It lasts about an hour and a half, for the river runs slowly and circuitously. Along the way, you will experience many ups and downs. As the saying goes, "There are 18 shoals in Tianmu River, the next is always the higher."
Chuiyun Tongtian River
This underground river is more than 4,500 meters long. It is located in a cave and to visit it, you have to take a boat trip.
The average temperature in the cave is 18 degrees Celsius, so wear a jacket. The river water is non-polluted because it originates in a wild forest.
Angling Place
History has it that Yan Zilin, faithful counsellor of Emperor Guangwu in the Eastern Han Dynasty, spent his retirement on Fuchun Hill and often sat on the river bank angling.
The mountain and water area where Yan lived is now called Yan Zilin's Angling Place. After helping the emperor conquer the nation, he was tired of political struggle and retired to Fuchun River to lead a pastoral life, spending his days angling and plowing the land.
Yan was considered by many Chinese as "a man of integrity and wisdom." On the mountain, the Shrine of Yan Zilin commemorates him.
Shijiu Spring
It is inside the Daoyu Tai Scenic Area. According to historical records, Lu Yu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and the author of "The Bible of Tea," used to boil water from Shijiu Spring to make tea.
Jiangnan Longmen Cove
Jiangnan Longmen Cove offers the most beautiful scenery of the entire Fuchun River area.
Various natural scenes coexist here: hills and dales, shoals and water birds, small waterfalls running from the cliff and pine trees of strange and irregular shapes.
From early times, many scholars and literati have written about the cove after their visit, including great poets Su Shi and Li Bai.
Daqi Mountain
Five kilometers from the south bank of the Fuchun River is the Daqi Mountain, the "No. 1 mountain in southeast China." It is now a national forest park.
On the mountain, there are orchards and agricultural gardens.
Park admission is 50 yuan (US$7.35) for adults and 25 yuan for children.
Qinxi Xianggu
In Gaoxiang Village of Tonglu, Qinxi Xianggu consists of mountains, valleys and waterfalls.
The climate here is very temperate, with an average of 15 degrees Celsius and the valleys, covered with hectares of wild cinnamon and orchids, send out fragrance in all seasons and, third, the Karst topography.
On the mountains you can discover small caves amongthe woods.
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