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Exploring the natural wonders of Taihuyuan
By Xu Wenwen |
December 12, 2011, Monday
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TAIHUYUAN Scenic Area boasts gorgeous scenery including mountains, waterfalls, lakes, a canyon and lush greenery. It's also a spiritual place with an ancient temple. Xu Wenwen takes a stroll.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area is so beautiful that Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li chose to take their wedding photos there. The scenic area is in Lin'an, about 65 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou.
Taihuyuan is the water source of Taihu Lake on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. At the top of one of the scenic area's mountains is a lake and large waterfall that feeds Taihu Lake.
Dubbed the "Little Jiuzhai Valley," a famous tourism destination in Sichuan Province, the scenic area boasts many waterfalls, lakes and lush foliage.
After Yao and his wife took wedding photos there in 2007, the place rose to national fame.
The scenic area is based around Longxu Canyon and East Tianmu Mountain, which is best known for giant trees, waterfalls, peaks surrounded by clouds, bamboo shoots, temples and oddly shaped rocks.
The canyon boasts forest coverage of up to 95 percent. Trees are layered horizontally - at the base of the canyon it's broad-leaved trees, in the middle it's mostly shrubbery, with moss at the top.
This gives the canyon a gorgeous look, especially in autumn, when leaves change to various shades of orange, yellow and green.
Longxu Canyon is also home to 2,000 species of animals, including rare wildlife such as black muntjac (deer), serow, pheasants and macaque.
The canyon was once named "monkey canyon" among locals because hundreds of wild monkeys lived here. Monkeys are active in the fall and early winter as they are busy storing food for the cold weather.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area's entrance starts at a rocky wall that explains the canyon's name - it is the Longxu Wall named for the longxucao (Chinese alpine rush) growing on it. Longxu literally means dragon's beard, and longxucao features long slender grass like a dragon's beard.
A little further inside visitors will find Yunbi Pond. The water is so clear that visitors can appreciate the green hills, blue sky and white clouds mirrored in the water surface. The water is also clean enough to drink .
Near the pond is Siyuan Corridor. This is where Yao and Ye took their wedding photos.
In a nearby stream there is a rectangular stone called "Mediation Stone," which is said to be where the eminent monk Gao-Feng Yuan-Miao meditated every morning for nine years during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
Moving in further, tourists will see various waterfalls including Thread Waterfall and Beer Waterfall, which is named for all the foam it creates. Baiji Waterfall is the biggest of the bunch and at the top of the canyon. It stretches 170 meters.
Opposite Baiji Waterfall is the Ancient Buddhism Academy, which was established in the Yuan Dynasty by Gao-Feng Yuan-Miao.
The temple he founded was largely destroyed during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976).
Today, the only original part is a dilapidated hexagon stone pillar with a sutra scripture carved into it. There is also a tree that is more than 700 years old in front of the temple. It was planted by monks to witness changing times.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area also has an area set up for rock climbing with the help of professionals.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area is so beautiful that Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li chose to take their wedding photos there. The scenic area is in Lin'an, about 65 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou.
Taihuyuan is the water source of Taihu Lake on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. At the top of one of the scenic area's mountains is a lake and large waterfall that feeds Taihu Lake.
Dubbed the "Little Jiuzhai Valley," a famous tourism destination in Sichuan Province, the scenic area boasts many waterfalls, lakes and lush foliage.
After Yao and his wife took wedding photos there in 2007, the place rose to national fame.
The scenic area is based around Longxu Canyon and East Tianmu Mountain, which is best known for giant trees, waterfalls, peaks surrounded by clouds, bamboo shoots, temples and oddly shaped rocks.
The canyon boasts forest coverage of up to 95 percent. Trees are layered horizontally - at the base of the canyon it's broad-leaved trees, in the middle it's mostly shrubbery, with moss at the top.
This gives the canyon a gorgeous look, especially in autumn, when leaves change to various shades of orange, yellow and green.
Longxu Canyon is also home to 2,000 species of animals, including rare wildlife such as black muntjac (deer), serow, pheasants and macaque.
The canyon was once named "monkey canyon" among locals because hundreds of wild monkeys lived here. Monkeys are active in the fall and early winter as they are busy storing food for the cold weather.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area's entrance starts at a rocky wall that explains the canyon's name - it is the Longxu Wall named for the longxucao (Chinese alpine rush) growing on it. Longxu literally means dragon's beard, and longxucao features long slender grass like a dragon's beard.
A little further inside visitors will find Yunbi Pond. The water is so clear that visitors can appreciate the green hills, blue sky and white clouds mirrored in the water surface. The water is also clean enough to drink .
Near the pond is Siyuan Corridor. This is where Yao and Ye took their wedding photos.
In a nearby stream there is a rectangular stone called "Mediation Stone," which is said to be where the eminent monk Gao-Feng Yuan-Miao meditated every morning for nine years during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
Moving in further, tourists will see various waterfalls including Thread Waterfall and Beer Waterfall, which is named for all the foam it creates. Baiji Waterfall is the biggest of the bunch and at the top of the canyon. It stretches 170 meters.
Opposite Baiji Waterfall is the Ancient Buddhism Academy, which was established in the Yuan Dynasty by Gao-Feng Yuan-Miao.
The temple he founded was largely destroyed during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976).
Today, the only original part is a dilapidated hexagon stone pillar with a sutra scripture carved into it. There is also a tree that is more than 700 years old in front of the temple. It was planted by monks to witness changing times.
Taihuyuan Scenic Area also has an area set up for rock climbing with the help of professionals.
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