Wulong: the Gate to Natural Scenes

Wulong County is now frequently heard in the media report because of its disputes with the Hollywood blockbuster Transformers 4. The government of Wulong sued against the producer of this movie for the latter’s not showing Wulong’s name in the movie as the contract requires.

Wulong County wants to spread its name and the natural beauty behind it to the world with the Hollywood blockbusters. Even though this wish does not come true， it could not be a reason for people to deny Wulong’s charm. Lying in the Southwest of Chongqing， Wulong County is located in the downstream part of Wu River and the connecting area of Wuling Mountain and Dalou Mountain. It boasts the “World Natural Heritages” and “National 5A Scenic Area”.

This county was inhibited by people in the Neolithic Period. The first administrative government was set up in this place in the Zhou Dynasty 3000 years ago. In its long history， several massive migrations happened in this area， leading to today’s combination of miscellaneous nations. Nowadays， apart from the Han people， the minority ethnic groups of Tujia and Miao also account for a large portion of the total population in this county.

The long history and diversification of residential ethnic groups are accompanied with the great geological features of this county. Located in the Karst plateau area of South China， the land of Wulong boasts the abundance of valleys and hills. The crest movement and the long-term wearing of the flowing water together created the unique landforms of Wulong. The mild weather here and local people’s long-term devotion to the natural protection also turn this place into a green carpet covered with dense forests.

All these natural and humanity features lead to the established fame of Wulong County， one of the best places to go in West China.

Fairy Mountain National Forest Park

If we need to find a representative of the scenic features of Wulong， the Fairy Mountain National Forest Park could be listed as the representative of its greenness. It sports the Fairy Mountain， whose name originated from its shape similar to a dancing fairy. It is listed as one of the Top ten scenic spots in Chongqing.

The National Forest Park covers 5070 hectares and boasts the scenic spots like the Lion Rock， Fairy Rock， Hou Family Mansion， Nine-Axen， and other natural and manmade scenic spots. Highland grassland which is unique to West China， the forest sea that is rare in the southern part of China and the green wildness boasts a sincere charm… all these give Wulong the title as the “Oriental Switzerland”.

The Fairy Mountain National Forest Park has four typical scenes： the forest sea， the weird peaks， the massive grassland and the great snowfield. If you climb onto the top of Fairy Mountain， you will see the uneven land of the entire park covered by endless dense forests. The massive grassland fills the part unoccupied by the forest and is dotted by several protruding peaks. The combination of forests， grassland and peaks entwine the gentleness with the rigidness. From November to February， the Park is in winter as the snow falls down and paints the entire area with the sheer white. It is not a usual case to see the snow-covered land in the southern part of China and this unique feature give the Fairy Mountain National Park unparalleled advantages.

The Three Natural Born Bridges is the first and foremost actual scenic spot in the Park. As a typical result of the crest movement and the erosion of water and wind， it is a gift from the nature. The three bridge-shaped scenic spots， which are respectively named the Heavenly Dragon Bridge， Green Dragon Bridge and Black Dragon Bridge， underlie highlight the karst landforms which also exist in the Park in the form of cave， hole， slit-like valley and so on.

The three natural born bridges are the largest bridgeshaped karst landforms in the world. The highest one of them is 208 meters tall. The main body of the bridge perfectly connects two cliffs with the curve flawlessly forming the beauty only the expertly designed manmade bridge could have. The caves below the bridge deck are considered to be the arches of the bridges.

The Lotus Cave

The karst landforms could be not only seen in the Fairy Mountain National Forest Park. The Lotus Cave， which is 21 kilometers from the County， is the only cave in China that has been listed in the World Natural Heritages.

If the title is not enough to show off the charm of the Lotus Cave， you need to know that it is widely considered to be the most beautiful cave in China and one of the Top 3 must-go caves in the world.

Being large is one of the prominent features of the cave. It is 2700 metes long from the entrance to the end. A 1.86km visiting lane is built along the cave. The average width of the cave is 12-14 meters with the widest part crossing 69.5 meters. The average height of the cave is 8-25 meters high with the tallest part being 48.3 meters tall. The entire cave is said to accommodate 185 thousand people in total.

The stalagmites and stalactites inside the cave underlie the most charming feature of this scenic spot. The cave experts describe it as a splendid and amazing “underground palace”and the palm-tree-shaped stalagmites， stone corals and gypsum flowers are the world’s best scenes. Apart from the aesthetic value， the cave also presents great value in stratigraphy， mineralogy， geomorphology， hydrology， geochemistry， biology and other scientific sectors.

The Lotus Cave is divided into three parts. The first part is rich in colors as various artificial light dyes the cave walls with different hues. The second and third parts give priority to the scientific value of the cave and its natural beauty. Visitors could see new things with nearly every step they progress. Among them the most impressive ones are the huge stone waterfalls 15.76 meters wide and 21.04 meters high， the still growing “coral jade pool” covering 32 square meters， the world’s largest stone flower that is still growing and the unique canine-shaped crystal. Even the visitors that have been there multiple times could still find new things of interest every time they go there.

Houping Sinkholes

There are five sinkholes in Houping Village， Wulong County. The five sinkholes， with the total area of 150 thousand square meters， are hidden in the pristine forests or bamboo forests. All those sinkholes are surrounded by steep cliffs and have burrows at their bottoms which hide bigger sinkholes. All these five sinkholes respectively have the diameter and depth of 300 meters.

All these sinkholes are the results of the erosion of the surface water. This feature along make them unique in the world and draws a lot of attention from the geologists.

It is widely believed that there were three to four rivers running in this area 2-2.3 million years ago. The massive water ran swiftly and formed the vortexes. The high content of minerals in the water， combined with the drilling power of the vortexes， gradually wore out the earth and stone on the ground. As the time goes by， the sinkholes are gradually coming into the existence.

The sinkholes were considered to be the divine gift in the ancient time as people did not know how they were formed. Every time it was going to rain， there was mist rising from the sinkholes. The modern experts attribute this to the change of the temperature and air pressure.

Apart from the mysteries there， the scenes are also unparalleled in these sinkholes. There are a lot of plants found in these holes， some of which are very rare to see in the world. The holes accommodate many other underground amenities， thanks to its great karst features there.

The sinkholes are well preserved and still present the most pristine charm to the visitors. The Jingkou Sinkhole is unique in the world because people can get to the bottom of the hole through a 3000-meter cave. Several waterfalls descend from the top of the sinkhole， emitting thunder-like sounds and forming rivers at the bottom that flows back into the cave.

Whitehorse Mountain

The Whitehorse Mountain is located in the central and southern parts of China. The height is between 1154 and 1951 meters. The combination of features of different geological eras leads to its complicated geological conditions. The subtropical area’s climatic conditions provide the most ideal environment for the plants and wild animals. There are a dozen of animals and plants under the first level national protection， and other rare-to-see animals. Thus the Whitehorse Mountain is also called the “biological gene pool” in Southwest China.

It is a paradise for the geologists and biologists， but ordinary tourists could find it appealing too. The peaks dotting this area set off each other relentlessly. The trees on the mountain， as well as other things， provide varying viewpoints for the sightseers in different seasons. In the spring， wildflowers roam the mountain like a woven colorful carpet spread on the hillside. In the summer， mist could accidentally arise from the green trees， bringing the mystery and coolness to the suffocating heat. In the autumn， the dense forests are dyed with golden or yellow colors， highlighting the charm of the season of harvesting. In the winter， the snow falls down on the mountain， covering the entire area with a silver carpet.

The best sights of the Whitehorse Mountain include the weird rocks in the shape of different animals， as well as the remaining site of a great battle that happened 60 years or so ago. Visitors could also embrace gingko trees， one of the oldest trees in the world.

Land Crevice and Lotus River

The land crevice is given the name of dragon water because of the 80-meter waterfall flowing from the top to its bottom. A 2-km pathway is attached to the cliff of the crevice， which could lead people 500 meters down to its bottom. The sides of the crevice， which are not covered by the water， are occupied with vines and other green plants， turning the valley into a green pearl. The plants， waterfall and the crevice itself form a perfect landscape painting.

It is also a good place to study into the karst landforms， as many experts believe that it is the essence of the karst landforms. Tourists could also find the adventuring elements there， since reaching the bottom of the pit through a steep staircase is a quite exciting journey.

The mountain in China could have perfect landscape only with the river around it. In Wulong， the Fairy Mountain and Whitehorse Mountain are accompanied by the Lotus River.

The river starts from Guizhou and the part flowing past Wulong turns out to be green. The U-shaped valley formed a lake after the completion of dam in Chongqing. The 150-sqm manmade lake has become an aquatic park.

The green water of the river is set off by the imposing and green trees growing on the banks. People can go fishing there in a casual style or take a cable car to enjoy the beautiful views of the river.