National Forest Park On The Liupan Mountain

Overview

Liupan mountain, also called Longshan mountain, marks the border of the large loess plateau in the northern part of Shaanxi Province and in the western part of Gansu Province. It divides the Wei River and the Jing River. In ancient times, the winding mountain path to the peak wound six laps, so it was named Liupan Mountain. At the end of the mountain in the southeast is Laolong Pond that is a source of the Jing River. The main scenic spots are Wild Lotus Vale, Little South Hill, Liangdian Gorge, the arboretum, and Erlong River.

Wild Lotus Vale, also named Lotus Garden, is a canyon that goes from south to north. It is no more than six kilometers long, and less than six or seven meters wide, but it has unique and beautiful scenery. Clumps of pines and cypresses and red birches hang on the cliffs. The path zigzags through wild lotus.
Little South Hill has a landscape as charming as that in the south of the Yangtze River in China.

Erlong River gets its name from a legend. It is said that when the old dragon was in the Dragon Pond (Laolong Pond), he sent his two sons to settle here beside the river and rule the important place. So this place is called Erlong  (double dragon) River. Peaks stand on both sides of the tranquil canyon with a gurgling brook and are covered by dense pinewoods.

Liangdian Gorge has a beautiful landscape and has been a summer resort since ancient times. According to historical records, Genghis Khan, the First Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), stayed here to rest and built pavilions, terraces and towers during his western expedition. Today, there are some remains from that era such as columns and a manger.

The arboretum gives priority to ecological plants. It contains 24 gardens including a Spring Garden, a Summer Garden, an Autumn Garden, a Fine Wood Garden, a Wild Fruit Garden, a Singing Bird Garden, a Sanyou Garden, a Fragrance Garden, a Cuckoo Garden, an Evergreen Garden, a Jiaolong Garden, a Hills & Brooks Garden, and gardens for domesticated plants, vines, hygrophilous propagation, and herbs.

Features

This was the only access for the Northern Silk Road route to the western plains. Liupan Mountain is a small green mountain chain about 200 kilometers long that is surrounded by dry land. It is known for its forest, as the origin of major rivers, and for its wildlife. It is a nature preserve with lots of species of animals and plants, and it supplies the area with water It is sort of like a big oasis area. Genghis Khan stationed his troops here when attacking during one of his wars; and in 1935, when the Red Army arrived here, Mao Zedong wrote a poem called "Liupan Mountains."

Location

It is in the southern part of Ningxia Province. It is in the middle of a triangle formed by the three provincial capital cities named Xi'an, Yinchuan and Lanzhou. The main peak lies between Guyuan and Delong counties in Ningxia.

Transportation

You can charter a bus in Guyuan to go there for about 160 RMB.