Tianzi
Mountain
Tianzi Mountain is named after Xiang
Dakun who led the local farmers' revolt and called
himself Tianzi---the Son of Heaven. Bounded by Suoxi Valley
on the east, Zhangjiajie on the south, Sangzhi County on
the north, Tianzi Mountain is one of the four scenic
zones in Wulingyuan. It lies on the highest point of
"Golden Triangle", its highest point being
1262.5m(Kunlun peak) and lowest point being 534m(Shilan
valley). It has an area of 67 square kilometers, a
touring line of 45 kilometers, an average temperature of
12oC, an annual waterfall of 1800 mm, a frost-free
period of 240 days and a frozen period of 60-80 days.
Except a layer of limestone and a few areolate stones at
the peak, some hundred meters above sea level, the
majority of scenic spots is formed of quart stones,
belonging to sandstone ground feature which is the same
as Suoxiyu Valley and Zhangjiajie. The 500-meter or
600-meter thick quartzite sandstone has evolved from
neptunic rocks that subsided from oceans 380,000,000
years ago and after a complicated and long process
formed strangely shaped spectacles. To sum up, the
landscape in Tianzi Mountain is natural and primeval.
Every scenic spot is created by nature and of no
artificial trace. There are not only primeval forests
and beautiful water but also plain folkways, special
customs and local specialities and delicacies awaiting
tourists from home and abroad. No wonder people make
comments, like " people who have climbed Tianzi
Mountain will not climb any other mountains" and
"It can not be said that you have been to
Wulingyuan without reaching Tianzi Mountain".
West
Sea
Situated in the west of Suoxiyu Valley, it
is a basin-like landform with a collection
of peaks and woods. In this "sea", numerous
peaks stand with different shapes and poses, covered
with lush vegetation. Therefore, it is called "sea
of trees" and "sea of peaks". In spring
or summer or a clear day immediately after a rain in
autumn, the clouds are surging and rolling like waves,
covering the whole sky and earth. The view is so
magnificent that it is called "sea of clouds".
The combination of the three seas is the characteristic
of West Sea. In it, Gate to Heaven and Sky Terrace are
wonderful scenes.
Shentang
Valley
Shentang Valley is also named
Shentang Fort. It is a gorge shaped like a huge basin
walled by lofty precipices. The bottom of the gorge is
veiled in mists and clouds all day, adding to its
mysteriousness. As the saying goes, the
most beautiful scene is seen from the most perilous
peak. There are almost no roads to Shentang Valley, only
a quite dangerous flight of stairs that is as wide as a
foot being available. Local people say, " Every
step kills one soul". In the center of the bottom
lies a fathomless green pond. Looking down the pond from
the mouth of the gorge, one can't help shivering. What's
peculiar is that visitors can hear sounds of gongs and
drums, neighs of battle steeds and shouts of men echoing
from the bottom. Nobody can give a reasonable answer to
this mystery. Therefore, Shentang Valley was a forbidden
place in Wulingyuan and a puzzle for hundreds of years. |