Longtan Grand Canyon

The Longtan Grand Canyon National Forest Park in Tian'e county [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Longtan Grand Canyon National Forest Park was upgraded to a national 4A-level scenic spot in 2014, becoming the fifth National AAAA Tourist Attraction in Hechi. It became the only 4A-level national forest park in the city of Hechi.

Longtan Grand Canyon, with high and steep mountain peaks on both sides, is 15 km long. China’s third largest hydropower project – Longtan Hydropower Station – is located upstream the Hongshui River Valley. Longtan National Forest Park, the only national forest park in Hechi, was recognized as a national level forest park in 2008 and was approved as a national 3A-level scenic spot in 2010. With a total area of 4,172 hectares, the park has a forest coverage rate of 96.41 percent.

The forest park is characterized by its valley scenery and karst landforms. The biggest feature is that an overwhelming majority of plants in the forests are in their primeval conditions. It is very similar to the karst forests in Libo County, Guizhou – a World Heritage Site. It is a rare primeval forest in the stone mountains of southwest Guangxi. Most of the plants in the scenic zone grow on rocks, on which there is no earth at all. All this means is that these plants are ecologically vulnerable. Once the ecological environment is damaged, it will take at least 500 years for it to repair itself. 

The Longtan Grand Canyon [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Longtan Grand Canyon [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]