Longtan Bay Scenic Area

Longtan Bay Scenic Area

Longtan Bay Scenic Area is located in Longtan Town, Xiuyan County, and got its name from the deep stone pool within the bay, which is said to be the hiding place of a dragon. Covering an area of 25,000 mu, the scenic area is now a national AA-level tourist attraction, as well as a provincial forest park and nature reserve.

Among the Eighteen Bays of Longtan, the most distinctive is Longtan Bay. The surface of the bay is peach-shaped, with a giant stone-lined bottom. Water from the upstream flows through crevices in the canyon rocks toward the stem of the peach, then swirls inside the bay before gushing out from the tip. The water in the bay is 8.2 meters deep, clear and cool, containing various elements beneficial to the human body. The surface of the bay spans over 60 square meters and holds nearly 500 cubic meters of water. On both the western and eastern sides of the bay, stacked rocks form cliffs approximately 15 meters high. Other bays, such as Lion Drinking Bay, Golden Turtle Bay, Pearl Bay, and Mandarin Duck Bay, are all interconnected, each offering unique sights and legendary tales.

The vegetation in Longtan Bay Scenic Area is well-preserved, with a forest coverage rate of over 95%. The woodland features a blend of coniferous and broadleaf forests, particularly notable for its dove tree blossoms. There are more than 1,200 species of herbaceous plants in Longtan Mountain, including over 300 types of wild medicinal herbs and more than 80 varieties of wild vegetables. The forest floor is rich in valuable edible fungi, including over 30 types of precious mushrooms such as monkey head mushrooms.

Longtan Bay has a long history. The Red Stone Site covers an area of 100 square meters and dates back to the Warring States period. To the east of the site are two stone shelters from the Bronze Age. In the second year of the Mingchang era during the Jin Dynasty, Wang Ji, the criminal investigation intendant of Xianping Road in Liaodong, composed a poem here: “At the mountain’s peak, a spring surges into a great bay, its depths clearer than indigo, where carp grow a foot and a half long, their golden scales and grand fins truly extraordinary.”