Baiyun Mountain Grand Canyon

Baiyun Mountain Grand Canyon

Baiyun Mountain is located in Baishui Village, 7 kilometers northwest of Caohé Town. The entire mountain is shaped like a giant peach, featuring three main peaks, with the central peak Yuhuangding being the highest at an elevation of 1,002 meters. The northern and southern peaks are also both over 900 meters high, covering a total area of approximately 18 square kilometers. It gets its name from the clouds that surround the mountain all day long. From afar, it appears majestic and spectacular.

I. Baiyun Mountain’s Strata and Landforms

The geological strata of Baiyun Mountain belong to the northern edge of the Lianshanguan anticline axis and are an eastern extension of the Cherry Garden–Gongchangling anticlinorium. The stratum system mainly consists of Archean Anshan Group, Lower Proterozoic Liaohe Group strata, and Sinian strata. The rock layers are primarily composed of mixed granite, white granite, and flesh-red granite, with quartz veins and carbonate veins filling the fractures in the rocks. Due to the density and characteristics of the strata, along with the uplifts from the Yanshan and Changbai orogenies, and hundreds of millions of years of water erosion and wind weathering, the exposed rocks are flat and smooth, forming unique landforms.

II. Baiyun Mountain Forest Vegetation

The vegetation succession of Baiyun Mountain began during the transition from the Neotertiary to the Neogene period and belongs to the secondary forest of the Changbai Mountain plant system. The vegetation of Baiyun Mountain is well-preserved, with a forest coverage rate of 100% and a forest canopy density of 0.95. Coniferous species include larch, Korean pine, Chinese pine, and cypress; broadleaf species include Manchurian ash, Amur cork tree, oak, locust, linden, catalpa, and magnolia sieboldii. Wildlife includes black bears, roe deer, wild boars, pheasants, and hares. Wild delicacies include monkey head mushrooms, pine mushrooms, hazel mushrooms, and wood ear. Mountain vegetables include Japanese parsley, eleutherococcus, bracken shoots, and fiddlehead ferns, as well as precious medicinal herbs such as ginseng, polyporus umbellatus, ganoderma, and poria cocos.

III. Baiyun Mountain Natural Scenery

Baiyun Mountain features precipitous cliffs, deep valleys, peculiar peaks and rocks, drifting clouds and mist, overlapping ridges, and spectacular grandeur. Attractions include Blade Ridge, Dragon Spine, Five Lakes, Temple Terrace, Eagle Beak Rock, Cockscomb Rock, Piercing Cave, Falling Stone Gully, Stone Footprints, Baiyun Mountain Sea of Clouds, and Baiyun Mountain Sunrise. The Baishui River and Baiyun Mountain Reservoir lie at the foot of the mountain, winding around it. The entire mountain is covered with lush pines and emerald cypresses, with vines and streams meandering through it, deep canyons, cascading waterfalls, ancient trees, and picturesque scenery. The unique terrain and natural landscape of Baiyun Mountain provide a solid foundation for tourism development.

IV. Development History of Baiyun Mountain

The development of Baiyun Mountain started relatively early. As early as the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, it became the fief of a prince. In 1755, Baishui Temple, Yuhuang Temple, and Sanguan Temple were built. There is an inscription that reads: "In the spring of the year Yimao, the official from the Plain Yellow Banner, Laimiha, built a temple here, donating clay to worship two Buddhas. The Hall of the Medicine King is on the right, and the Seven Saints are on the left. The thatched roof was not trimmed…"

Baishui Temple is affiliated with the Tiecha Mountain lower temple, the birthplace of Northeastern Taoism, and serves as an important hub for the spread of Taoism from Northeast China to Southern Liaoning. During the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, disciples of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect built Yuhuang Temple on Baiyun Mountain. During the Qianlong era, Tiānxiān Palace, Guan Di Temple, Zhenwu Hall, and the Bell and Drum Tower were constructed at the foot of the mountain to widely spread Taoist teachings and promote Taoism. It was one of the six major temples in Liaoning Province. Due to its long history and many legendary stories of divine appearances, it attracted a continuous stream of Taoist worshippers and was a famous pilgrimage site in Eastern Liaoning, with incense burning year-round. Unfortunately, most of these structures were destroyed during the War of Resistance and the Cultural Revolution.

Contact Number: 024-46571143

Information Source: Benxi Manchu Autonomous County People's Government

Baishui Village: Baishui Village…… More information about Baishui Village++