Lotus Mountain Forest Park Scenic Area

Lotus Mountain Forest Park Scenic Area

Lotus Mountain Forest Park Scenic Area

Lotus Mountain Forest Park Scenic Area is located in Shihuigou Village, Yantongshan Town, Panshi City, 7 kilometers from the Guanma Karst Cave Scenic Area. Historically, it remained a primeval forest until the end of the Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was designated as an imperial hunting ground and remained closed off for over 200 years. After the liberation, it was allocated to the No. 324 Arsenal, allowing its pristine natural features to be preserved. Lotus Mountain is part of the central section of the Hadaling Range, an extension of the Changbai Mountains. The forest park features three peaks over 800 meters above sea level, with the highest peak, Chicken Claw Top, reaching 1,049 meters. The various peaks display multi-lobed, round, and oval shapes. Set against the undulating, overlapping mountain ridges and dense forests, they resemble lotus flowers emerging from water. The Chicken Claw Top peak still preserves over 2,400 acres of Korean pine forest, with trees aged over 300 years, the largest of which require four people to encircle. In addition, there are nearly 10,000 acres of spruce and fir forests. The forest park boasts abundant forest resources, complex stand structures, and distinct seasonal forest changes, representing a typical low-mountain mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest landscape. The vast forest provides a habitat for numerous animals, home to a variety of birds and beasts. A total of 259 animal species are listed in the Jilin Province Protected Wildlife Directory.

Lotus Mountain Ski Resort is located within the forest park, covering an area of 25 square kilometers. It officially opened for business on December 26, 2002. The area has a continental monsoon climate, and due to natural barriers, winter wind speeds are very low. The snow season lasts from November each year to early May of the following year, with snow accumulation reaching 0.5 to 1.5 meters in depth. The ski resort was planned and designed by Canada’s Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners, the same firm behind the design of the Vancouver Olympic ski slopes. The first phase of the project includes eight ski runs, one 200-meter snow tubing track, and six alpine ski runs, with a total length of over 10,000 meters and slopes ranging between 5 and 35 degrees. There are four chairlifts and one high-altitude gondola lift. In 2003, the national “Mass Cup” alpine skiing competition was successfully held here.