Wangtianhe Scenic Area

Wangtianhe Scenic Area

Wangtianhe Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

A 2A-level tourist area, it has been approved by the State Council as the "Yalu River Upper Reaches National Nature Reserve" and is currently applying to become the "China Jilin Changbai Mountain Wangtianhe Volcano National Geopark." The scenic area is 50 kilometers from Changbai County, located within the Wangtianhe Valley of the Fifteenth Gully in Changbai Mountain, stretching 76 Chinese miles in total, with the lowest elevation at 450 meters and the highest at 1100 meters. Wangtianhe Mountain stands at 2051.4 meters above sea level, making it the second highest peak in Northeast China. It is 32 kilometers away from Heaven Lake, and the two volcanoes form the mountain ridge of the Changbai Mountain range. Wangtianhe Mountain is a massive central vent and overflow basaltic volcanic cone, also a large caldera. The valley contains uniquely formed volcanic geological relics and landscapes due to caldera activity.

The main attractions of Wangtian Scenic Area are distributed within 13 kilometers north of the valley entrance. The area features stone walls and columnar peaks formed from gray vesicular basalt, black dense massive basalt, and gray platy Anshan basalt, with highly developed columnar joints—mostly quadrangular or hexagonal. Horizontally developed columnar joints resemble ladders to the sky, while radial joints look like a peacock spreading its tail, and vertically developed joints are mostly quadrangular or hexagonal in shape.

Closely arranged, they resemble a forest of stones from afar, with horizontally aligned joints looking like thousands of tightly pressed railway sleepers just peeking out from within the mountain.

Wangtianhe Mountain resembles a swan lifting its head and gazing into the distance, hence the name "Wangtianhe" (Gazing Swan). Around the main peak are bizarre rocks and towering ancient trees, complementing the snow-capped peak of Changbai Mountain. The scenic area boasts numerous peculiar rocks and waterfalls, showcasing the wonders of nature. Wangtianhe’s waterfalls are abundant and unique—some cascade down powerfully with great momentum, others hang delicately, or quietly flow from rock crevices. It's as if an invisible giant kettle in the mountains continuously pours out nectar, with famous waterfalls including the Mushroom Spring Waterfall, Mother-Son Waterfall, Pearl Curtain Waterfall, and Nine-Tiered Spring Waterfall, along with many unnamed ones of various sizes.

Main Attractions:

The main attractions of Wangtian Scenic Area are located within the Wangtianhe Valley, 8–15 kilometers north of the entrance to the Fifteenth Gully. The area features stone walls and columnar peaks formed from gray vesicular basalt, black dense massive basalt, and gray platy Anshan basalt, with highly developed columnar joints—mostly quadrangular or hexagonal. Horizontally developed columnar joints resemble ladders to the sky, while radial joints look like thousands of tightly pressed railway sleepers just peeking out from within the mountain.

Over 30 major attractions have been identified in the Wangtian Scenic Area. The most representative sights include the “Eight Great Waterfalls, Ten Major Stone Landscapes,” and a stone waterfall group landscape belt extending over 500 meters, namely: Flying Waterfall, Tongtian River, Mother-Son Waterfall, Hanging Kettle Waterfall, Nine-Tiered Waterfall, Pearl Curtain Waterfall, City Wall Cliff Waterfall, Tiger Leap Gorge Waterfall, as well as the unique stone clusters, Thousand Pillar Peak, Stone Pillar Cliff, Honeycomb Cliff, Stone Ladder Cliff, Peacock Spreading Its Tail, Eternal Rock, Cultural Wall, Ink Splatter Cliff, Longevity Rock; micro-landscapes within the stone waterfall group include: Water Curtain Cave, Hanging Cliff, Golden Boy Spring, Jade Maiden Spring, Listening-to-Spring Rock, Rainbow Waterfall, Lion Rock, Monkey Head Rock, Two-Finger Plank Road, Sky-Viewing Cave, and Hanging Stone Cave. The waterfalls either scatter like pearls, pour like a heavenly kettle, or resemble a celestial Milky Way. Especially spectacular are the ice waterfall formations in winter. Meanwhile, the columnar joints formed as molten lava flows (with temperatures reaching 1100°C–1200°C) from volcanic eruptions cool and solidify are clearly visible. Towering stone pillars formed by these joints stand upright, closely packed, with uniform thickness from top to bottom. The stone walls and peaks formed from gray vesicular basalt, black dense massive trachytic basalt, and gray platy Anshan basalt all feature highly developed columnar joints—mostly quadrangular or hexagonal. Vertically developed joints resemble towering pillars, horizontally developed ones look like ladders to the sky, and radially developed ones resemble a peacock’s tail. The presence of recumbent and platy folds in the basalt is particularly valuable for viewing and scientific research.

Changbai Mountain

Heaven Lake of Changbai Mountain

Chanchao River

Changbai Mountain International Natural Ski Park

Changbai Hot Spring Group

Changbai Stone Forest Scenic Area

Baiyun Peak

Changbai Mountain Plateau Ice and Snow Sports Training Base

Tiger Back

Secluded Valley Forest

Changbai Mountain Waterfall

Changbai Mountain Northeast Tiger Forest Park

Niulang Ferry

Changbai Mountain Cold Spring

Changbai Mountain Grand Canyon

Little Heaven Lake of Changbai Mountain

Changbai Mountain Volcano Group

Valley Bottom Forest Sea of Changbai Mountain