Ganfensi Scenic Area

Ganfensi Scenic Area

The Ganfensi Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Changbai Mountain Ganfensi is located in Jiangyuan District, Baishan City, on the southern foothills of the Changbai Mountains, 160 kilometers from the Changbai Mountain range. The scenic area features six major attractions: Bangchui Peak, Jiuzhi Gorge, Han'ao Geological Park, Maple Leaf Ridge, Shimen Gully, and the Changbai Mountain Strange Stone Array. Each is exquisitely crafted and uniquely distinctive. Some say: Visiting Changbai Mountain without seeing Ganfensi is truly a great regret.

The Changbai Mountain Ganfensi has long been renowned worldwide for its mystery, peril, and strangeness. Over 40 domestic and Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan news media outlets have reported on it. It is hailed as the “Bermuda Triangle” of the Changbai Mountains.

The Changbai Mountain Ganfensi boasts lush forests, well-preserved pristine ecology, no industrial pollution within a hundred-mile radius, convenient transportation, fresh air, birdsong, floral fragrance, and pleasant scenery. It is an ideal destination for leisure, vacation, exploration, scientific research, experiencing nature, getting close to nature, and freeing one’s spirit.

In the Changbai Mountain region, there are four places called Ganfensi. Three are located within Fusong County, but the most famous one is situated in the primeval forest of Dayangcha in Jiangyuan County, at the intersection of 126 degrees 50 minutes east longitude and 42 degrees north latitude. It is a valley within the mountains, a basin-shaped valley surrounded by circular mountains, with valleys within valleys and basins within basins, featuring winding ridges and turning gullies. Like the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, it is filled with terror and mystery. People who venture in can easily get lost—once disoriented, there is a real danger of disappearing. Locals in the Changbai Mountains call it being “steamed in the Ganfensi.”

This Ganfensi in Dayangcha, Jiangyuan County, stretches 15 km from north to south and is up to 7.5 km wide from east to west. Within a nearly 100-square-kilometer area, the forest is dense, with undulating continuous ring-shaped mountain ridges, peak after peak connected, and valleys strikingly similar. In the words of the locals, it’s “basins next to basins, each basin alike; basins within basins, varying in size.” The locals also say it’s “big basins within small basins, ninety-nine in total,” vividly describing this rare geological wonder in the world. There is also a unique mystery here, an age-old unsolved riddle: once you step into the basin, compasses and magnetized needles all fail, making it extremely easy for people to lose their way.

The distribution of this Ganfensi landscape is highly concentrated and dense, yet the radius of each varies greatly. Small ones have diameters of 3–5 m, while larger areas can reach nearly 10 m in radius and depths of over 4 m. The typical spacing is 50–100 m, but in dense areas, they are directly connected, even with one basin’s wall embedded within another.

What exactly is a “Ganfensi”? Neither the *Cihai* nor the *Ciyuan* dictionaries contain this term. It refers to a special zone in the Changbai Mountain primeval forest, formed by extremely similar mountain peaks, valleys, and winding terrain. Most people who enter find it very difficult to get out. In the past, countless ginseng diggers and hunters perished in the “Ganfensi,” and cases of people getting lost in it still occur from time to time.

Regarding the origin of the “Ganfensi,” there is a local folk tale:

Long ago, in a mountain-dependent village at the foot of Changbai Mountain, there was a young man named Jinliang. Every day, he carried dry rations into the mountains to dig for ginseng. One day, while digging, he encountered an old man who had fainted from hunger. Jinliang gave the old man his own rations to eat. After eating, the old man didn’t even say “thank you” before getting up and leaving. The next day, Jinliang met the old man again, who asked for food once more. Without hesitation, Jinliang shared his meal. This went on for several days—the old man asked every day, and Jinliang, even at the cost of going hungry himself, always met the old man’s requests. One day, the old man gave Jinliang a basin, saying: “This is a ‘Ganfensi.’ Just add a ladle of water, and it can cook rice.” From then on, Jinliang never worried about food again. But when his sister-in-law found out, she insisted that Jinliang’s elder brother demand the Ganfensi. One day, Jinliang’s brother and sister-in-law secretly sneaked into the mountains and saw Jinliang cooking with the Ganfensi. The sister-in-law rushed forward, snatched the Ganfensi, and placed it upside down on Jinliang’s head. With a loud bang, the Ganfensi shattered and flew in all directions, transforming into a basin-shaped valley with towering peaks. The half-cooked rice turned into hundreds of identically sized bowls. The sister-in-law was killed by the blast. Jinliang’s brother panicked and ran downhill, but after a whole day, incredibly, he ended up back where he started. Round and round he went, for three straight days, not knowing how many circles he made, yet always ending up in the same place. Exhausted and starving, he died. Jinliang was led out of the mountains by the old man—who was actually the Mountain God—and safely returned home. Since then, people have called this place Ganfensi…

Legends are just legends and not to be taken as fact. But getting lost in the “Ganfensi” is an undeniable reality. What’s puzzling is that the way people get lost is largely the same—no matter which direction they go or how far they walk, they always end up back where they started. The paths taken by lost travelers form circular or oval patterns, making it impossible to escape.

Those who have been rescued after getting lost in the “Ganfensi” later recalled that their sense of direction inside was often completely reversed. Why this happens remains unclear, with various theories.

The “Ganfensi” is characterized by high mountains, dense forests, and similar terrain, which are likely the main reasons why it’s easy to enter but hard to exit. The scenery within the “Ganfensi” showcases the most pristine forest landscape, with extremely high sightseeing value. Travelers will not be in danger when visiting under the guidance of local guides.

Places called “Ganfensi” are not limited to just one location—there are as many as three in Fusong County alone, all with significant tourism value.