Erpi River

Erpi River

The Erpi River in Hongxing District, Yichun, cuts through rugged mountain ranges amid the resonant sounds of pine forests and jagged, uniquely shaped rocks. With a width of 5–24 meters and a depth of 2–5 meters, the river is transparent and its current alternates between fast and slow, preserving an untouched ecological environment. It is one of the few unpolluted rivers in China. Towering mountains vie in splendor on both sides, while the water is as clear as a mirror and green as blue — a spectrum effect caused by sunlight refraction.

When the boat reaches the fast-flowing sections, the true skill of the “boat captain” is put to the test. Using the paddle like an anchor, it’s akin to boating through the Three Gorges — offering a uniquely thrilling and heart-pounding experience. Sheer cliffs and bizarrely shaped rocks on both banks, resembling humans and animals with lifelike detail, are the handiwork of a volcanic eruption 1.6 million years ago. “The boat sails the river, the green mountains move along the banks” presents an overwhelming spectacle — not because the boat moves too fast, but because the charming variety of these mountains and ridges is simply too captivating to take in all at once.

The Hongxing Grand Platform area hosts seven rivers: the Kurbin River, Erpi River, Wulumu River, Kustu River, Lipaku River, Yixigeli River, and Gelbile River. The Erpi River converges with the Kurbin River at the foot of Banla Mountain, and together they flow toward the Heilongjiang River. The mighty waters of the Heilongjiang carry within them the spray of the Erpi River. The Erpi River basin boasts volcanic landform landscapes, tectonic landform landscapes, water landscapes, wetland landscapes, and forest landscapes that are rarely seen in China. The naturalness, typicality, rarity, systematic nature, integrity, beauty, scientific value, as well as the unresolved geological and ecological mysteries of its geological heritage, hold tremendous global significance.

The Erpi River basin is home to a wide variety of wild plants and numerous species of wildlife. According to incomplete statistics, there are 786 species of wild plants across 148 families, including 48 families and 138 species of mosses; 11 families and 38 species of ferns; and 88 families and 610 species of seed plants. The wildlife includes 346 species of birds and beasts. Among mammals, there are 50 species across 6 orders and 16 families, such as black bears, sika deer, moose, otters, and sables. Bird species include 221 species across 42 families, such as the scaly-sided merganser, red-crowned crane, white-naped crane, wild rhododendron, four-toned cuckoo, and thrush. Amphibians consist of 9 species across 2 orders and 5 families, such as the Siberian salamander, forest frog, dark-spotted frog, and spotless tree frog. Reptiles include 11 species across 3 orders and 4 families, such as the? eyebrow lizard, rain-spotted racerunner, and viviparous lizard. There are 36 species of fish across 9 families, such as taimen and lenok. The Erpi River basin is a natural botanical garden, and its excellent ecological environment provides ideal habitats for wildlife, making it also a natural zoo.

Address: Hongxing District, Yichun City