Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area

Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area

The Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area is located at No. 29, Chahu Road, eastern part of Laoshan Forest Farm, Pukou District, Nanjing City. It was named “Dayan” after the large reservoir within its territory, which has since been renamed “Dayan.” Nestled at the foot of the picturesque Laoshan Mountain, the scenic area borders the Pearl Spring Tourist Scenic Area to the east and the national-level Laoshan Forest Park Resort to the west. Surrounded by mountains, it enjoys a unique location, superior conditions, abundant resources, and beautiful surroundings. The area is rich in historical legends and stories, and serves as a tourism destination integrating bicycle-themed cultural exhibitions and leisure vacations. Covering an area of over 10,000 mu, including more than 1,000 mu of water surface and approximately 10,000 meters of circular cycling trails, the site offers projects related to bicycle culture tourism, sports and fitness, conference retreats, gourmet entertainment, and family activities.

Leveraging its unique mountain slope, forest, village, and reservoir resources, the scenic area capitalizes on its terrain and environment to create landscapes. Centered around the theme of “Ink Wash Cycling, Joyful Dayan,” and building upon the legacy of the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games cycling venue and post-Olympic cultural heritage, it strives to establish a well-known domestic and top-tier Jiangsu-based bicycle leisure and sports base, characterized by bicycle culture displays and indoor-outdoor cycling activities.

Whether it’s the beautiful natural scenery, ancient thousand-year-old ginkgo trees, never-drying old wells, unique mountain-shaped villages, or the vibrant cycling under the sun and authentic farm cuisine, all shine with the beauty of a mountain village that can be admired, experienced, and savored, radiating vibrant charm.

Stepping into the Zigzag Water Street of the Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area, this area mainly relies on the natural water system from the Laoshan Mountain. The waterway winds and turns in a zigzag pattern, hence the name Zigzag Water Street. Stretching 500 meters in length, the street is lined with trees and shops on both banks, with the stream flowing alongside the road, achieving an organic integration of humans and nature. Utilizing a rich variety of water features and adopting a simplified Chinese residential style, the area integrates original local residences and combines the historical and cultural heritage of Dayan. Following the original architectural texture and layout of the village, it was renovated in conjunction with the ancient Jile An Temple, creating a beautiful landscape of small bridges, flowing water, homes, ancient temples, and old wells. Through careful design and craftsmanship, it has become a distinctive commercial and leisure water street full of humanistic charm, historical depth, and cultural elegance.

There are many historical legends and stories here. Liying Ancient Well: Wells have been essential to households in ancient times, with water coming from underground sources—clear and cool. Just as the phrase “leave one’s native land” (“背井离乡”) uses the word “well” (“井”) to express a deep cultural connection to one’s hometown, the well symbolizes a sense of “dwelling.”

Legend has it that Liying Ancient Well has a history of over a thousand years, dating back roughly to the Tang and Song dynasties. Having endured the test of time, the well has continuously provided a source of life for local residents. The deep grooves on the well tell stories of its long history. Today, this thousand-year-old well remains well-preserved, with crystal-clear water that local villagers still use.

The thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the scenic area is said to have been planted 400 years after the completion of Jile An Temple during the Northern Song Dynasty. The abbot planted the ginkgo tree in the temple. Thanks to the nourishing climate of Laoshan, the ancient tree thrived and became very spiritual. Local residents regarded it as a sacred tree and worshipped it. The incense offerings beneath the tree never ceased, with people buying red silk and cloth to hang on the sacred tree, praying for safety. It is said that wishes made here come true.

Having weathered the passage of time, the ancient tree now stands over ten meters tall with a canopy also spanning tens of meters, lush and green, like the guardian deity of this precious land of Dayan, blessing the locals with peace and good fortune.

The site of Jile An Temple, according to historical records, was once a branch temple of one of the “Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties” located in Yongning Village. It was built during the Liang and Chen periods of the Southern Dynasties, around 502–589 AD, a time when Buddhism flourished under imperial patronage, leading to the construction of many temples and pagodas, most of which were located in Jiankang, present-day Nanjing.

In its heyday, Jile An Temple enjoyed year-round incense offerings and attracted numerous worshippers. Later, it suffered damage from wars and was completely demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. Now, descendants have rebuilt the site to showcase the changes and historical depth it has undergone.

The Bicycle Culture Experience Hall in the Ink Wash Dayan Scenic Area adopts a simplified Chinese style design. The black-and-white color scheme highlights the artistic conception of ink wash painting. The overall square layout of the building and the use of curved elements reflect the competitiveness and fun of cycling sports.

The entire exhibition hall consists of two parts. The first section focuses on the history of bicycle development and four types of bicycle competitions. The second section presents bicycle sport experiences through multimedia, including VR cycling, power-generating cycling, and virtual world tours. Visitors can also enjoy thrilling 5D movies.

The “Ink Wash Dayan” Bicycle Culture Experience Hall is a bicycle culture science education and study-travel base. It is the first and largest comprehensive exhibition hall in Nanjing, and even Jiangsu, featuring complete functions, well-equipped facilities, and a full display of bicycle culture.

The Geological Science Museum covers an area of approximately 300 square meters. The entire museum adopts a simplified Chinese style and is divided into three sections. The first exhibition hall is the prelude area, including the “Miraculous Earth” and the geological ages of Laoshan. The second exhibition hall, “Stones Speak,” includes the formation of Laoshan ores, ore analysis, and ore discovery. The third exhibition hall focuses on ores and humanity. The Geological Science Museum serves as the main venue for themed geological culture and science education in the Laoshan Mountain area.

The Chinese Tiger Swallowtail Nature Museum, themed around “Love and Life,” showcases the full life cycle of the Chinese Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and unveils the secrets of the global Tiger Swallowtail family. With three permanent exhibition areas—the prelude hall, the full life cycle of the Chinese Tiger Swallowtail, and research on the genus Papilio xuthus—it fully reproduces the entire process of the Chinese Tiger Swallowtail from egg to emergence, clearly marking the distribution of the genus worldwide.

Blackstone Park covers an area of 50 mu and is an extension of the Laoshan landform. The stones here were not originally black. About 200 million years ago, sedimentary rocks formed, and when the rock formations were exposed to the surface, slight weathering occurred, with moss covering them, turning them black—commonly known as black stones.

Professional geological surveys indicate that the black stones are Triassic Zhouchongcun Formation dolomite, appearing grayish-white in color. The “black stones” contain micro caves, making this park a wonderful wonderland of natural black stone oddities. The park features black pools and green bamboo, offering visitors places for sightseeing and leisure.

The Children’s Fun Park is a children’s theme amusement park integrating kids’ play, game challenges, and parent-child entertainment. The park offers a wide range of activities without feeling crowded, with carefully designed details. Facilities such as go-karts, bumper cars, carousels, inflatable castles, and electric ride-on cars allow parents and children to bond more closely, teaching kids to learn through play and find joy in learning.

The Off-Road Bicycle Experience Park features an off-road cycling trail totaling 8,000 meters, consisting of mountain dirt roads, cement hard paths, muddy paths, and asphalt roads. This activity originated from a form of off-road cycling that emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s in the United States. The bikes used are relatively few in type, with wider tires, and the race tracks are very similar to those used in off-road motorcycling.

Off-road cycling is particularly suitable for young people to participate in and experience, with a wide variety of riding styles. The off-road cycling trails follow the contours of the mountains, run close to water and forests, and twist through the landscape, all hidden within the mountains, waters, forests, and fields. Cycling here not only allows you to enjoy the thrill of extreme sports but also enables you to connect seamlessly and intimately with nature.

The Animal Park is a lush green space home to various small animals, including alpacas, peacocks, macaques, cockatoos, swans, calves, goats, and nearly 30 other species. Children can feed the animals and interact closely with them. The park also features an animal performance area where visitors can watch shows.

The Outdoor Sports Park is a comprehensive sports tourism platform integrating various outdoor sports. It includes a sports and leisure area with four major ball courts—basketball, cage football, volleyball, and tennis—offering visitors the chance to experience outdoor recreational sports. It also serves as a venue for hosting various sports competitions.