Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area

Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area

Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area

Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area is located

in Jiangkou Town, Huangyan District, Taizhou City, known as the “Hometown of Honey Oranges in China”. Nestled between mountains and sea, the scenic area enjoys very convenient transportation—just 1 km from downtown Huangyan, 491 km from Shanghai, 304 km from Hangzhou, and 157 km from Wenzhou. The Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area is located on the Zhushadui ridge of the Fangshan Mountain range. It features karst cave landscapes, Dongting Waterfall, boating in open mountains, landscape gardens, natural rock paintings, imperial sculptures, and urban night tours. It is a cave attraction formed from ancient quarrying. More than a thousand years ago, the renowned Tang Dynasty general Xue Rengui quarried stone here to build a city wall during his tenure in Huangyan. The Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area consists of Huangyan Nostalgia, Boating in Open Mountains, Immortal Painted Walls, Stone-Carved Wonders, Imperial Dreams, Dongting Waterfall View, and Remnant Mountains and Waters.

It is composed of ten zones: Stone Beam Cascades, Heavenly Sound Melody, and Ancient Quarry Orange Fragrance. Integrating local sages and quarry culture, garden and sculpture art, it allows visitors to learn history and enjoy scenery in a relaxing and delightful experience. The total tour route spans over 2,000 meters, with an estimated visit duration of about 2.5 hours. Approaching Splendid Huangyan, an immediate sense of openness greets you—a soaring stone arch, neither overly rounded nor rigidly formed, and a stretch of lucid green water, untainted and pure, resembling a celestial pool that captivates the heart. Some formations appear draped in gauze, with flowing ribbons, while others seem to dance in the wind, incredibly lifelike. Strikingly, the cave is covered with various natural patterns—some distant, evoking deep reverie, others close enough to touch, like walls painted by immortals. Created by faculty and students of Fujian Academy of Fine Arts, the “Chinese Emperors Expo Hall” features over 1,050 sculpted figures—including emperors, generals, scholars, and beauties—from primitive society to the late Qing Dynasty within a 220-meter-long tunnel. These sculptures collectively depict the virtues and vices of historical rulers, presenting major events in three dimensions to offer visitors a vivid understanding of Chinese history. The artworks feature smooth lines and exquisite craftsmanship; indeed, every cave here exudes an ancient, profound charm.

Splendid Huangyan—one cave of history, walls full of “flying apsaras”. Upon entering the cave, one can see golden, ochre, and dark brown images resembling flying apsaras on the sheer, silvery cliffs as flat as a whetstone.

Each sculpture here showcases the greatness of national culture. The Splendid Huangyan Scenic Area is also one of the few sites in China that offers visual historical education.

The caves of Splendid Huangyan twist and turn, with stone beams lying across and numerous cavities densely packed. Generations of stonemasons, swinging hammers and chisels, split the mountains and quarried the rocks, leaving behind 26 stone chambers and dozens of caves. Over time, nourished by rain and dew, these formed pools of lucid water. Caves connect to caves, pools to pools—some shallow, less than a meter deep, others reaching tens of meters. Viewed from above, the stone chambers resemble giant wells; looking up from below, only a tiny patch of blue sky can be seen high overhead. Arriving at “Dongting”, the sound of rushing water fills the air as a silver waterfall cascades down into an emerald pool, sending up sprays of glittering droplets. Adjacent pools display markedly different colors.

The outer pool is milky white like jade, while the inner one is emerald green, vibrant and lush. Splendid Huangyan is famed for its deep caves, beautiful waterfalls, magical rock paintings, and exquisite sculptures.

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours. Splendid Huangyan offers four major highlights: First, the naturally formed, richly colored cave walls resemble breathtaking murals with strikingly lifelike images; second, the grand Imperial Palace uses over a thousand sculptures to depict five thousand years of Chinese imperial history; third, the vast water areas, with clear waters set against solitary cliffs, create a unique landscape; fourth, the interconnected water bodies inside the caves allow for “boating in open mountains,” offering a distinctive aesthetic experience.