Shitai Guniujiang

Shitai Guniujiang

Shitai Guniujiang is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Guniujiang was historically known as the "Western Huangshan" and forms the main western extension of the Huangshan Mountain Range. It is famed for its grandeur, uniqueness, perilousness, and beauty, boasting magnificent mountain scenery. The area features 36 major peaks, 72 minor peaks, 36 major forks, and 72 minor forks. According to the Jiangnan General Annals, Huangshan has thirty-six cliffs (yuán, meaning ruined walls), standing opposite those of She County’s Huangshan, with its highest peak, Ancient Ox Ridge, offering a view of Mount Lu. This shows that Guniujiang was as renowned as Huangshan in ancient times. Its highest peak, "Guniu Grand Ridge," stands at an elevation of 1,727.6 meters, resembling a mighty ox standing against the sky. Along with the famous Huangshan (1,873 m) and Qingliang Peak (1,787 m), it is one of the three tallest peaks in southern Anhui. Stretching from west to east, these peaks stand like three giants side by side in southern Anhui.

Guniujiang has undergone tremendous geological changes. Around 850 million years ago, during the Xuefeng orogeny, its main body was uplifted, ending its history of marine submersion. Then, during the approximately 200-million-year-old Mesozoic Indosinian movement, the northern part of Guniujiang was also uplifted and merged with the main body, accompanied by the intrusion of granodiorite. Later, through the Yanshan and Himalayan movements, the immense power and ingenuity of nature shaped Guniujiang into a majestic and stunning mountain range—lofty peaks, sheer cliffs, and deep valleys, making it another spectacular mountain in southern Anhui. Due to its long land formation history and complex terrain, Guniujiang still hosts a wealth of ancient flora and fauna species dating back to the Tertiary and early Quaternary periods, around 70 to 2 million years ago. Examples include relic tree species from before the Tertiary such as China fir, yew, and ternate leaf yew, with the ginkgo being a famous “living fossil.”

Guniujiang is home to a vast array of biological species. According to incomplete statistics, there are 230 families, 726 genera, and 1,348 species of plants, including 13 plant species and 29 animal species under national protection. Moreover, the area has abundant reptiles, with over 26 species of snakes alone, earning it the nickname "Kingdom of Snakes."

It is precisely because of its complex natural conditions, rich biodiversity, and well-preserved ecosystem that Guniujiang has become the "Gene Bank of Flora and Fauna in East China," hailed by ecologists as a "Green Natural Museum." Guniujiang is not only a renowned comprehensive nature reserve in China but also a rare mountain-type tourist scenic area. Here, green mountains embrace clear waters, with ever-changing mist and clouds. Amidst rugged beauty lies tenderness, within picturesque charm dwells tranquility, and within fantasy hides elegance. The ecological environment is incredibly pristine, and the natural landscape combines grandeur, uniqueness, serenity, and beauty. Furthermore, the area boasts a legacy of exceptional people and profound cultural heritage, along with a glorious revolutionary tradition. It is home to relics of Wu Yingji, a leader of the Fu She Society in the late Ming Dynasty, a literary figure, and patriotic poet; the ancient Snow Mountain Fisher’s Rock; as well as slogan walls that reflect the historical tides of more than half a century of Chinese history...