Bagongshan National Geopark

Bagongshan National Geopark

Bagongshan National Geopark is a National AAAA-level tourist attraction and a National Geopark.

Bagongshan National Geopark

The Bagongshan Tourist Area is located in Bagongshan District, Huainan City. On December 10, 2001, it was approved as a National Geopark; on December 2, 2002, as a National Forest Park; and on July 31, 2003, it was rated as a National AAAA-level tourist area.

Bagongshan is a famous historical and cultural mountain, also known as Zijin Mountain. It consists of over forty peaks covering an area of 128 square kilometers. With lush peaks and abundant springs, the scenery is beautiful and rich in historical and cultural significance. The natural secondary forest, formed by 152 species of trees, is a green jewel on the land of northern Anhui. In spring, it is vibrant with greenery and full of life; in autumn, the mountains are covered with fiery red leaves. Over 1,600 years ago, the world-famous Battle of Fei River, a classic case of winning with fewer troops, took place here, leaving behind the timeless saying “the wind sounds like cranes and the trees look like soldiers.” More than 2,000 years ago, Liu An, the King of Huainan during the Han Dynasty, recruited scholars and compiled the renowned text "Huainanzi," which first organized and defined the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and invented the world-renowned dish—tofu—giving rise to the mythical story “when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.” The fossil of the "Huainan Worm," formed 800 million years ago, is the earliest known ancient organism fossil discovered in the world to date and is hailed by the international geological community as the source of life on the "blue planet." In 2000, the Chinese Academy of Sciences archaeological team discovered ancient ape fossils in Bagongshan, dating back over 3 million years, which are the earliest ancient ape fossils found in China to date.

Based on its unique historical culture and natural landscape, the Bagongshan Scenic Area focuses on eco-leisure tourism. The main attractions developed and under planning include the Han Huainan King’s Palace, Shengxian Platform, the Site of the Battle of Fei River, Baita Temple, Baita Pagoda, Qinglanggan Pavilion, Stone Forest, Wangqing Valley, Forest Bathing Ground, Red Leaf Valley, and Lanxiang Lake Resort. These offer visitors a great destination for leisure vacations, religious pilgrimages, sightseeing, and educational tourism.

The Bagongshan Tourist Area, with its magical and beautiful natural landscape as its core asset, enriched by colorful historical and cultural sites, and branded by ancient Han culture and the Battle of Fei River, centers on leisure vacation tourism and has become one of China’s well-known scenic tourist destinations.