Three Thousand Eight Hundred Steps

Three Thousand Eight Hundred Steps

Three Thousand Eight Hundred Steps is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Located 7 kilometers from the suburbs of Nanping, this is a highlight of the Mangdang Mountain Scenic Area. The Three Thousand Eight Hundred Steps area is rich in cultural heritage and historic sites. Since ancient times, it has been said that "each of the three thousand eight hundred steps hides a treasure." Legend has it that Huang Chao, leader of the peasant uprising during the Tang Dynasty, once set up camp here. Northern Song Dynasty general Yang Bamei, national hero Wen Tianxiang, and Zheng Chenggong fought battles here, leaving behind relics such as ancient fortresses and General Bridge, along with beautiful legends. Republic of China President Cao Kun and the first Governor of Fujian Province, General Sa Zhenbing, visited the site and left behind precious cultural artifacts such as the “Monument to Righteous Fame” and the plaque “Righteous Inquiry Proclaimed.”

The scenery of Three Thousand Eight Hundred Steps is captivating. The winding path is lined with numerous ancient and rare trees, and the area boasts rich biodiversity. It is a famous site for type specimens and an important germplasm resource bank, with as many as 4,267 biological species—more than triple the number found in Europe. The scenic area also serves as a natural oxygen bar, with an average negative ion concentration exceeding 30,000 per cubic centimeter. There are many attractions within the site, particularly the graceful Twin Dragons Waterfall, the mystical Giant Camphor Tree, and the mysterious Day-Open Night-Close Rock, all of which stir the imagination.

Currently, the scenic area features the three-star rural tourism business Nanping Twin Dragons Mountain Villa. It offers over 20 distinctive tourism activities including outdoor adventure, flower viewing, waterfall sightseeing, barbecuing, hiking, fruit picking, swinging, a children’s water play area, glutinous rice pounding, and snail collecting—allowing visitors to experience a completely different kind of eco-tourism compared to urban life.