Taining Scenic Tourism Area

Taining Scenic Tourism Area

Taining Scenic Tourism Area is a National AAAAA-level Tourist Attraction and a National Water Conservancy Scenic Area.

　Taining is an emerging tourist destination, boasting extremely rich tourism resources. On February 11, 2005, at the UNESCO World Geoparks Evaluation Conference, Taining was awarded the world-class designation of Global Geopark, making it Fujian’s second global-level tourist area following Mount Wuyi. Taining is also a National Key Scenic Spot, a National 4A-Level Tourist Area, a National Forest Park, a National Geopark, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a National Intangible Cultural Heritage site, an Outstanding Tourism County of China, and a member of the Chinese Biosphere Reserve Network. It is further recognized as a Provincial Nature Reserve, a Provincial Tourism Economic Development Zone, and a Provincial Tourist Resort. Covering an area of 492.5 hectares, the Taining Global Geopark has currently developed seven major scenic areas: the Golden Lake, Shangqingxi, Zhuangyuan Rock, Ma'er Mountain, Jiulongtan, Jinlong Valley, and Taining Ancient City. These areas feature landscape highlights such as aquatic Danxia landforms, canyon clusters, cave wonders, and pristine ecology—combining uniqueness, diversity, leisure, and culture. Highlights include the hundred-mile Golden Lake where spectacular Danxia landforms blend seamlessly with vast lake waters, the deeply carved Shangqingxi Canyon with its dramatic interplay between sky, mountain, water, and rock, ancient Danxia caves where scholars of old secluded themselves to study, the second highest peak in Fujian—Jinniuling Mountain, known as the “Majestic Peak of Central Fujian,” the Jinlong Valley hailed as the “Grand Canyon Garden,” the well-preserved and expansive Ming Dynasty residential complex of the Shangshu Mansion—the largest of its kind in southern China, the hanging ancient temple of Ganlu Rock Monastery “piercing the earth with a single pillar, roofless yet enduring,” and the Meilin Opera, a national intangible cultural heritage acclaimed by the Ministry of Culture as the “Foremost Troupe Under Heaven.” In addition, Taining is one of China’s 21 Central Soviet Area counties. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as [names omitted], Peng Dehuai, and others once directed Red Army operations here, leaving behind a wealth of revolutionary heritage sites including Red Army Street and the former headquarters of the Eastern Army. In 2004, Red Army Street was listed among China’s “Hundred Classic Red Tourism Scenic Areas.”

On January 30, 2009, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO submitted all application materials for “China Danxia” to be inscribed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site to the World Heritage Centre, with Taining and six other renowned Danxia landform scenic areas officially becoming China’s 2009 nomination sites for World Heritage status.

As a typical representation of youthful Danxia landscapes, Taining is one of the regions with the most extensive Danxia landforms in southeastern China. It boasts three world-rare wonders: “Aquatic Danxia,” “Canyon Grand Garden,” and “Cave Museum.” The area is extraordinarily rich in geological relics, making it an ideal site for studying the geological and tectonic evolution of the Mesozoic era’s active continental margin along the western Pacific. Known historically as the “Ancient Town of Han and Tang, the Famous City of Song,” Taining has profound cultural and historical heritage. Relevant authorities have stated that Fujian Province is striving to achieve a genuine transformation and upgrade of the local tourism industry through the World Heritage nomination process. This includes elevating the standards of tourism infrastructure, management, and services to align with international levels, with the ultimate goal of establishing Taining as an international tourist destination.